Springfield Improv

Performances:
Our performers begin every show with one or two quick improv games that introduce everyone to improv. For all of our scenes we use suggestions from the audience. It is our goal to get people involved with the show.
Next we present audience participation games. These games use volunteers from the audience, either pre-selected by the organizer of the event or chosen at the start of the game. These games work to get everyone involved as participants are asked to fill in lines from the improvisers, move the improvisers like puppets, or silently act out scenes. We always promise that we will do nothing to embarrass anyone . . . on purpose.
Every show ends with more scenes performed by the cast.
The goal of an improv scene is for performers to relate to each other in a real emotional way. The characters and locations can be as wacky as the audience wants to suggest, but the humor comes from the everyday relatable reactions and feelings of the performers. Laughter comes from a connection with the feelings of the cast and the audience.
Our shows can be between 30 minutes and 2 hours, depending on what works for you. Longer shows merely involve a greater variety of scenes and audience participation games.

Our workshops and corporate training:
Improvisation is the art of spontaneously creating scenes based of any suggestion from the audience. In order to do this, Improvisers must be able to work together seamlessly as a group. These skills, in areas such as agreement, group mind, support of others, and more enable these incredible performances. These skills are not only applicable to our work on the stage, but to most any other endeavor from one's business to personal interactions.
In our workshops we teach the fundamentals of improvisation and we will have you ready to perform your own improv scene by the end of a class.
In our corporate training we bring these skills to the business world and teach you how to create positive self supporting groups that are capable of collaborating in a way that allows the full potential and intelligence of the group to be expressed.
Our students learn the skills to be supportive group members and overcome social fears that keep us from participating fully in a groups success.
All of these skills are taught in a fun hands on way that leaves you laughing your way to success.

Springfield Improv, owned and operated by Seth White, serves Springfield, MO with quality family friendly improvisational comedy. Our performers are highly trained, many both perform and teach improvisation at our theater. We have brought our unique show to top businesses, churches, schools, and other public and private events.
Our workshops and corporate training seminars effortlessly translate the skills of the improvised stage to any audience. The tools that allow us to effortlessly create together on stage are the same ones necessary for any group to learn how to work together for success.
The head of Springfield Improv, Seth White, originally performed with The Skinny Improv, then received additional training in Kansas City, Oaklahoma City, and Chicago, from some of the country's top improvisers. In September of 2014 Springfield Improv was formed with the support of a large number of skilled local improvisers. Our teaching and touring performers, average five to fifteen years experience as professional improvisers and teachers.
We bring a vast array of experience from outside of improv as well with many of us working in fields such as traditional theater, fire fighting, corporate consulting, and engineering.
Improvisation is the art of creating. Every scene begins with inspiration from the audience and the environment. Every show is unique and never repeated. Our classes and performances adapt to the audience and the goal of the event creating a collaboration designed to inspire, inform, and amuse everyone.

For our performances:
It is important that we can be seen by our audience and be close enough to them to interact with them. This can be on a stage, but can also be at the front of a room or in the middle of a semicircle of tables.
For larger groups we request the use of 4 to 6 microphones to ensure that we can be heard throughout the space. it is preferred that at least 3 or 4 of the microphones be hands free.
For our performance area, we require 3 chairs that do not have arms on them, a standard dining chair is fine.
It is also requested that water be available for performers.
We have performed in theaters for over a thousand people and we have performed for groups as small as 10 people in a class room.
We are improvisers and our job is to make things up and make them work.

For our workshops and corporate training:
We need a space large enough to accommodate all of the participants standing up with at least a few feet to move in and for groups of up to 15 people to work together in circles with freedom of movement. This can be accomplished with chairs that are moved after we start to allow more room.
We need microphones for larger groups to ensure we can be heard clearly by all attending.