Improv group pairs students with professionals on stage

CEDAR RAPIDS — An educator and a radio host want to make improv — a live performance where actors make up the story, characters and dialogue on the spot — accessible to all by creating opportunities for students to get onstage and flex their skills.

Layne Sheetz, a teacher and speech coach at Washington High School in Cedar Rapids, and Jake Truemper, a radio host in the Quad Cities, created Yesandia, an improv organization in Eastern Iowa with the goal of getting students on stage with professional comedians and improvisers.

Improv is a foundational communication skill that can extend beyond the stage, Sheetz said. It’s about storytelling, communicating, listening and critical thinking.

And it’s a ton of fun, he said.

Yesandia is hosting its second young adult Improv Showcase at 5 p.m. Sunday at CSPS Hall, 1103 Third St. SE, in Cedar Rapids. Tickets can be purchased at cspshall.org/yesandia-showcase or at the door.

The showcase pairs high school performers with a professional improv group for students to get experience on stage and try their improvisational skills. This Sunday, professional performers from Living Improverty will be joined by students from Kennedy and Washington high schools in Cedar Rapids and students from Ottumwa.

Yesandia also is offering a summer day camp July 10-13 in Cedar Rapids for middle and high school students. After three days of improv games, campers will cap the week with a showcase performance July 13 at CSPS Hall.

There is a fee for the camp. To sign up, visit yesandia.com/camp-yesandia.

Over the past two summers, Camp Yesandia has served over 20 schools and students from seven different states.

Sheetz said when he watches students perform with “real lights and a real audience of people who paid money to see them,” he sees the students realize that “their humor, their stories matter.” Onstage, students gain confidence, he said.

Improv relies on the concept of “yes, and …” -- meaning that an actor agrees with the reality being created and adds new information to move the story forward. Sheetz said it’s amazing to watch students “fully say yes” to the story they’re telling and the character they’re creating.

That also means actors need to have a lot of trust with each other while onstage.

“Improv is scary,” Sheetz said. “When I ask kids in my theater classes what they’re afraid of — they’re afraid of forgetting their lines or that blank void of not knowing what to say next.”

Practicing improv can help students gain more confidence when performing a scripted play. If they forget their lines, they can riff. That’s also true in real life when holding a conversation or giving a professional presentation, Sheetz said.

Truemper said the students who have performed with Yesandia or attended a day camp are talented. But he’s amazed how quickly they learn and “become great.”

Pheobe Prince, a student at McKinley STEAM Academy in Cedar Rapids, said her experience with Yesandia has helped prepare her for the lead of Alice in her school’s performance this spring of “Alice in Wonderland.”

On stage, she feels more confident and isn’t as worried about forgetting lines as she was before her experience with improv.

Robbie Hoke and Aheli Mustafi, students at Linn-Mar High School, performed with Yesandia last month at The Giving Tree Theatre.

“It was a ton of fun,” Hoke said, praising the ability of the group leaders who were straightforward and helpful. ”They bring enjoyment just by allowing others to speak.“

“Yesandia is a great opportunity for anyone interested in theater,” Mustafi said. “It’s really fun. When I performed with them, I met a lot of really cool people.”

Yesandia currently is applying for nonprofit status.

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