Exit 1-6 is the improv troupe that brings laughter and joy to LHS. The group consists of sophomores through seniors. Members of the group feel that being part of Exit 1-6 affects their life in many different ways.

   “Being in Exit 1-6 impacts my life and world because I can be anything I want,” junior Hope Lundgren said. “It makes me confident, it just makes me put myself out there.”

   The improv group at LHS loves to bring laughter to the school and the group feels like the audience does an amazing job getting them in the mood to perform.   

   “When the audience is really pumped and excited for the show, it gives us energy on stage,” senior Hannah Dipoto said. “The vibe is just different, but sometimes when it’s been a long day for everyone, maybe a lot of tests happened that day or the weather is dreary, the audience is definitely more down and it’s our job to get them pumped up a little bit. It depends from show to show, usually we try to get ourselves really, really pumped before the show in order to get them excited no matter what vibe is out there.“

   Not only is the improv group involving their audience in the shows, but outside of the shows, the group stays close to each other. Members enjoy the relationships they have made during the season.

   “I like getting to rehearse and come together with all the people and the troupe,” sophomore Kate Turnage said.

   “We get really close and it’s really fun to do all the performance and just make people laugh.”

   Each member of the group has a different idea of what they like.

   “I really like how it’s a lot of different people from a lot of different groups coming together and we just have a lot of fun. We just like being silly and laughing together,” Lundgren said.

   The group does have favorite overall part of their season in Exit 1-6, and they also have their favorite skits. Even the group’s advisor has some favorites to do.

   “We call them ‘games’ and ‘forms.’ I enjoy the character-driven stuff, like ‘Dating Game’, ‘Panel of Experts’, and ‘Pan Left/Pan Right,” advisor Trish Berrong said. “I’m always excited when they want to do long form.”

   The games that they play are the dating game, a bachelor-style game where the volunteer picks the winner. Pan left and pan right, is a game where four people form a type of trapezoid.

   Although the improv group feels they are doing well, they think there are some areas they can improve.

   “We’re good, but being more willing to add different people from different groups such as adding more jocks [would be beneficial],” Lundgren said.

   These student also believe that being in the group has helped them improve their skills.

   “I’ve alway liked doing theatre and that kind of thing. Improv just helps you with a lot of skills,” Turnage said. “There may be time where you have to go up and speak in front of people or make things up on the spot.”   

   Exit 1-6 welcomes everyone to come to their tryouts. There isn’t an official date set yet, but they’re always at the end of the year. The group is looking for students who can think on their feet and work well as a team.

   “We basically warm you up and you play games with the Exit 1-6 members. Afterwards we bring you into this room and ask you to make characters and do scenes with other characters,” senior Isaiah Brisbin said. “If we call you back and you make it past the second try outs, we’ll call you back for a last one. After those you’re basically in.”

The current members encourage anyone that is remotely interested to try out.

   “I had a few friends that were going out to the tryouts,” sophomore Troy Savaiano said. “I figured, why not?”

   Students don’t have to be “funny” or even have experience on stage. No matter the circumstances, everyone goes in nervous.

   “When I first tried out, I remember being really scared,” junior Kailyn Peterson said. “It just feels like you’re not funny at all, but you’ll say something and then everyone starts laughing.”

   Improvisation is something you learn, not something you’re born with.

   “There is a lot to becoming a good improviser,” coach Rene Boudreaux said. “But teamwork is really important.”

   The group loves performing and making people happy. They want more people to come to shows especially those who haven’t come to a show before.

   “It means so much when people come to our shows and have general interest in the troupe,” Dipoto said. “I personally only have a couple left and I’d love to see lots of new faces at them.”