Page 10 - Summer 2015 FF

“When we use comedy to give back, it’s one of the best feelings in the world.”

From left: Kyla Wheeler, Dan Ryder ’98,
Natalie Simmons ’07 and Jef Bailey ’98

Teachers Lounge Mafa Of the Cuf

Here’s the scene: We’re stuck in an elevator. I’m a Good pitch. And, the name?
writer for Farmington First, you are the Teachers
Lounge Mafa, and I need your best 30-second pitch. Jef Bailey: Dan wanted to call us “Broken Donut” and I’d say
our frst group bonding actvity was to fnd a beter name for
Dan Ryder: Teachers Lounge Mafa performs comedic games the group than that. Afer some brainstorming, we came up
and stories in the traditons of “Whose Line Is It, Anyway?,” with Teachers Lounge Mafa.
“Upright Citzens Brigade” and Second City. We also deliver
workshops on how improv can build problem solving, Kyla Wheeler: Everyone vetoed the “Broken Donut.”
leadership and teamwork skills. Basically, we’re trying to bring
something diferent to the foothills and stll be allowed to live Dan Ryder: I stll like that name. No one else does. They’re
here. wrong.

Jef Bailey: It’s our goal to make people laugh, beneft our What makes improv diferent from other types of
community and have fun while doing it. comedy shows?

Natalie Simmons: TLM is a bunch of friends having so much Jef Bailey: It’s all made up on the spot. We have basic
fun trying to be funny. And succeeding. structures of games and occasionally some ideas for
characters, but untl we get a suggeston from the audience,
Dan Ryder: We do a mix of short form and long form. Short we don’t know how it will go. No two shows are alike.
form is what you see on some TV shows where long form
involves creatng scenes from audience suggestons. There is Natalie Simmons: There is this beautful unpredictable
usually a sort of structure to long form, though we ofen do element about improv that you just go up there and see
a variaton called freestyle which is just that: we go wherever where it goes. And usually it’s somewhere prety cool.
the ideas take us.

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