East Carolinian

Issue date: 9/9/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: staff photo

Media Credit: staff photo

"I Like My Women" is one of the many improv games that are a popular choice among the Swash Improv team members and their audience.

What is Swash Improv? Chuck Givens, leader of the troupe, is the best person to explain the concept.

"We are mostly a short-form style improv troupe, which means our repertoire is made up of games similar to those seen on 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?'" said Givens.

The group consists of current ECU students, with majors ranging from chemistry to communication and theatre.

Corey Brown formed the concept of Swash in 2002. Brown, who now works with Upright Citizens Brigade in New York, started the troupe under the impression that there had been no groups like it at ECU before. At that time, improv was a relatively new and blossoming art form.

Swash meets every Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the Messick building to practice. A little known fact is that all rehearsals are open, so anyone can come and enjoy the performance.

Just because it's improv doesn't mean it's not practiced.

"People ask us, 'Why do you need to practice? Isn't everything improvised anyway?' True, but there's a lot to be said for having a group mind and having everyone be on the same page," Givens said. "Plus, it's a whole lot easier to memorize our lines that way."

Swash's first show of the season will be on Sept. 10 at 8:00 p.m. in room 244 of Mendenhall Student Center. The show will made up of team-based games and a little audience participation.

Swash does more than just put on a few shows every semester. It is also concerned with giving back to the community by donating all of its proceeds to the Eastern Carolina Humane Society. They are currently gearing up for a busy semester, organizing events that all students at ECU can enjoy.

"We're trying to work on hosting our very own improv festival," Givens said. "We have had a great response from several college and professional troupes, so hopefully we'll be able to get it up and ready by our tentatively scheduled date sometime in April."

For Givens, being a part of Swash has not only allowed him the opportunity to perform improv, but the support from the audience and devoted fans have generated memories that he will never forget.

"I have a lot of great memories but one that sticks out in my mind was from two seasons ago at our final show," he said. "It was the first time we had done a bracket-style tournament, and we wanted it to be a huge show. I said we should try to shoot for over 100 people to be in the audience, something that is difficult to do, given the timing [at the end of the school year before exams start]."

Unfortunately for Givens, this was around the time that his grandfather passed away, making him unable to participate or even attend the final show.

"One of our members, Ryan Holden, gave me a call shortly after the show was over and he told me 'You got your wish, buddy. There were well over a hundred people here,'" Givens said. "That really touched me. Knowing that Swash had reached and surpassed our goal made me feel very proud."

Swash recently held auditions for their troupe last week to recruit new members for this year's season.

"At the audition, we basically ran through some of our more popular games to get a good idea of what kind of talent everyone had," said Rob Breiner, a Swash member who was present at the auditions. "By running through those games, we got a good idea of everyone's sense of humor and acting style was like and how well they could play our games."

Swash also recruited members for their sister group, Swish, at the auditions.

Givens offers encouragement to those who are new to improv, saying that practice makes perfect, because the overall idea of improv is to have fun.

"There aren't any scripts to memorize, and if you mess up, it's okay! The other thing I'd tell them is to try and not be funny. The funniest instances in life are those that come naturally," Givens added, "All of our shows are free to everyone. Come see us. Without an audience, it's only a rehearsal."

For more information, contact Chuck Givens at swashimprov@gmail.com.



This writer can be contacted at features@theeastcarolinian.com.

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