User:Dgiovag/sandbox/Improv Mafia

The Improv Mafia is the only improv troupe at Illinois State University. It was created by Mikel Matthews in 1998, and has been recognized as one of the best collegiate improv troupes in the Midwest, winning multiple improv tournaments in the area as well as on a national level. Improv Mafia has been known to also do events for schools, fundraisers, the Illinois State High School Theater Festival, as well as workshops for those that are interested in joining.

Auditions

The Improv Mafia's audition process is long and rigorous. The first round is a cattle call. Anyone is welcome to audition for the Mafia. The audition consists of four different games designed to test your skills and to judge how well you work with people you don't know. Game choices are decided by the Mafia.

Callbacks

The day after the audition, there are callbacks. Callbacks consist of a smaller group of people that were chosen from the initial audition group. A small number of them are guaranteed a spot on the troupe. During the callbacks, the actors play four games again, two from the previous day, and two brand new games. An hour after callbacks, all the auditioners receive a phone call. Mafia members will tell you if you made the troupe or not in this phone call. If you don't make it, they'll tell you and give you advice for next year.

Performance

Improv Mafia has a performance every Tuesday night in the Center of Visual Arts in room 145. The shows are an hour long, from 8:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. Every show has a different theme. Themes can include pirates, babies, magic, skinprov, and many more. The shows rely heavily on audience interaction, as the audience chooses the place and relationship, and the Mafia takes it from there. The shows start with shortform improvisation games with major audience interaction. About halfway through, they switch to long form scenes that only involve the Mafia members. After the long form scene, the final game involves major audience interaction.

Costumes

For every theme, the Mafia wears a different outfit. For the pirate theme, they dress up as pirates. For skinprov, the troupe wears many different layers of clothing, only to strip them off as they perform, eventually ending up in their underwear. Individual Mafia members choose to do this. If they don't, the general rule is to dress as good or better than their audience. This usually leads to cast members wearing a shirt and tie during performance.

Members

The current Improv Mafia team includes:

Devin Prior, Ally Morton, Drew Burningham, Dee "20" Savaria, Jared Sanders. Brian "Stick" Meslar, Garret Douglas, Emily Sekura, Bailey Inman, Mikey Anglemire, Kaitlyn Wehr, Kelly Steik, Laura Eades, Ryan Engelman, Chloe Nowicki, Adam Rebora, and Alec Rigik.

Nicknames

The members of Improv Mafia all get nicknames. They're usually based on a personality trait, but occasionally it'll be based on something else. For example, Jared Sanders' nickname is Pockets, because he keeps his hands in his pockets.

Awards

Improv Mafia has won many awards for their performances across the midwest. They have won multiple tournaments in the past couple of years, and have come in 1st in the 2008-2009 College Improv Tournament, 2nd place in the 2010-2011 College Improv Tournament, and 3rd place in the 2011-2012 College Improv Tournament.

References

https://illinoisstate.collegiatelink.net/organization/improvmafia/about

"Improv Mafia." Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2014.

"ISU’s Improv Mafia Places Third at Nationals." CAS News. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2014.