Comedy troupe offers a unique show

Imagine a game that starts with bare feet, a blindfolded comedian and mousetraps. Audience members then call out an activity for the unlucky, barefooted soul to perform on stage.

The comedian in this game is Nick Trouw, a sophomore in theater and a member of the 8th Floor Improv. The game he plays is called "The Most Dangerous Game."

"This one time I had to tap dance," Trouw said. "And, yeah, it hurts, but there's something exciting about danger."

Another member of the group, Max Koknar, a sophomore in theater, is one of those individuals adding to the groups comedy. He said "The Most Dangerous Game" was not always so forgiving.

"We were talking about rat traps for a long time," he said. "But the mouse traps don't do any permanent damage."

The 8th Floor Improv group started in spring 2004 with a group of freshmen living on the 8th floor of Stradley Hall. From there, the group became an official student organization and currently has 13 members.

Koknar said 8th Floor tries to incorporate a little bit of sketch comedy into their act as well as its games. The group's style of comedy is similar to that of the TV improv show "Who's Line Is It Anyway?"

Comedy troupes like "Who's Line?" have a much lower number than 13 members, but Nate Sherman, a senior in psychology and a member of 8th Floor, said the troupe's number is fitting.

"We couldn't lose one person," he said. "We'd lose the effect that makes our comedy so different."

All are still welcome to audition for the group as well, Trouw said.

"We really don't have a cut-off number," he said. "We take people we think can contribute to our different style of comedy."

The troupe usually performs their mix of comedy at Baker West performance center but has met a variety of venues this quarter by performing at BuckeyeThon, Relay for Life, the Fawcett Center and dorms, Trouw said.

Drew Tarvin, a senior in computer science and engineering, said with close to 100 different games to play, the audience can never expect to see the same show twice. The fans choose the entertainment.

"Their suggestions create the show," he said. "The show isn't the same one someone else saw; it's like they're part of something they created."

Sherman said he has never turned down an audience suggestion.

"We do everything," he said. " We always make a disclaimer at the beginning of the show: Give us good suggestions and you'll see a better performance."

Among the games the group plays, a favorite is "Chain Death Murder." In this game, the actors describe an object the audience picks out without using English. It's similar to charades, but the actors speak gibberish to explain the object.

Another favorite is called "Slide Show." Three people stand behind a sheet and one stands in front. The three people behind the sheet act out whatever the audience suggests while the person in the front explains the actions the three are acting out.

Sherman said his favorite game is "In-terror-gation" because the character he plays is psychotic.

"It's the only moment I can totally let go," he said.

Tarvin is more attracted to witty humor and said his favorite game is Jeopardy.

"It requires an incredible amount of wit and it's associated with puns," he said.

Sherman said if someone messes up during the show, chances are the audience will never know.

"We laugh about it later," he said. "But it's hard to mess up because there's no set plan, we just go with the flow."

Trouw said right now the troupe is focused on its mission statement.

"We want the group to be around for awhile," he said. "We're passing it on by training others."

Koknar is also focused on keeping the 8th Floor Improv around.

"We're all about having fun and allowing other people to laugh," he said.

Sherman predicts the group will continue for years to come.

"The people invovled with the group are really dedicated," he said. "We hope to make it last forever if possible."