“One, two, three” followed by a loud clap and the scene had started. I had no time to think about what I wanted to do next, but that was the point. I turned my mind off and just let the words flow out of me. Next thing I knew the scene was over and the audience was clapping and laughing. I just did improv… and it was fun!
My first interaction with the D+ improv troupe was during my first-year summer orientation in 2023 when D+ presented a show for all new students. I was immediately captivated by the speed and wit of the scenes, the confidence each member displayed onstage and the level of interaction the audience had with the troupe during the show.
When the fall semester finally came around, I, like many others, was still getting acquainted with campus life and finding my footing in terms of how I wanted to be involved. One day, I saw a poster inside Meredith Hall that said D+ was having auditions that week and everyone could come and try out. Remembering the show I saw and its reputation on campus as a fun and positive group of entertainers, I decided to give it a shot.
When the time came for auditions, everyone was excitedly lined up outside of the Monroe Recital Hall talking about how nervous we all were. I was no stranger to the performing arts, as I had done school and community theatre for most of my life, so when the time came to show what I was capable of, I reminded myself to just try my best and have fun. In doing so, I surprised myself with how confident and well-received my work was.
During one of my audition scenes, I also worked with one of my now closest friends, Abdiel Gallardo. We performed as a duo together and our humor and characters bounced off of each other perfectly. But most of all, we both just had fun doing the scene and making everyone laugh.
Gallardo has been an incredible scene partner and an even better friend, who I can always rely on and be open with. If I hadn’t taken the chance to audition, I would never have met him and become the person I am today. Love you, bro.
The next thing I knew, I was thrown the iconic black D+ T-shirt, along with a warm welcome into the troupe. Now that I was officially a part of D+, I was, and still am, dedicated to improving my skills and being as good as the older members. I still look up to our former President Jaguer Heier and senior member Richard Lock, who have both since graduated, as they are undeniable experts in their craft after years of experience and have helped to create an inclusive environment for all of us new members.
However, improv didn’t come as naturally to me as it does now. The funny thing about improv is that you do your best when you don’t try too hard or think about it too much. My growth in trying to remember this came with many challenges, as now that I had put pressure on myself to improve, overthinking diminished my skills. By putting all of my focus on how to be as funny, quick and engaged as possible, I sabotaged my ability to think on my feet and be fully involved in a scene.
This tanked my mentality for having fun in improv for a good portion of my first year, as I felt disconnected from the rest of the troupe and thought that I wasn’t good enough to be a member. I would constantly overthink my scenes during practice and our shows, analyzing “how funny” or “how good” I was in each scene and playing the comparison game with others in my mind. For a long time, I was stuck in this rut until I eventually grew out of it thanks to the encouragement and friendliness of the other members.
I spoke with people like Gallardo about how I was feeling and what I could do moving forward. They reassured me that they accepted me into the troupe because I have what it takes, that they’d all taken note of my efforts to improve and that I shouldn’t be so hard on myself. Given this newfound perspective, I was able to ignore my negative thoughts and self-criticism and just have fun while continuing to strive for improvement in a much healthier manner.
And now that we have a new group of people joining us for their second semester in D+, I can’t help but see a lot of myself in their growth and development in the troupe. I hope that they see me as a source of guidance and encouragement and don’t shy away from seeking advice and asking questions as I did for those who came before me.
Overall, I feel incredibly confident and comfortable doing improv now and I have also taken these skills into my daily life. I’m able to think fast and come up with ideas on the fly, all while being conscious of my overthinking and instead focusing on being present in the moment. I’m incredibly grateful for the challenges and growth D+ has provided and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this troupe.
