New improv group performs for terminally ill patients
James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal to be published 2009
Posted on February 28, 2008
Sid Caplan, who started doing improvisation in Miami but came back to the Valley to become a respiratory therapist, was inspired to form an improv the group because of the death of his co-worker Gary Gibson.
“We would go into hospice patients’ homes and play off each other,” Caplan said. “After he passed, I thought this is where God wants me to be right now. I have to help these people in some other way.”
The group visits the Hospice House, which aids terminally ill patients, and practices its comedy bits with patients.
“We are very fortunate to be able to go in there with terminally ill patients and be with them,” Caplan said. “You have people that go in there and not know what to say, so you have to think on your feet. We make people laugh so it’s not all depressing.”
The five core people in the group, Chris Lythgoe, John Huffman, Bethany Lewin, Aaron Page and Caplan, were was selected due to their performances in the improvisational workshop Caplan hosted. According to Caplan, being a part of Mental Flossing requires a lot of commitment.
“Each member has to have 25 hours of training to volunteer with the hospice patients,” he said. “To take that on, you have to have compassion. You can’t teach compassion.”
While members may share a common goal, each member is from a different background.
“I’m very excited about the group because we’ve attracted people from all walks of life,” said member Aaron Page. “We all have varying degrees of experience with improv, but we also have many different life experiences as well. We’re all different ages and come from different places, which give us a lot to draw on. A thing like that is very unique.”
This group is looking to give back to the Harrisonburg community by contributing its earnings to different places in the area. Mental Flossing donates non-perishable food items to the Blue Ridge Food Bank, and it makes donations to the Domestic Violence and Abuse of Children Foundation.
The group had been practicing for its first real show, held on Feb. 26 at the Artful Dodger. It had been using Whitesel’s Music in Downtown Harrisonburg as a practice site.
“It gives us space out of public view to sit and practice and we return the favor by fixing up the building, guitars, or other items they sell,” Caplan said.
However, Caplan’s future plans do include having a place similar to the Court Square Theater that the group can call its own.
“Our longterm goal is to own our own place, but Court Square Theater is a good place to start with it.”
Caplan added that while the group’s routines are never the same, it still manages to practice.
“It is not as off the top of the head as the audience perceives it to be,” Caplan said. “Say the topic is jobs and someone yells out prostitute, you would pick that because it’s not the normal policeman, firefighter. The point is whatever the audience is expecting you need to do 180 degrees of it so it’s unpredictable.”
A comedy show usually lasts about an hour and in order for it to be a success, members have to work as a cohesive unit.
“Disagreements don’t work in improvisation,” Caplan said. “You really have to trust the person you’re next to.”
So far the response has been positive for Mental Flossing. The group has thrown mock sessions to see how the jokes work and how the audience reacts.
“We are still getting our feet wet and working towards some big performances,” Page said. “For now, we are starting small and trying to build our cohesiveness as an ensemble.”
Its biggest hurdle has been getting the word out about the group and what they do.
“There is a lot of creativity in our group,” Page said. “As time goes on and word spreads, I think many people in Harrisonburg will be talking about Mental Flossing.”
