Bad Genetics is a premiere improvised comedy team that resides within Bowling Green State University consisting of all types of people from different years, orientations and backgrounds. Bad Genetics is the perfect group for those who have always had an interest in comedy, acting off-script and having a good time. Director Alex Jowanovitz, Assistant Director Alyssa Harper and new up-and-comer Libby Corner talk about how they love Bad Genetics.  

Q. How did Bad Genetics get started?

1. “We don’t actually know when Bad Genetics was first formed, but we do have a sense of where the name came from. Several years ago, a bunch of people who were in Plastic Shatners – the short-form improv team on campus – left the group and formed an improv team of their own that focused on long-form improv instead, which is the type of improv we still do and specialize in. The joke was that these were the ‘bad genetics’ of the Shatners, since they were no longer in that group and the name just stuck,” Jowanovitz said. 

Q. What does a semester look like for Bad Genetics?

1. “Bad Genetics has biweekly practices every Monday and Thursday along with a show every other week on Fridays. We typically have about five to six shows a semester, which consist of Bad Genetics, as well as collaborative shows with other improv groups,” Harper said. 

Q.  Is it really all improvised?

1. “It is. Our brains develop the script together as we go. We all have our own ideas in our head about characters, scenes, etc. However, when you watch over our shows, you can really tell that it is all improvised. You should see just how random the scenes can get,” Corner said. 

Q. Since this is all improvised, what do rehearsals look like?

1. “We typically start the practice with a 20 minute warm up of various improv games, a lesson of the day (i.e., rules of improv, initiating a scene, characterization) and then we take what we learn in the lesson to a Mono-Scene, Modified Armando or other long-form structure that we use. At the end of practice, we typically do a complement circle and a team break,” Harper said.

Q. How do you know when to start or end a scene?

1. “We know when to start a scene after we have received our ‘get’ from the audience. A ‘get’ refers to the suggestion the audience will give us that inspires our ideas for the upcoming scene. To end a scene, we use a ‘wipe’ which is when a member will run across the front of the scene with their hand in the air. With this swift movement, the team members and audience can easily tell the scene has come to a close. Although using a ‘wipe’ can be tricky, they are used when the scene has reached its natural conclusion,” Harper said.

Q. What do you do when something doesn’t seem to be working?

1. “At Bad Genetics, we have the saying ‘Hold on tightly, let go lightly.’ We use this as a mantra and to remember that not everything is going to work out the way that you wanted it to. We stick to our ideas, but we all trust each other to make the decision to take the scene in a different direction if things aren’t working out. We usually just throw in a new conflict, and the issue corrects itself,” Corner said.

Q. What is your favorite aspect of being part of an improv group?

1. “The best thing about doing improv, in my opinion, is that you can literally and theatrically be whoever you want with some of your best friends. The people I have met in Bad Genetics are some of the most warm and welcoming people I know. They accept me for who I am inside and outside of a scene. Being able to take risks and make the most of our practices and shows with my teammates has been extremely fulfilling,” Harper said.

Q. Is anyone able to join Bad Genetics?

1. “Yes! Anyone with a passion for improv and making people laugh should definitely join Bad Genetics,” Harper said. 

Bad Genetics has a presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For those who are interested in seeing them perform virtually, the group uses the streaming platform Twitch to capture their shows live as they are happening and remain on the platform for up to seven days after their performance, for viewing at your leisure.