TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — In the darkness of the blackbox theater, the single spotlight illuminates the stage at Unscrewed Theater. And in minutes, seven people run to the stage and for the next hour, the theater erupts with laughter.
And the laughter isn't new for the improv theater. After all, the improvisors at Unscrewed are there to make people laugh.
"It's to get out on stage and get a laugh," Cy Barlow, the Improv Basics instructor at Unscrewed Theater, said. "Making people laugh is such fuel."
Barlow said improv classes help people learn more than just the art of comedy.
"It gives you an opportunity to gain confidence in personal interactions," she said.
Two months ago, the improvisors in the Improv Basics class didn't know each other.
"And now we're going to perform on stage together and there's something really cool about that," Paul Fini, one of the improvisors in the class, said.
For one of the improvisors Lisa Cole, it's her first improv basics class.
"I'm a huge lover of improv and my friend suggested that I do it," she said. "I'm really grateful for my group and the class and the relationships that we made."
She said the classroom was a way for her to learn the craft and have a space to mistakes.
"One of the things that improv taught me is that it's okay," she said.
Her teammate Conrad Plimpton is an Unscrewed Theater regular and never misses a class.
"You turn 80 and you don't know how much time you have left so I just say let it go!" he said.
For Plimpton, it's important to keep the stage alive for the next generations.
"With 18 grandchildren, I see how much the arts help their overall development," he said.
He said the arts impacts performers and the audience members.
"Our mental health depends on shared fun whether it's theater or improv or music," he said.
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Tina Giuliano is a reporter for KGUN 9. She is a native Arizonan and grew up in Scottsdale. Tina is passionate about storytelling and is excited to work telling Tucson's stories. Share your story ideas and important issues with Tina by emailing tina.giuliano@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
