Ever thought about doing improv? Young and old are invited to try it when South of Chi Production hosts improv “jams” in the fall.
The company, founded by Kate Wiersema and her husband Eric Wiersema, said these workshops will be accessible to anyone interested in improv, regardless of skill level or experience.
There will be separate workshops for each age group. The improv workshops for children will be at the Homewood Science Center and the workshops for teens and adults will be at the Homewood Auditorium.
“Anybody can do improv. If you can communicate, you can do improv in some way,” Wiersema said. “Improv is comedy that you make up on the spot. I always tell people that it’s theater where you’re the actor, writer and director all at the same time.”
Wiersema said she’s traveled to Indiana, Chicago and Orland Park for improv, but she’s working to make improv available in Homewood where she lives.
South of Chi Production’s fall workshops will be short-form improv jams which Wiersema compares to the television program, “Whose Line is it Anyway?” Wiersema said in the jams, participants get on stage, there’s a ding and participants play out “different suggestions.”
Wiersema said she’s hoping these improv jams will spark enough community interest so South of Chi Production can host full improv classes in the near future.
Regarding why it’s called a “jam,” Wiersema said, “I think of ‘jam’ bands – when everyone just comes and hangs around and adds something.”
A “jam” is less pressure and more accessible for newcomers, Wiersema said. An example of an improv jam is playing a game called Questions where participants can only speak in questions, Wiersema said. An improv class would be more focused on advanced skills such as learning characters and doing exercises, Wiersema said.
“I always tell people: No one’s putting this on TikTok. Your best friends aren’t watching. Just go up and try it,” Wiersema said. “I will never make you do anything you don’t want to do. If you really don’t want to play a game, don’t. But I promise you if you try, it’s not as bad as it seems.”
Wiersema said improv is popular with the “drama club kids” and “the ones who like singing and performing.” But she added that it’s also great for those who “haven’t found their niche yet” and “you get the really quiet kids who [are] really good at telling jokes or doing characters.”
Wiersema compares doing improv as an adult to being a kid again and “playing pretend” with your friends. She said some of her improv friends she’s known for about 10 years.
There are two jams scheduled for each age group. Wiersema said that they’re both “stand alone things” and “laid back”. An attendee doesn’t have to go to both. The improv jams will be free but have a strongly suggested donation of $10 to the Homewood Arts Council, Wiersema said.
To participate, third through eighth graders must register beforehand on Spotlight Performance Academy’s website. For the teens, a guardian must drop them off and sign a consent form.
The adult jams are scheduled for Friday, Oct. 21 from 8 to 9:30 p.m. and Friday, Dec. 9 from 8 to 9:30 p.m. The jams for high school-aged teenager are scheduled for Sept. 17 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 2 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The jam for 3rd to 5th graders is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 9 from 7 to 8 p.m. The jam for 6th to 8th graders is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 16 from 7 to 8 p.m.
In addition to jams, there are also three improv shows scheduled.
“My ensemble will be performing in those. We will use audience for suggestions but they won’t be on stage,” Wiersema said, regarding the shows.
There will be an adult show on Sept. 10 at 8 p.m., a family show on Oct. 15 at 4 p.m. and another adult show on Dec. 3 at 8 p.m.
For more information on upcoming South of Chi Production improv jams and shows, visit them on Facebook and click on Events.