A Halloween Laugh-a-Thon

By Cage Evinger

On a chilly evening at Purchase, the cinema room in The Stood grew warm with camaraderie as the Improv Club hosted a special Halloween performance.

(From right to left) Daisy Freed, Emile Regnier-Kline and Gabriella Rozen looking at Arlite Dyasi as they tell jokes. (Photo by JJ Dobbins)

The Improv Club hosts meetings on Monday nights at 8 p.m. in the Humanities Building, room 0245. Throughout the semester, students audition to perform in shows with a live audience.

The 12 students performing in this show were divided into three groups of four, and they acted together in both short scenes, approximately three minutes each, as well as longer scenes, each lasting around 10 minutes.

Clad in various costumes to mark the season, the performers and audience alike came together to make an evening full of laughter for everyone involved.

(From left to right) Danny Campbell and Steven Estrada performing in Halloween costumes. (Photo by Cage Evinger)

“I had a great time,” said Zaber Aber, an audience member who regularly attends Improv Club. “I feel like the improvers did their best, and I feel like it was a great show for everyone who was involved.”

“It went really great," said Cameron Greco, the public relations manager for Improv Club. "I’m so glad that there are audience members that really enjoyed the show.”

From performers who have been attending the Improv Club for years to students who had never performed in a show before, the Halloween improv show offered everyone a chance to showcase their skills.

“It was a little nerve-wracking, because everyone was there. It was really worth it, though, really fun and inspiring,” said Daisy Freed, a freshman improv performer. “I love it.”

The entire cast thanking the audience for their attendance and participation. (Photo by Cage Evinger)

As the first Improv show of the semester, this was the first chance for a new group of club officers to welcome improv back to SUNY Purchase.

“The whole board from last year has graduated, so this was a huge deal for us,” said Fred Durocher, co-president of the Improv Club. “This is working; we’re actually getting somewhere. We want to make it be that we are one of the big artistic, like creative arts, clubs on campus.”

One show may be over, but for Durocher and the other officers of Improv Club, the work continues.

​While the laughs may have died down by now for this performance, the Improv Club will hold another performance before November ends, continuing to give some laughter as the nights grow darker.