What happens when LineUs Improv members grow up, graduate and leave Gustavus for the real world? They continue on the path of justice, truth and the ways of improv to form their own improv troupe in the Twin Cities. And then they bring that comedy back home to you.
On Friday, May 13 Walrus and LineUs join forces to bring an improv show to Alumni Hall, the likes of which have never been seen on the Gustavus campus.
Walrus Improv Comedy Troupe is made up of all Gustavus graduates—Andrew Haaheim ‘09, Maggie Sotos ‘09, Tane Danger ‘07, Logan Martin ‘06 and Brandon Boat ’08. They’ve only been on the scene for the last year, but they have made quite a name for themselves.
“We’ve performed professionally at several venues. We were given our own show for two months at Minneapolis’s newest Improv Comedy Club, Tane and Brandon represented us at a scouting event in Coon Rapids, I perform with Comedy Sportz, Americor has hired us to do state-wide workshop training and we were selected to perform at the Twin Cities Improv Festival this summer,” Sotos said.
They also have a spot on the first Friday of every month performing at The Blue Nile restaurant in Minneapolis.
Of course, Walrus isn’t all that these Gustie grads do.
Haaheim stays involved in the cities, teaching high school and playing in his band Dustin Thomas, as well as working with Walrus.
“I am an educator at Fridley High School, I teach bio which is what i went to Gustavus for. Walrus got together about a year after I graduated because we all wanted to continue with improv. it’s a big part of our life, and we try to uphold the same values that we did as LineUs. We’ve done really well here [in the cities] and part of that is credited to the work we did together as LineUs,” Haaheim said.
Danger works with Campfire USA in Marketing and Communication and has performed some improv on his own for Huge Theater’s The Brain Game.
Current LineUs members are happy to be back on the stage with them. “It is going to be a blast to have our mentors back with us. They are people we looked up to before we were in LineUs, and they taught us all we know when we were new in the troupe. We already have chemistry with these performers, so it will be so fun to just goof around,” Junior Communications Studies Major Chloe Radcliffe said.
“Having walrus come perform is an excellent opportunity for freshman and sophomores, or anyone who is familiar with lineus, to see it’s roots, who started it and what they’re doing now with their improv. These are some of the students who I first watched perform in Lineus, the people that made me laugh and inspired me to tryout. Walrus primarily performs long form improv compared to Lineus who does mostly short form,” Senior Biology Major and LineUs member Dan Shimek said.
So if you’re looking for a break from studying and paper writing or just want a laugh, be sure to check out the Walrus and LineUs Improv-a-looza.