With just a few games and a room full of strangers, Los Altos High School’s Improv Club turned the Mountain View Teen Center into an interactive introduction to improvisational theater on Wednesday, November 20. The workshop — led by club President junior Jaya Raffill and Vice President junior Avni Rajagopal — aimed to make improv accessible to everyone, regardless of experience.

“Since it was in the teen center and completely free, it was pretty easy for people to get involved,” Avni said. “We just wanted participants to have the chance to try improv out and see if it’s something they want to continue.”

For almost three hours, students participated in games and activities designed to help them explore the fundamentals of improv.

“Going in, I was nervous about how comfortable people would be, but they really opened up,” Jaya said. “By the end, everyone was having fun — it was exactly what I hoped for.”

For many attendees, the workshop was a chance to step out of their comfort zones and explore something new. Even those who seemed hesitant at first ended up embracing the games and actively contributing their own creative ideas.

“They entered the room shy and left laughing. They left making jokes,” acting teacher and club adviser Lisa Battle said. “In just an hour, I could see these kids becoming more confident.”

The workshop also gave Jaya and Avni valuable insight into teaching improv. Originally, they were expecting more diversity in the age group, but mostly elementary and middle schoolers showed up. But because Jaya and Avni were working with younger participants they hadn’t met before, they learned to adapt their typical meeting activities to work with an unfamiliar group.

“I learned a lot in terms of creating an environment where anyone can learn to improvise well, and I’m going to apply that knowledge to our club meetings,” Jaya said. 

The improv workshop was originally planned to be a one time event; however, due to its success, the club may host a similar event in the future.

“I really enjoyed it, and the kids also really enjoyed it, so I’m thinking of hosting another event,” Jaya said.

The impact of the workshop didn’t just stay in the Teen Center — it seemed to extend beyond the two hour session.

Days after the workshop, one parent even reached out afterward to ask about more improv opportunities for their child because he enjoyed it so much.

“Jaya and I could both tell that the participants really had fun and learned something; that really showed me how these kinds of workshops can create joy and improve people’s lives,” Avni said.

“I’m really proud that I was able to inspire someone else to pursue improv, and bring the passion I have for it to other people’s lives,” Jaya said.