SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) \u2014 While many say new year, new me, others say new year, better me. A focus on self-improvement leads some to carefully prepare and plan their new year\u2019s resolutions, while other improvise. For those at Electric City Improv, that\u2019s a walk in the park, and it\u2019s a skill they say anyone can learn.<\/p>\n
When walking into Electric City Improv, you may actually be walking onto a ski hill with one hungry skier, or an argument between WWE wrestler John Cena and a fan. While neither of these scenarios are guaranteed, owner and head instructor Sharon Phillips shares one scenario that rings true on and off the stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re on the stage or watching, improv is going to make you laugh,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Unlike a traditional scripted theater show, improv challenges performers to take to the stage with nothing but their creativity, experience and a suggestion from the audience.<\/p>\n
These suggestions range from a single word to a series of words that seemingly have no connection.<\/p>\n
Phillips says with practice, these prompts can lead performers to create anything from a single scene to a full unscripted play.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s people who are extremely funny, and we love to watch them on stage, but then there\u2019s people who are just extremely intelligent and they come to improv and just bring this wealth of knowledge to the table and it makes for an even better show,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
On New Years Day, over twenty members of the improv group, including Tia Mauro, attended class, ready to take on 2026 one prompt at a time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know sometimes people see improv and they feel like they have to be a super outgoing or theatrical person, but it truly is just anyone that wants to be creative,\u201d said Mauro.<\/p>\n
Mauro travels from Binghamton to attend improv classes in the Electric City.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe drive doesn\u2019t really feel that far because I know what\u2019s on the other end,\u201d expressed Mauro.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s on the other end is a community of adults, like Alec James, looking to build communication skills, while having fun.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel a lot more confident going into meetings. I feel a lot more confident having conversations with clients, bring on the phone and just doing things a little bit sharper and better than I was before,\u201d said James.<\/p>\n
During improv games like \u201cfreeze tag,\u201d performers must find ways to transform one scene into a completely new one, as soon as someone yells \u201cfreeze!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cImprov is for anybody because the beauty is in the different perspectives of life. When you come, you bring something different than somebody else. You have the shows, you do the scenes and everyone has their strengths. That\u2019s what makes improv great, it\u2019s not a one person thing, it\u2019s a team game,\u201d said James.<\/p>\n
Some who take improv classes, like Emily Parfitt, sign up with one strength and leave with another.<\/p>\n
\u201cI used to be the kind of person that wouldn\u2019t be the first to volunteer to do something or go out of my way to talk to strangers. Now I\u2019ll do it first, I\u2019ll pave the way,\u201d said Parfitt.<\/p>\n
Seeking fulfillment, beginner Valarie Valente joined improv classes after seeing her granddaughter on stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs I\u2019m getting older, I have a bucket list of regrets. One of those regrets was not to be in the drama club, I always wanted to but never did,\u201d said Valente.<\/p>\n
Although she\u2019s only taken two classes, Valente feels she\u2019s right where she belongs.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a really nice opportunity if you\u2019re an extrovert and people are saying you\u2019re too much, this is the place to be. If you\u2019re an introvert, it\u2019s a nice place to let your personality out. It\u2019s a super fun environment for everyone,\u201d Valente.<\/p>\n
This environment spreads from the stage to the seats, according to Valente.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe audience is part of the shows, and you never know what you\u2019re going to do. It\u2019s a nice way to express yourself without any negative drama. It\u2019s nice, positive drama,\u201d said Valente.<\/p>\n
Electric City Improv hosts shows every Friday night, with a family-friendly show at 7:30 and an adult show at 9.<\/p>\n
The theater offers classes for a variety of skill levels, and registration for those classes can be found here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) \u2014 While many say new year, new me, others say new year, better me.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":75926,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[178,180,179],"class_list":{"0":"post-75925","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-scranton","8":"tag-scranton","9":"tag-scranton-headlines","10":"tag-scranton-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75925"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75925\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}