The members of ASU’s Barren Mind Improv team are preparing for the March 23 national College Improv Tournament in Chicago.
The team won the College Improv Tournament West Coast Regional on Dec. 1, earning its spot in the national tournament.
Justin Steckman, the newly appointed director of Barren Mind, said he isn't nervous about the upcoming tournament because he is confident in the team's abilities.
“If everyone brings their 'A' game, it will be a good show to say the least," Steckman said.
One member of the Barren Mind cast starts each performance with a monologue, and the other five cast members on stage improvise from that monologue to create a scene. Everything is made up on the spot, creating witty and comedic dialogue throughout the act.
Steckman, a journalism freshman, said the team should be more nervous preparing in Arizona than while competing in Chicago. However, he said being nervous shouldn't be a bad thing.
"In improv and performing, the nerves help you a lot," Steckman said. "So once it's actually setting in, all the nerves turn into energy, which fuels your performance."
Barren Mind member and theater senior Michael Margetis said nerves will help the team buckle down while training.
The team practices for four hours every Sunday, and for a little more than an hour on Tuesdays, Margetis said.
Margetis said although regionals were hard, the upcoming challenge does not scare him because the most important thing to the team is not winning or losing — it's performing to the best of their abilities.
“Regionals were pretty tough,” Margetis said. “The spirit (of Barren Mind) is to give a good show.”
Dramatic writing graduate student Alice Stanley said the lack of scripts can cause people to just go blank on stage, because they are just not on the same page.
“Everyone has a different style.” Stanley said.
Splitsider, a website that covers comedic people, movies and everything else that's funny, ranked Barren Mind as one of the top college improvisation teams in the country.
The team performs its weekly shows every Thursday at noon under the Taco Bell in the Memorial Union.
Steckman said the team succeeds because of chemistry that develops among the members each time they practice.
The team's main goal is about comedy and making people laugh, Steckman said.
"At the end of the day, that’s what it comes down to," Steckman said. "That’s why we do this. It’s to make people laugh, to make ourselves laugh, to make everyone happy.”
Reach the reporter at alexarenfroe@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter @lex_zepplin
