Improv can bring confidence and creativity into your life

Back in 2012, I went to my first improv comedy show.

Struggling with taking myself too seriously, I wanted to see if it could help me eliminate my “Debbie Downer” attitude. (And yes, I despise that phrase.)

The result? I instantly laughed and realized that I wanted to laugh even more. So I started attending monthly shows.

Over the years, I became a super fan of The Oxymorons, the improv troupe in Central Pennsylvania that performed nationwide. I started to get to know the improv community troops and their members over the years.

There was the all-female troupe, No Artificial Sweeteners, which hosted shows for charity, Safe Word, which usually hosted laughs served with wine, and TMI at Gamut Theatre.

In 2015, I decided to try improv for myself. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, so I signed up for a beginner’s class at the Harrisburg Improv Theatre (HIT).

My first experience was scary to say the least. But as I learned more about it, I found it was so helpful to get out of my own head and step into my body — something I’d never done before.

Improv is accepting what is presented, without judgment, and offering up something in return.