KU Improv: Unscripted, Unfiltered and Unforgettable

Kace Spears | @kacespears

Sophomore Cade Nelson said KU’s Improv Club has taught him one of life’s most valuable lessons, how to fail. 

“Failure is funny to an audience,” Nelson said. “If you fail with a wink and a grin, that goes a really long way.”

While many KU students are making their way to Massachusetts Street, a crowd filters into the Woodruff Auditorium on campus. They’re not here for a lecture; they’re here for KU Improv, a student-run comedy club where anything can happen.

KU Improv performs unscripted comedy shows every Thursday at 7 p.m.. No rehearsals, no memorized lines. Just quick thinking, audience suggestions and a lot of trust.

“The fact that you could go on stage and embarrass yourself in front of so many people because you don’t know what you’re going to say is way scarier,” Nelson said.

Behind the laughs is a team that thrives on collaboration and chemistry. Without it, the whole show falls apart.

“You really can’t do good improv unless you trust your team members,” Graduate student Jude Patenaude said. “You have to rely on everyone else you’re working with. Having good chemistry is one of the most important things in improv.” 

Improv shows will take place in Murphy Hall, room 235 every Thursday at 7 p.m. If you’re looking for a laugh, skip the Netflix scroll. Head to a KU Improv show instead, you decide how the show will be run.