As audiences catch their breath and eagerly await what comes next, they go haywire from uncontrollable laughter. This is what it feels like to attend a Heywire show.
Heywire is a student-run organization that practices and performs improvisational comedy. Home to over 20 members, Heywire has a show for the Augustana community every month.
In preparation, the members meet every Tuesday and Thursday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. In these meetings, they set dates for shows, develop prompts for these events and practice improv comedy.
Junior Olivia Jones is a new member of Heywire. Jones said Heywire’s meetings serve as a mental break and built-in social hour.
“We get together twice a week and just go over little improv games. You make things up on the spot and have some laughs with everyone,” Jones said. “We start with little warm-ups to just get ourselves in a happier and energetic mood, and we just play improv games.”
Jones said she strongly believes that Heywire is a growing and inclusive community that is welcoming to people of all experience levels. She said being a part of this club is a great way to lighten her week.
Junior Alice Sylvie, a public health and biology major, has been a member of Heywire for two years. As a STEM major, Sylvie said she gets to live and express her love for theater, music and the freedom of improv that Heywire provides in its shows. Heywire’s various improv games allow their members to practice this creativity.
“There’s a game called freeze where two people are in a scene and then you clap in and then you tap someone out, and you start a new scene based on what positions they were in,” Sylvie said. “There’s [also] a dating game where everyone’s assigned a person that they are and then the guesser has to guess who everyone is based on a couple of questions.”
Sylvie said the games in Heywire’s shows are based on suggestions and prompts from the audience. Amongst the various prompts being suggested, Heywire members pick a random one. In some special prompts, audience members are welcomed on stage for games.
Junior Kaden Micklos is the president of Heywire this year. When describing the club and its purpose, Micklos said even though humor is rewarding, the sole purpose of Heywire is not humor. Instead, Heywire focuses on being a judgment-free community.
“We have this little Heywire fan base that supports us, and we’re doing well this year,” Micklos said. “I couldn’t have asked for another group of new members. They are doing amazing this year and have also brought in new audience members. Everyone says we are a group that just has this bond. When you look at us, you know we have this bond.”
For more information about Heywire and its upcoming events, check out their Instagram at @augieheywire.
