There were both tricks and treats at the Iota Eta Pi Halloween Show on Oct. 28, 2014. In true spirit of the Halloween season, guests were invited to dress up and come share a few laughs as nine of Iota Eta Pi’s players performed a free show for students.
Iota Eta Pi is San Diego State’s only Improv Team, consisting of nineteen students ranging from sophomores to seniors.
The shows the team performs are completely improvisational, which means that nothing is rehearsed or prepared beforehand. Everything is made up on the spot and unique to each show. This makes the shows fun and even a little random, as the players have to think on their feet and sometimes what comes out of their mouths creates an uproar of laughter.
Each show consists of players, who are the performing students, and a student referee. On this night, Colin Metcalf was the referee and he started the night off just right, explaining the games to get the audience into the spirit of the show. The unique aspect of these shows is that the audience is involved in almost every way. They are not only the ones who choose the scenarios and give suggestions that the players have to follow, but the audience also fuels the players on as they perform on stage. The louder the audience was, the better the players performed.
The players for the night consisted of rookies Jack Holderman and Austin Book, and veterans Kirstie Newman, Emily Yavitch, Mico Ramos, Alex Tobin, Karlie Manzo and Devon Kane. Each brought a unique and different personality to the show, which appealed to all the different personalities of the crowd.
There was not just one type of student in the crowd. The team brought in students of all majors and types to the show, making the diversity and the suggestions that were shouted out to the referee even funnier.
Some of the games included in the Halloween spooktacular show were Possession, a game where two players perform, while another “possesses” them, controlling what they say and do during that time. Another game was Interrogation, where two players are interrogated by two others.
The two players being questioned have no clue what they have done, and the goal of the game is to get them to figure it out.
For the show, the suspects had “eaten peanut butter in a bath tub with Hugh Jackman.” The laughter that ensued as the interrogation went on brought tears to the eyes. Alex Tobin and Devon Kane interrogated the two suspects, Austin Book and Mico Ramos.
The show was a huge success. This is one team to keep an eye out for, especially when looking for a good laugh. Check out its Facebook page for future events.
The team usually holds events monthly and are free. While members perform on campus, they also perform at events around San Diego and against other teams in California.
To join the group, interested students can attend a meeting every Monday and Wednesday from 12-2 p.m. by the Don Powell Theater.
