Communication sophomore Sarah Hayden’s love for her team is different than the die-hards you usually find in Chicago – the relentless Cubs fans, or the Bulls lovers still waiting for another championship. Her team – Northwestern’s long-form improv group, the Titanic Players – doesn’t compete for titles. But that didn’t stop Hayden from going to every Titanic show for the past year-and-a-half, something that earned her the title of Titanic Players’ number-one fan.
Hayden sat down with PLAY to talk about why long-form improv blows her mind – and why it should be blowing yours, too.
PLAY: So why are you a Titanic Players super fan?
Sarah Hayden: Last year a few kids in my dorm were in Titanic – (Communication juniors) Chris Hejl and Steve Persch – and they asked me to come check it out. So I went, and I really, really liked it because improv, to me, is the hardest form of comedy. It’s just right off your feet; it’s just so hard to do. I went to every show, because it’s different every single time. By the end of the year, I had gone to every show and during the last show of the year they brought me on stage and gave me this signed poster. This year I’m doing a lot with NU Channel 1 – PrimeTime Pregame with (Weinberg senior) Dan Kramer and (Communication senior) Mike Placito – and they asked me to film Titanic. So I’ve gone to a show every week for the past year- and-a-half.
PLAY: How do the Titianic Players compare to other improv troupes, like Mee-Ow.
SH: Well, with Mee-Ow, everything is a game – it’s short-form improv and Titanic is long-form. They’ve got five or 10 minutes and they just make up jokes for that long. With Titanic they have to go on for 25 minutes. They start by doing short scenes, but by the halfway point everything starts to come together until everything is a complete story. It’s a rudimentary form of storytelling. They make up these random characters, and they work for, like, 20 minutes to bring everything together. It’s just so cool to watch. By the end you’re just completely surprised as to how they bring everything together. To me, it’s mind-blowing because they can pull it all together like that.
PLAY: Where do the Titanic Players perform?
SH: Last year it was mainly in Willard, and then by Spring quarter they moved to Fisk 217. This year, Winter Quarter, they didn’t really have a home
