Happy Gas Improv Troupe will hold an open practice for students to join in on improv games this Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. in Gordon Wilson Hall.

The practice will be open “to anybody and everybody” who wants to try out improv, said Franklin, Tennessee senior Paige Brouillette, president of Happy Gas.

Brouillette said she hopes students have a good time at the open practice and that they learn more about improv. She said many people who come to Happy Gas’s shows have never tried improv before, so the open practice will give them an opportunity to try it out for themselves.

“I hope they find a new love or just a fun way to express themselves,” she said.

Brouillette said improv requires team work.

“I hope that people really see how much of a group effort it is,” she said.

Maysville junior Conner Keef, a member of Happy Gas, said the open practice provides an opportunity for students who are thinking about auditioning to see what goes on during practices, and he hopes it gets them excited and helps them better understand improv and the work that goes into it. Auditions will take place next fall.

“I hope that if they are interested in joining the team, open practice makes them even more enthused about auditioning,” Keef said. “If they are intrigued in improv as an art form, I hope open practice gives them a new appreciation for improv and how difficult it is.”

The open practice will consist of games including “Helping Hands,” “Clap On” and “Shift Left.” It will also consist of the “Yes, And” game, which means participants must accept what their team members set up for them and expand upon it. The “Yes, And” game represents a principle of improv because improv is collaborative and team-focused, said Louisville junior Travis Ryan, an initiate wrangler for Happy Gas.

Ryan said he hopes students who come to the open practice will walk away from it with a better understanding of improv and how Happy Gas works, what they value and how they spend their time.

“Hopefully people appreciate the process we do a little more and see that maybe it’s not as easy as it looks,” Ryan said.

Ryan said the open practice will give students the chance to try out improv just for fun or if they are planning on auditioning for the team, and it will give students a chance to try something new.

“If you want to do improv, it’s a great opportunity to just come try it out,” he said.

Reporter Olivia Mohr can be reached at [email protected] and (270)745-2655.