Improv comedy is all about teamwork. Just ask Isabel Kosar, 17, and Raya Kenney, 16, members of the McLean Community Center’s Unruly Theatre Project. “If I know my fellow company member does a really good old Russian lady,” Kenney says, with a wink and a nod toward Kosar, “I’m going to get her in that scene so she can show off her talent. In improv, one person’s success is everyone’s success.”
Representing what may well be the region’s only professional teen improv company, the 12-member group keeps busy with more than a dozen shows a year and rehearsals twice a week. They also teach workshops for small kids.
Kosar says improv comes naturally to her: “I come from a big family and we are all very theatrical.” She and Kenney both want to continue acting when they get older. They contend that improv teaches life skills.
“The number one rule of improv is yes, and…,” Kenney explains. “That’s saying yes to what the other person says and adding on to it. That really helps with leadership, public speaking and a lot of other things you do in life.”