By Isaac Siegmund-Broka
Staff Writer
There are no bats, balls or rackets. It isn’t played on a field, on a track or in a pool. Nonetheless, ComedySportz remains one of the most popular “sports” at Costa. Under the direction of a new team manager senior Duncan Gregory, Mira Costa’s cherished comedy outlet is in for significant and benificial changes.
ComedySportz consists of competitive improvisation in the form of comedic games played between two teams. Players must be both quick on their feet and convincing actors in order to keep an entertaining scene running fluidly through a match.
This year, Gregory aims to change the way team members think about acting by implementing new creative strategies and exercises. The unconventional methodology of Gregory’s lessons is being met with optimistic support from the team.
“The work that we’ve been doing has made our improv much funnier and more intellectual,” sophomore Gabby Wolf said. “There have been a lot of changes that have been really good so far, and some that will still take some getting used to.”
In previous years, practices have been devoted almost exclusively to straight scenes and games. With Gregory in charge, ComedySportz practices have become much more creative and experimental toward how the members think as they act.
“At a recent practice, Duncan told us to think of and become one character for the entire practice,” senior Celena Smith said. “It was extremely bizarre; by the end of the practice I found myself even thinking as my character. It was cool because we all got really invested in it.”
New outside-of-the-box methods of acting and improvising are helping team members to develop and maintain more realistic characters. Although the team has had few practices so far this year, Gregory has interesting plans for future practices.
“Soon we’re going to have a practice in which each member builds an imaginary space and is forced to live in it for two hours,” Gregory said. “We’re also going to do an exercise in which each member has to make up a language and must communicate with teammates using only his or her own language.”
While many associate ComedySportz with only comedy, the team considers acting ability to be an equally important component in performing. Gregory aims to emphasize acting in team practices to cement the team members’ ability to create and embody realistic characters.
“This year ComedySportz is focusing a lot more on acting—it is not all about cracking jokes or being funny or clever,” senior Sabrina Hutchinson said. “It is about captivating the audience and making them believe the character you’re portraying as if they knew them.”
Some ComedySportz members believe that the new rigorous and inventive exercises are helping to foster more productive energy and teamwork.
“The new programs definitely create a ‘down-to-business’ attitude,” junior Molly Curtis said. “Everyone on the team is always really engaged.”
Gregory also intends to break down the psychological fundamentals of improvisation. He would like to use subtle mental tricks to more effectively appeal to the audience.
“In a scene where two people are on either side of the stage, while it may seem balanced on paper, it psychologically affects the audience to pit the two against each other,” Gregory said. “Utilizing the audience’s psychology like this can be extremely effective, and I’d like to see the Mira Costa team do more of it.”
To Gregory, the skills taught in ComedySportz do not apply solely to improvisation, but can be used as tools for life. This is greatly reflected in his experiential style of teaching.
“Overall, I’m trying to make ComedySportz an experience in which one can find things that work in both life and improv,” Gregory said. “Take the performance off the stage, so to speak.”
ComedySportz does not currently have any upcoming matches, but it performs in Improv Club on Tuesdays in room 1.
“I look forward to being able to put our new techninques to use this year,” Smith said. “The matches will be even more fun for the performer and more entertaining for our audiences.”
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