Chick Shtick

I found myself in like-minded company yesterday, when I met up with the five women who make up Chick Shtick, the female improv group of Naperville’s Comedy Shrine.
“There’s an adage that women just aren’t funny,” they said. “We show them they can be. Some people tell us ‘I could never do that’. They don’t realise how funny we are.”
The girls, whose ages cover 20s to 50s, met last year when they attended an improv class. They were completely smitten by the bug, as now, as the graduating class, perform every Thursday evening before a real audience.
Emily Levin told me: “Improv is a two hour vacation for your brain. All your inhibitions go and the time goes really quick.”
Laura Duguid said: “Ever since watching Saturday Night Live I suppose I had secret aspirations to be on stage. I did an improv course about 15 years ago, so I thought I’d try it again.”
Improv Theatre was born in Chicago with Second City, perhaps the best known group of its type in the country. Some of its students now work at the Comedy Shrine, and teach classes there to adults and children.
“Everything we do is totally off the cuff,” said Emily, who by day teaches pre-school. “It is all a surprise to us.”
Laura says when performing improv, you have to be spontaneous.
“If you try to plan ahead, it doesn’t work. If you have an idea in your head and try and grab it, it makes you seize up. You just have to go out there and do it.”
The girls believe one their best strengths is the chemistry they have between them. Improvisation calls for a lot of trust.
Dance teacher Meredith Strombeck said: “This is a great training ground. As I get older I think I am more grounded. I can really put what I have learnt into practise.”
Kelly Timko says improv skills are very useful to know, even if you don’t want to perform.
“It helps people to think on their feet,” she said. “It fine tunes their listening. Sometimes companies will pay to send people to the classes for that reason.”
The fifth member of the team is water quality controller Katie Brisick. She has more experience than the others, having taken classes at college and performed in many community theatre projects.
Supporting them all is keyboard player Shane Shariffskul, a classically trained pianist who improvises music to help the show.
“The best compliment I’ve received is that after the show people might ask me if I have seen it. They don’t even notice I’m on stage,” he laughed. “It is a difficult job. The hardest part is having to trust the music. Even if I make a mistake, I have to carry on and work with it.”
The girls think Shane is imperative to their success. For example, if they have to perform in a certain genre, he will play suitable music which instantly helps to get them in the mood.
Says Laura: “We are fortunate we can do this. It is very generous of the Comedy Shrine to give us this experience.”