Let’s Hear it for our Students!

The 2nd Annual Student Appreciation show is this Saturday at 6pm. Get your tickets here!

by Jessica Von Schramm, Student Appreciation Show co-Director

Earlier this month I enrolled in Level 7, a unicorn-like class that happens only once a year. I finished Level 6 in 2013, and I’ve done several shows and a handful of improv festivals since then. So why take Level 7 now? There are many reasons, but the first one is that I enjoy being a student. I love learning, and I think everyone should actively pursue continuing education. We should always be on the hunt for more tools to add to our tools belts, more toys for our toy boxes. The Hideout provides ample ways for students to do that, and over the years, I’ve taken advantage of all of them. I’m a jam enthusiast, a Maestro regular, and a Free Fringe addict. These opportunities have meant everything to me, and I’m so grateful to be a part of the AIC community. I’m also grateful to be reviving my student status.

And now, in one of those full-circle/life-imitating-art/ironic-twist-of-fate kind of moments, I get to produce and direct a show completely comprised of students. This Saturday at 6pm, the Hideout Theatre is doing their 2nd Annual Student Appreciation Showcase. The first part of the showcase will feature a Valentine’s edition of the December Student MainStage show Home for the Holidays, of which I am a proud cast member. After that, twenty students will perform in what’s called the Student Battle Royale. We’ll have two teams of ten, and the students will duke it out on stage by tackling mysterious challenges for points. My co-director Tim Coyle and I have devised a list of challenging, ridiculous, and fun games to put the improvisers through. Trust me, they’ll love it!

I couldn’t be more honored to be directing the Student Appreciation Showcase – a show for the students, by the students. I’ve learned so much since I stepped into my first improv class four years ago, and I hope to pass some of that wisdom to the cast. And I can’t wait to see what they will teach me.

The 2nd Annual Student Appreciation show is this Saturday at 6pm. Get your tickets here!