Next time you catch a late-night Mission: Improv-able comedy show, you’ll see two fresh faces mixing it up with the comedy veterans.
Dylan Stuntz and David Brown, both freshmen in School of Public Affairs, auditioned for the group in September, making the cut over nearly 40 other aspiring improv comedians.
“It came as a huge surprise to me when I got in,” Stuntz said, who got the call from troupe leader Shawn Bush, a senior in School of Public Affairs, while he was in class.
Brown was also surprised when he got the call.
“I felt like I did OK,” he said. “I didn’t think I was the best one there.”
He wasn’t surprised that Stuntz made the cut though. Brown noticed Stuntz during his initial audition.
“I remember thinking, ‘He’s really good,’” Brown said.
The two new members made their debut in the troupe’s annual Halloween show on Oct. 30. Brown’s highlight was his turn as Mitt Romney during the Dating Game, and Stuntz stood out as a necrophiliac during a party scene.
“I thought the show went fantastic,” Stuntz said. “I was pretty nervous going in, but everyone on the troupe was so supportive.”
During rehearsals for the Halloween show, Brown introduced his favorite game Objection to his fellow group members, who loved the new idea and decided to put in in the show. The game revolves around a spontaneous debate moderated by one of the troupe members. In the Halloween show, the troupe debated the merits of forks and spoons.
“That’s a testament to how good the senior members of the troupe are,” Brown said. “We played that game once in rehearsal, and the second time we played it was that show and all of them had it perfectly down.”
Brown dipped his toe into theater during middle school, and Stuntz started performing in 4th grade. Both said their experiences in high school shaped their abilities and gave them the confidence to perform in the higher-pressure environment at college.
Stuntz sharpened his skills on his high school’s forensics team. Each week, he had to improvise a speech based on a single word like “snowman” or “kitchen.”
“I would ask myself, ‘What is the most ridiculous thing I can come up with?’” Stuntz said.
Brown bounced around different theater jobs during his time at the private Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, Calif.
“I didn’t consider myself quick-witted enough for improv,” he said.
Eventually, he got up the courage to audition for his school’s troupe, the Sanguine Humors, and made it to callbacks before getting cut. Nonetheless, he gained the confidence to audition at AU.
For Stuntz, the Mission Improv-able experience has been both hilarious and educational.
“It’s certainly interesting,” he said. “It was a little bit intimidating at first.”
Brown said being in the troupe has lessened his anxiety about moving across the country from California to D.C.
“I’m glad to be a part of something that helps very much with the transition from high school to college,” he said.
Check out Mission: Improv-able’s radio-style show “Who’s Afraid of the Dark (Meat)?” on Nov. 20 at 11 p.m. in Battelle Atrium.
mlieberman@theeagleonline.com
