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Ball State’s 24-year-old improv comedy group has had plenty of time to entertain students over the years, but no improv festival of their own to perform in. So the group created one.

“This is the first big festival that any of us have experienced here, and we just want it to be the best it can be for the next,” said Caleb Day, a member of ABSO Improv Comedy and a senior telecommunications major.

Ball State has hosted improv festivals before. In the 2000s, Bob and Tom and “National Lampoon” sponsored the Bestival Midwestival Improvisational Comedy Festival. The last mention of the festival on Ball State’s website was in 2004.

The nine members of ABSO decided to revive the festival last year after performing at Music & Memory’s “A Night to Remember.”

“It was a really good turn out, and [we got] a lot of good feedback from that show,” said Russell Stewart, a sophomore telecommunications major.

An improv festival at Ball State might not be a completely new concept, but ABSO gave their event a different­ name—the Midwest Improv Fest.

Organizing an improv festival turned out to have its challenges. Stewart said getting the word out to other improv troupes was the hardest part.

“Once we told them about it, they were ecstatic about the event and wanted to go,” he said.

Midwest Improv Fest will feature two out-of-state improv troupes: The Plastic Shatners from Bowling Green, Ohio, and Trap Door Improv from Central Michigan, Mich. Sam Webb, a stand-up comedian, will emcee the event.

Alex Cabala, the leader of Trap Door Improv, said he was looking forward to Saturday's festival. 

"We are really excited to work with more college improv troupes and meet more amazing improvers," he said. 

ABSO alumni often come to see the group perform, and some will attend and perform at the event.

“One of the coolest things is that one of the founding fathers came [and] said ‘Wow, I started this 25 years ago just to have a good time with my friends; I can’t believe what you guys blossomed into,’” Stewart said. 

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