The theater program has multiple clubs and opportunities every year such as musicals and Drama Club. English teacher El Rossman shared their intent to bring back improv, an old theater club that had been gone since 2023.
“Improv takes a lot of skill,” said Rossman when asked why they want to bring back the unscripted theater genre. “People who would be interested in joining are interested in doing well.”
Rossman expanded on the benefits of being involved with improv.
“It’s an exciting way to explore theater without memorization, and it works especially well with neurodivergent peoples’ brains,” they said.
“I did theater all throughout middle and high school. When I moved schools, my new school didn’t have a drama club at first. I requested it and we got one the next year,” said Rossman in regards to their past experiences in theater.
They said that the troupe’s future plans will involve “lots of practice, trust exercises and vulnerability.” Members will also practice speaking freely and saying the first thing that comes to their minds. Rossman also said their hopes are to have an improv show in the future.
Along with Rossman, Seniors Grace Barkauskas and Reese Peterson are also working to bring the club back. Barkauskas shared her memories from when the club was available in her freshman year, saying that she had a “big part in it” and would like to return as a senior adviser.
“I’m excited to bring it back. I miss improv, and it was a big part of my life,” Barkauskas said.
Peterson said that he “Doesn’t have an exact idea of when [the club] could come back, but that [they’re] all working on it.” The return of the club will depend on how much interest is shown and how many people show up with the intent to join.
The possibility of taking over as the coach of Academic Decathlon after Mr. Mitch Hart’s upcoming retirement also was mentioned to Rossman.
Rossman said the idea “sounds exciting” but that they are currently too busy as a first year teacher.
Featured photo (at top): English teacher El Rossman poses in their classroom with their rubber duck collection. They, along with Peterson and Barkauskas, had a meeting discussing the first steps towards bringing the Improv Club back to the high school. Photo by Nadia Farenish
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