BYU improv club brings laughter to campus during spring and summer terms

As campus quiets down during spring and summer terms, BYUs improvisational club, Laugh Out Loud, continues giving students a reason to gather.

Their upcoming show on May 23 offers a chance for those newer to improv to take the stage.

Whats atypical about this show is that were inviting all of our club members to be a part of it.," Alden Barnes, the President of L.O.L., said. "Usually, we only have eight or so cast members in it, but this time were inviting all participating members of our club to be in the show.

During weekly meetings, members practice building scenes, creating characters and embracing mistakes as part of the process. Dylan Ross, a member of L.O.L., said improv helped him become more comfortable with failure.

You will never get good at improv if you don't try and fail and try and fail a lot," Ross said. "There's a lot of places in life where you just got to try and fail over and over again before you figure things out.

A typical L.O.L. practice includes improv exercises and games. Many improvisers find the spontaneous nature of improv to be part of its appeal.

I really like how freeing the art form is," Barnes said. "When I go on stage, I can give it 100% of myself, and that scene will mean the world to me in that moment; but then afterwards, if Im not satisfied with how I did, then it doesnt matter because it was just improv. It was a silly game made up on the spot.

With many students away for the summer, L.O.L. is one of only a handful of clubs still meeting weekly.

I would invite any BYU student to come try improv," Barnes said. "You don't have to audition or sign up. You can just show up on Thursdays and play some games with us. Its very fun, its very beginner-friendly."

L.O.L.s weekly practices take place from 7-9 p.m. in room 214 of the Crabtree building.