Turning red in the face while tears of laughter stream down his cheeks, Jeff Alberts and the rest of the Mintos Junkies prepare for tonight’s 7 performance, which will be behind Felts Hall at Thompson Point.

The Mintos Junkies are an improvisation comedy group sponsored through the Student Theater Guild. Tonight is the Mintos Junkies’ first performance.

Between gasps for air after a fellow comedian cracked an unexpected joke in a skit, Alberts said that every time the group of 12 practices, something is funnier than before.

Advertisement

That’s the funniest thing I ever heard, said Alberts, a freshman in film from Hoffman Estates.

Even though the group is improvisational, the members still need to practice. They have to learn each others’ sense of humor, and teach themselves how to be funny.

Robert Cannon, a freshman in cinema from Knoxville, Tenn., and director, tries to focus his actors into what is known as the zone.

The zone’ is funny, he said. Once you have found the zone, you have found humor.

Robert Young Jr., a freshman in cinema from Hoffman Estates, said improv has to do with rhythm and flow of the act.

Improv all has to do with timing, he said. You have to find the happy median between a physical comedy and an intelligent comedy, making the audience think while they are laughing.

Alberts said the group reminds him of what it is like to hang out and crack jokes with other people.

Advertisement*

It’s like when you would watch TV with your friends back home, he said. You just sit there and share a funny idea with each other.

Brad Gruetzmacher, a freshman in cinema from Hoffman Estates who has been doing impressions since he was a child, compares the improve group to ballet.

Improv is just like ballet, he said. But there is no music, and we don’t dance.

When asked about the name of their group, no serious answer could be found among them.

One night we were melting down Mentos to inject in our arms, Cannon said. We weren’t really melting down Mentos, that was a joke.

While practicing a skit called Props, the members are given a prop and are supposed to pretend it is something else.

During practice Tuesday night, one group member was given a pair of fuzzy dice. He then proceeded to act as if the dice were eyes of a fly, while the rest of the group tried to make a background scene to enhance the humor of the skit.

Other skits the group performs include Two Become One, Sound Effects and Fairy Tail News.

All of the themes of the skits are picked out by the audience, and all of the jokes and humorous anecdotes are created on the spot. So, in the instance of Fairy Tale News, an audience member can shout out a fairy tale title, and the group will perform a skit.

Cannon said improv gives him a greater ability to make the audience keep on laughing.

Our favorite thing about improv is the laughter, he said. I can see the audience reaction to what I’m saying, and then I can base my next action on how hard they laughed.

The Mintos Junkies will perform at 7 tonight behind Felts Hall at Thompson Point. For more information of other Mintos Junkies’ shows call 536-8374.