The sound of the fidgeting door knob perks up the ears of every inhabitant in the house. Footsteps resounding throughout the home are followed by the kerplunk of a suitcase. His family shouts, “He’s home!” This relationship is very much like the close-knit community of Westminster’s improv class who has just welcomed back some much loved alumni on Friday, Jan. 11.

The class has a completely different feel from any of the others offered at WCA. It is set apart by the obvious family-like atmosphere created by the students and Helen Scott, drama teacher.

“Everyone who has been in improv a long time will tell you it’s like a family. Even though some semesters are stronger than others, for the most part everyone bonds on a level that’s different from every other class. It’s more of a team feel. Also, Mrs. Scott is obviously in charge but gives us the ability to be open, suggest changes, and create [opening acts]. She also cares about all of us and helps us really progress to the best of our abilities,” said Ryan Kelly, senior.

The trust and openness within the family is expected of all who participate in it.

“In Improv, there are just a few rules.  Support your teammates, agree, and give information.  We are not looking for show-offs or people who think they are funny, we want team players who put their team and the game before their own ego,” said Scott.

This immensely helps the newer members not to feel self-conscious about their acting after seeing performances by the old pros.

“As a newbie, it is very intimidating—watching amazing and hilarious veterans like TJ Noa or Jesse Gruneisen go up on the black box stage and have such melancholy about what they do. They make it look so easy! I thought I could never be as funny as those guys. But improv is a very welcoming environment and I’m happy I am a part of it,” said Alec Runge, junior.

And the family just keeps getting bigger. The alumni enjoy watching newest students join the ranks as well as watching the returning students get closer to becoming alumni themselves.

“It’s a good opportunity to build the community throughout the years,” said Dustin Rappell, class of 2000.

The alumni are not the only ones who get excited about alumni improv night. All of the students see it as an amazing opportunity to learn from fellow experienced improvers.

“You get to see people that have done this before you and get to learn from them during the show. You also get to see people that you miss and improvise with the greats of past years,” said Jesse Gruneisen, senior.

Rappell was the only alumni to perform in the show Friday, but many others were also there of varying graduating classes. The announcer’s voice that has lately accompanied the improv shows belongs to Mike Rohlfing, class of 2005, who has been back recently doing the sound and announcing.

“It’s really fun getting people back together after all of these years. It’s cool to see all of those people of different ages come together,” said Rohlfing.

Other alums simply sat back, reminiscing in their seats, as they watched some of their newest family members take the stage. Of these people were Daniel Moore, Ben Stratton, and Alex Smith, class of 2011, and Andrew Gordon, class of 2012.

Gordon admitted that the choice to join improv was one of the best he has ever made.

“Improv by far was the smartest decision of my highschool career,” said Gordon.

The warm environment acts as a place students can go to escape the everyday stresses and have fun doing what they love.

“You can be whoever you want, wherever you want, whenever you want. You can create worlds out of nothing, dreams become reality, and nightmares vanish into the hilarity of the moment. Me and many others can’t imagine our lives without improv class for so many reasons, and these reasons are what bring the appeal and what keep everyone coming back for more,” said Sarah Yousef, senior.