This December 16th, the AHA(After Hours Arts) Improv group will be debuting their first show, Spiffy Pickles, for the 2020-2021 school year. The show is usually performed in the CEI, Marlborough’s community space and library. However, this is an unfamiliar setting for the students.

Last year, the improv group performed their show on the last day of in-person instruction. But with the coronavirus pandemic forcing schools to close seemingly overnight, our well-known and loved improv troupe has worked to reinvent itself online.

“Once we were sent home, at first, as a troupe, we asked ourselves, ‘how is this going to work? Is this how we’re going to do this? Is this going to be successful?’” founding member and manager of the AHA Improv group WEBCCAM Brigit ‘23 said.

Livestreaming the performance was one way to ensure the show could go on. Brigit and her castmates will perform via Youtube Live, this coming Wednesday, Dec. 16th, as an ensemble from their separate homes, acting out spontaneous skits and pre-recorded sketches. Though community is a key component in improv, these comics had to find a way to be on the same page without being on the same stage.

Keeping a positive mindset, Brigit “wanted to embrace the virtual tools available to us for doing a show.”

This was accomplished by creating games that “are easier on Zoom,” according to Brigit. Using the many features available to them, two person scenes were created through spotlighting actors’ videos and screen sharing. According to Brigit, “this is a lot easier than the projection setup we would have in person.”

“If I had one word to describe the difference in AHA Improv this year it would be ‘more’” continuing to add “this semester required more planning, more time spent, more energy needed, more innovation, more excitement, more resources acquired, more ideas coming to fruition, and more commitment shown by all involved,” Amy Rieckelman, director of the Improv Group said.

Brigit and Rieckelman remain hopeful and thankful for the students’ ability to move forward with courage and enthusiasm as they prepare for Wednesday’s show.

Brigit and Rieckelman remain hopeful and thankful for the students’ ability to move forward with courage and enthusiasm as they prepare for Wednesday’s show.