By: Taylor Spaw

What do a zombie, a chicken and a flamboyant cowboy have in common? They are all a part of an up and coming improvisation group on campus. Improvisation, or “improv,” is an on the spot, quick off the tongue, off-the-top-of-your head acting style.

The Skitty Cats is a new campus improv group hoping to revive comedy on campus. Theatre seniors Brian Sprauge and Alex Koehl came up with the idea of an improv group to fill what they saw as a void in the theatre department. They said UK had an improv group a few years ago, but it never got far off the ground.

“We wanted to bring a theatre showcase of comedy to UK and branch out into the community,” Sprauge said. Koehl took clown and improv classes in Second City, Chicago and wants to see something similar at UK. The two held auditions last week and the members of the newly formed comedy act were chosen.

During callbacks last Thursday, comedy poured from the cast. It was a mixed group of theatre students, physics majors and even a magician.

Senior Alys Dickerson was drawn in by the live aspect of the group. She came in to experiment with her comedy skills and walked out an improv star.

During the callback, she took on the role of a woman with tentacles for arms. She said she would really like to see this group become a recognized organization on campus.

Skit subjects ranged from cheeseburgers and apes to scandalous bus stops and Abraham Lincoln. The new improv group consists of 12 members and buckets of jokes.

Based out of the Little Black Box Theatre, the Skitty Cats will perform around campus and in separate venues in the Lexington area, hoping to perform about two shows a month.

The comedic Wildcats will take the show on the road in October when they travel to Louisville. The group plans to have improv workshops for future Skitties. Koehl and Sprauge want to evolve an audience-provoked, “Saturday Night Live” style performance, with a “Whose line is it anyway?” twist.

The Skitty Cats plan for each of their performances to be full of comedy, crying, screaming and outrageous sketches. Expect to see new improv group soon, jumping, singing and wailing around campus.