What is Second Nature?

  • Second Nature is USC’s premiere longform improv troupe. We perform weekly at USC’s Ground Zero Performance Cafe, as well as at theatres throughout Los Angeles, and Universities all over the country. (top )

I’ve never done improv before. Can I still audition?

  • Absolutely! No experience is necessary to audition. Some of our finest members had no improv experience before they auditioned for Second Nature. On the other hand, if you’ve been doing improv since the womb, we’d also love to have you audition. (top )

I’m not a theatre student. Can I still audition?

  • Most definitely. In addition to having theatre majors, Second Nature is proud to have had improvisers majoring in film, fine arts, communication, English, biology, econ, screenwriting and many others. (top )

I am a theatre student. Is Second Nature for me?

  • Totally. A background in improvisation is a versitile tool for an actor, and an ideal compliment to your theatre schooling. Second Nature is a great place for theatre students because we work mainly on long form improvisation and not short form games. Rather than searching for a quick joke, long form improv stresses the idea that the most rewarding laughs come from the exploration of real emotional beats, organic discovery, and depth of character. Moreover, Second Nature works closely with all of the major improvisational theatre institutions in Los Angeles, holding monthly workshops with members of The Groundlings, ImprovOlympic, and The Upright Citizen’s Brigade. (top )

What kind of time commitment would I need to make if I joined Second Nature?

  • Second Nature has weekly shows on Friday nights and meets at least twice a week for workshops. Workshops are usually two hours long. Occasionally, we have shows and/or meetings in addition to this. (top )

Do I need to have anything prepared for auditions?

  • Nope. It’s improv. If you could bring a picture of yourself that you wouldn’t mind us holding onto, that would be great. Don’t worry about it being top notch, Sears quality. If you print it out on your dorm room computer, that’s totally fine. (top )

How does the audition process work?

  • Auditions will be held on Friday, September 19th from 3-5pm and Saturday, September 20th from 1-3pm. Come either day, no need to come to both. The audition will be a lot like a typical rehearsal. We’ll warm up together, play different improv games, do scenes, and see if you can take direction. It’s totally informal, and a lot of fun.
  • After auditions, we’ll post a callback list. Then we’ll have callbacks on a Sunday. At callbacks, we’ll do some more improv, and get to know you a little better. Both auditions and callbacks will be held at Taper Hall.
  • After callbacks, we’ll invite a few people onto the troupe. Once we call you on Sunday night, you’re on the troupe. No workshops, no extra tests, no red tape, no strings attached. Within a month, you’ll be performing with the troupe.(top )

How many people will Second Nature invite onto the troupe this audition?

  • That’s a tough question, but we’ll be taking no more than four. (top )

Alright. So, what’s the difference between Second Nature and the other improv troupes on campus?

  • Second Nature performs predominantly scene-based and long form improv, rather than short, gimmick based improv games. That means our style is more akin to that of The Upright Citizen’s Brigade and The Groundlings, and less like Whose Line Is It Anyway, or ComedySportz.
  • Our audition process is direct: if we invite you onto our troupe, you are on the troupe. There is no workshop period wherein you might be cut.
  • In addition to having a prime, Friday night performance slot at USC’s Ground Zero Performance Cafe, Second Nature performs special shows at USC and around L.A. Our special shows include improvised DVD commentaries, The Bat, and The Facebook Show, a show based entirely on the facebook profiles of audience volunteers, which are projected before the audience. We also perform monthly Armando with guest monologists. Last year, our guest monologists included Kate Flannery (The Office), Tom Lennon (Reno 911!), Will Sasso (MADtv), Lauren Weedman (The Daily Show), and many others.
  • We also created and host the annual Fracas! Improv Festival, sponsored by The Onion, where troupes from around the world come to perform with each other and participate in panels and workshops with the country’s top improvisers.
  • Second Nature also works with many professional improvisers from Los Angeles, and around the United States. We’ve trained with members of The Groundlings, Second City, Improv Olympic, and the Upright Citizen’s Brigade - just to name a few. Members of Second Nature enjoy monthly workshops with professionals of this caliber. To learn more about who we’ve worked with, click here.
  • Second Nature is dedicated to pushing the improv envelope. We’re committed to constantly challenging ourselves to reaching new levels of improv zen. We strive to perform as a team, to play at the top of our intelligence, and to have fun with each other and our audience.
  • Most importantly, Second Nature is a family - a really funny family. (top )

Right, but who’s the official troupe?

  • There are five improv troupes at USC, and none of them are more official in the eyes of the University or anyone else. Each troupe has different style and sensibilities - so there’s something for everyone. (top )

What if I want to audition for Second Nature and Commedus Interruptus?

  • Second Nature and Commedus Interruptus hold auditions over the same weekend. We feel that this allows you to see what both troupes are about, as well as get a feel for our unique styles. It also gives you the opportunity to get all your auditioning out of the way in the same weekend.
  • Since both groups hold auditions at the same time over Friday and Saturday, we strongly encourage that you audition for Second Nature one day, and Commedus the other. This gives us the opportunity to get to know you and see as much of you as possible. In the event that you can only make it to one day of the auditions, that’s okay. We’re more than happy to accommodate you so that you have an opportunity to audition for both troupes in the same day.
    (top )

So what’s all this Fracas! stuff?

  • The Fracas! Improv Festival was created by Second Nature as the first ever purely collegiate improv festival. In the last five years, it has grown in leaps and bounds attracting the attention of dozens of college improv troupes nationwide, professional improvisers from The Office , T he Daily Show , Saturday Night Live , Mr. Show , MADtv , The 40-Year-Old Virgin , Curb Your Enthusiasm , The Riches , Late Night with Conan O’Brien , Superbad , The Upright Citizen’s Brigade, The Groundlings, ImprovOlympic, ComedySportz, The Second City and many more as well as national humor newspaper, The ONION . Fracas! is our baby, and we could talk about it forever. If you want more info, check out the festival page . (top )

    I still have questions!

  • That’s totally cool. We’d love to answer any questions you have, just shoot us an e-mail: improv@usc.edu

Hope to see you soon!

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