Oops! Improv Comedy is Davidson’s best (and only) improv group. At the start of each year, Oops! members move in early for orientation to meet and interact with new first-years to create the “Davidson Show,” a comedic film about the craziness that comes with moving into college. Oops! holds auditions at the start of each semester in search of new talent. “I tried out on a whim, fully not expecting it to be anything,” current Co-President Amelio Aragona ‘25 said. “I was googling ‘What is improv?’ the night before the audition.”
Many people hear the word “improv” and believe it to be easy, disrespecting the nuances behind the art form. There’s an audition process to join Oops! for a reason, and the success of the group depends on working well together, which is why they make sure to foster a close environment. “It doesn’t really feel like a club, it’s like these are my friends,” Jacob Kim ‘26 explained.
Oops! has two rehearsals a week and frequently socializes over dinners and other non-club-related activities in order to bond as a group. Feeling comfortable with each other is crucial to making improv fun for the members and entertaining for the audience. “They’re people I’m proud to surround myself with and am inspired by,” Drohan Lord ‘26 said. Part of why Oops! can put on engaging shows is because of the selection process for new members, which requires current members to envision how those auditioning would fit into the preexisting dynamic of the group, thereby ensuring they can continue the club’s legacy when the upperclassmen graduate.
Oops! seeks out fast learners who can think on their feet. Many current members did not have much experience with improv before auditioning, but they were able to pick it up with time and practice. Aragona explained that improv is a developed “skill, [and is] not innate.” The group rehearses frequently to build this skill to put on the best shows they can. The older members train the new members on what jokes are appropriate and viable for the other members to build off during a scene.
Comedy is subjective, but there are certain standards the members must meet. Kim emphasized that there is a difference between making a joke and making fun of others. He asserted that people wanting to audition must “know how to walk the line of being respectful and funny.”
Aragona agreed, adding that improv “taps into another kind of intelligence: emotional intelligence.” Mocking specific groups or experiences is not comedy, and Oops! ensures their members understand this distinction. They explained how there have been instances of people auditioning and being generally funny and quick-witted, but once they cross the line and make someone uncomfortable, they are immediately no longer considered for the group. Improv is about laughing with other people, not at them, and Oops! members hold each other to this standard.
Besides entertaining Davidson students, the group also changes its members for the better. “It’s cool to make other people laugh and have fun with your friends, but it’s [also] helped me a lot. After my first year, I was no longer nervous to speak in front of a room of people. College was really intimidating for me when I first started it, and Oops! gave me this newfound confidence in my voice and my ability to carry myself,”Aragona explained. It’s not easy to step in front of a crowd and crack jokes. Aragona understood this challenge and has been embracing it throughout his time here. “Part of [trying new things] is that they’re scary, and improv is cool because you learn to just do things scared. Let yourself be nervous while you do something. That is okay,” Aragona stated. Lord, too, views improv as a unique way to engage with a deeper part of himself, describing it as “a way to think outside of the box and nourish your childlike wonder.”
Oops! has their next show on November 14th. Aragona revealed that “it will be mock trial-themed, like Judge Judy or The People’s Court. It will be half improvised court session and half BYOG (bring your own grievance) to the Oops! judges.” Attending these improv shows is the perfect way to get to know Oops! and perhaps participate yourself, as improv relies on the audience. Come to the next Oops! show to learn more about and get involved with improv at Davidson.
Lucy Shuker ‘25 is an English major from Atlanta, GA and can be reached for comment at [email protected].
