NORFOLK, Va. — “This is going to be called the romantic grizzly bear. I want beautiful, and I want sexy,” said Brad McMurran, owner of Push Comedy Club.
Push Comedy Club owner Brad McMurran is teaching Old Dominion University business students the art of improv.
“Give me some energy on this.”
“The whole thing with improv is you’re supposed to listen like a thief.”
“Being able to communicate, be in the moment, listen and articulate how I feel is one of the biggest things I took from improv,” said Sarah Richardson.
Marketing professor Rhett Epler got the idea after seeing it used by a professor at Indiana University.
“I started watching people’s communication abilities go from not very good to incredible, and I was like, ‘I’ve got to figure out a way to get this to students,’ ” Epler said.
Recent ODU graduate Brookelynn Ulman says she crushed a job interview because of what she learned here.
“It’s really hard to get a job right out of college nowadays. There are just not as many jobs available,” she said.
Out of nine applicants, she landed the sales gig.
“So to stand out and be different is very important, and having that adaptability — to be able to think on your feet and stay true to yourself during that whole interview process — is really important,” Ulman said.
At the end of the semester, students performed on stage at the Push Comedy Club.
“It honestly was a lot of fun, and I got a lot of confidence in myself that I’ll use for my career,” said student Peyton Banuski.
“It’s helped out so much in my sales career because it helps you listen,” Mikail Bonnet chimed in.
While this is the first year improv has been used at ODU, McMurran and Epler hope to expand the program and make it available to more students.
Rhett Epler, Brad McMurran and the ODU students using comedy as part of their curriculum are Positively Hampton Roads.
If you'd like to try improv, Push Comedy Theater offers beginner's classes for all ages.
https://pushcomedytheater.com/
Click here to see how we use AI at WTKR News 3.
