Improv troupe to visit Xavier

By: Charlotte Cheek ~Staff Writer~

Mission Improbable pic
Photo Courtesy of Facebook.com | (From left to right) Matt Garard, Mike Keeney, James Heaney and Kevin Branick are ready to give Xavier a show from 9 – 11:45 p.m. Nov. 6 at Kennedy Auditorium.

Mission IMPROVable, a nationally touring improv comedy group, will take the stage Friday night at the Kennedy Auditorium. Mission IMPROVable is a renowned improv group from Chicago. The group was voted Entertainer of the Year in 2013 and Best Comedy Artist in 2014 by Campus Activities Magazine Reader’s Choice Awards.

According to Mission IMPROVable’s agent’s website, the actors pretend to be “agents” and the audience members are the “co-agents.” The agents must complete “missions” and participate in “hilarious theatre games.” Their website states that Mission IMPROVable is a “regular at festivals and colleges across the country with a show that will leave you with a smile on your face and your stomach aching from laughter.” They describe the act as, “Think ‘Whose Line is it Anyway’ with a ‘Mission Impossible’ Twist.”

According to Leo Biette, vice president of the Student Activities Council (SAC), SAC saw Mission IMPROVable at a conference, the National Association for Campus Activities. “We loved their comedy and high energy.” Biette said, “We knew we wanted to bring them to Xavier.”

Biette’s comedy group, Don’t Tell Anna, will be opening for Mission IMPROVable. First-year student Caitlin McCarthy said she has never been to a comedy show but would “definitely go to one.”

“I think comedy shows would be really funny and a good time to get some laughs in,” McCarthy said. “I have been to a Brian Reagan comedy show in downtown Cincinnati with my family and it was such a fun experience,” Riley Meyerratken, a first-year student, said. “It was a great change of pace from the typical movie night or just going out to dinner. I would love to go to another comedy show in the future to see other comedians.”

“People who have never been to a commedy show can expect a high energy, highly interactive show.” Biette said. “Our goal is to make people smile, laugh and have fun.” Mission IMPROVable is a free event and will be held at 9 p.m. on Friday Nov. 6.