THE TIME I AUDITIONED FOR YODAPEZ AS A SECOND SEMESTER SENIOR

By Nicolette van Kesteren ‘23

Spontaneity overtook me when one of my closest friends convinced me to join Yodapez as a second-semester senior. Although I had dabbled in theater in high school and am a creative writing major at Hamilton, I had never once considered myself a comedian in any regard. Although my friend in Yodapez and I are quite chatty individuals and even created a radio show last year so that we could spend an hour telling stories and laughing together, I wouldn’t consider myself wellequipped to be thrust into the world of improv. However, my friend had reminded me of my own hilarity, my power as a previous performer, and my ability to tell riveting stories, and convinced me to audition. Thus, I allowed myself to get swept up in the fantasy of being impulsive, deciding that my mantra this semester would be to say “yes” to all new opportunities since it will be my last. Needless to say, that didn’t last long.

Looking back on the experience, there is an irony in the fact that improv relies entirely on saying “yes and” while in a scene with others, a fact I learned in the first five minutes of my audition. Yodapez did in fact say no to me. I was not entirely blameless in that, though, since I hadn’t spent even a second preparing and had decided that I was going to try improv five minutes before the audition. Immediately a piece of paper with random questions was thrust into my hands, and I panicked. I have never had writing prompts this difficult. The paper included questions like “What is the function of a rubber duck?” or “Draw a picture of how you’re feeling currently.” It was unclear whether there was a right answer to any of these questions or if the group just wanted to generate humor and learn more about you as an individual. I felt like I was in an interview or at the doctor’s office when they hand you a paper about your employment or medical history, and you immediately forget everything about yourself.

After overthinking every question and barely making it through the written part of the exam, I mean audition, I was ushered into the annex to begin performing. We played a series of improv games, during which I realized that none of my job interviews or creative writing classes had prepared me for this kind of thinking on my feet. The games were meant to generate humor through randomness, which was not something I was particularly good at. I mean, what could you really use a stapler for other than stapling? I couldn’t get out of my head. I was impressed by the other auditioners' ability to play improv games with such enthusiasm and without any fear of humiliation. While they were giving their best performances, I was lost in my own confusion. I didn’t understand the instructions of the games, and I couldn’t get rid of my desire for absolute perfection in everything I said.

There is nothing like being rejected from the comedy improv group on campus to remind you that even if you think you’re funny, you’re not funny. However, I harbor no ill will towards Yodepez, and in fact, I think they are incredibly talented. I commend those that can do improv, because it is incredibly difficult.