GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN RoundHouse’s Brand of Young Female Improv Comedy
Words by Sophie Lidji Photos by Sarah Holdeman
ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON at ColdTowne Conservatory, the Austin improv troupe RoundHouse does a raucous hand-clapping, feet-stomping warm-up game called “Czechoslovakia” before their practice show. “Czechoslovakia, boom-sha-boom, you go Slavia, boom-sha-boom, let’s get the rhythm of the hands, we got the rhythm of the hands,” the troupe chants as they clap each other’s hands. After shouting and stomping for several minutes, their energy is sky-high and they segue into their 15-minute improv
muscles are strong and will flex when called on. That is something that most of us adults struggle with, but these teens have taken that to heart.” Though the girls shine at trusting their comedic instincts, they still struggle with silence: the enemy of many improv comedians. “In improv time, 10 minutes is like an hour,” Emma says. With this logic, five seconds of silence feels more like five minutes.
show.
During a RoundHouse rehearsal one Sunday after-
It’s a standard rehearsal scene for improv comedi-
moments as the girls communally figure out where
ans—except this troupe is composed of eighth and ninth grade girls. Katherine Holmes, 13, Charlotte Evelyn, 14, Kallie Cifra, 14, and Emma Lowery, 13, started at RoundHouse early this year after taking improv classes at ColdTowne Theater. They are primarily coached by comedian Kim Lowery, but also learn from other teachers at ColdTowne and other comedy theaters. “These girls have been incredible from the start,” Kim Lowery says. “In practices, we talk a lot about how important it is to work hard when we’re learning, but then we do our best to let 17
all of that go when we’re on stage and trust that our
noon, the troupe experiences one of these quiet to take their scene. As silence hangs in the air, the group makes decisions without saying anything at all. “Good patience, you’re doing great, feel that silence,” Kim says softly, as she scans the troupe. A few seconds later, Emma breaks through the quiet. “My 96th birthday has been a blast so far,” Emma says, making the improv scene at a waterpark into an elderly birthday celebration that ends by sliding on the park’s tallest waterslide.