Why You Should Check Out the MASS COMedy Improv Group
For those of you in the Newhouse Master’s Students 2017-18 Facebook Group, you may have heard about an improv group forming. For the past few weeks, all the moving pieces of getting enough people, locking down a room with Robyn Kobasa, and finding a good window of time on Sunday were finally starting to come together.
On October 29th, 2017, a Newhouse Class of G’2018 improv group had their first meeting, and it was a pleasure being a part of the ensemble. Pioneered by Odeya Pinkus (BDJ) and Samuel Gilroy (TRF), the two formed MASS COMedy, and trudging along in the rain to meet from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in Newhouse 345 every Sunday so far has been worth it. Group improv is a one of a kind experience.
Anticipating what to expect in improv is futile, as it all depends on the group of people who show up. For improv to be fun, you need to let go of the things that will hold you back from surrendering yourself to a scene being played out. Allowing your body and mind to give up the psychological angst that makes you conform to acting normal facilitates experiences impossible to find anywhere other than improv.
Some say improv can help people who deal with social anxiety. According to Mark Pfeffer, a therapist in Chicago and the director of Panic Anxiety Recovery Center (PARC), improv simply “helps us realize that it’s okay to say something silly or stupid.” At a top ranked school like Newhouse, many people may have an underlying sense of social anxiety when being asked to work with arguably the sharpest minds in public communications. Relieving some of this anxiety in healthy ways like improv is beneficial, and MASS COMedy certainly accepts anyone wanting to try it out.
There’s nothing to fear! Odeya and Sam will not throw you into the fire expecting you to be fluid in every scene you may end up in. Every session begins with a few warm-up games to get the blood pumping before jumping into the meat of the improv topic. During the second week we all met, the topic was physicality and the importance of movement in any improv scene. The games we play truly engage everyone who joins, and I’d even argue that improv helps you learn a little bit out yourself and how weird you can get.
Overall, MASS COMedy is a space where you can comfortably feel uncomfortable, get to know a few new people, and discharge some of the stresses that build throughout a busy week of Newhouse shenanigans. Improv is a place where failure is not only okay, but also encouraged, as it helps you breach new parts of your psyche that you may have been too socially anxious to acknowledge.
“And you should invite as many of your friends as possible,” Odeya noted. “That way we can have enough people to get t-shirts made! Because that’s really the ultimate goal of any extracurricular club.”
He has been published across a wide variety of media outlets, including Sports Illustrated, the Cornell Daily Sun, SportTechie, Clutchpoints, Cavs Nation, the Cornell Chronicle, and many more.
Tobe has a plethora of hobbies, including writing, athletics, drawing, acting, and collaborating with others about ideas and startups working in the multimedia space.