Every Friday night at Laugh Camp Comedy Club, the curtain opens not on a polished script, but on possibility itself. Working from crowd suggestions, the cast leaps into unscripted worlds, chasing characters and punchlines. 

The back room at Laugh Camp Comedy Club is built for surprise, and the energy builds fast. By the time the lights dim, the cast has already cracked inside jokes with the front row and turned crowd banter into creative fuel. 

Improv thrives on risk and responsiveness, each scene shaped by instinct. No one knows what characters will emerge or which wild suggestion will anchor the night’s biggest laugh. But when the rhythm lands, the whole room responds, and laughter is shared in real time.

What unfolds in the hour that follows is entirely rooted in the chemistry of its performers and nothing short of hilarious. 

On Friday, the scenes featured five improvisers and one leader. 

John Haynes is the artistic director for Actors Theater of Minnesota and spends most of his time interacting with the audience in order to give the performers directions for their scenes. The five improvisers on stage, who are part of a rotating ensemble each week, were Annika Peterson, Declan Burke, Carl Swanson, Adam Mellerup and Rachel Burton. 

Each performer came to improvisation through vastly different paths. Some began in college clowning classes or high school theater, others returned after long detours away from the stage. All describe a deep affection for the artform’s fluidity, immediacy and space for growth.

“There’s a certain freedom to improv,” Swanson said. “It wasn’t a written joke. I came up with that.”

Haynes spoke to improv’s deeper function as a way to rediscover childhood play. He encouraged first-time students not to worry about being funny. 

“Humor comes out of the truth of scenes,” Haynes said. “It’s not about being clever; it’s about letting go.”

Burton echoed this idea. After stepping away from performance for years, she found her way back through classes and embraced improv as a mental reset. 

Burton said improv felt more accessible in class than it ever did growing up. 

“I was so intimidated in high school because it seemed like you had to be funny on command, without any rules,” she said. “But in class, there’s a structure. You learn things like ‘yes, and’ and active listening. Once you have those foundations, it’s way less scary.”

Burton emphasized how the short format of classes made them especially welcoming. 

“I wanted to play again,” Burton said. “I felt like my mind was getting rigid, and this forced me to think outside the box. I’d take classes forever, even without doing shows.”

While the cast made unscripted theater look seamless, they were quick to name the challenges that arise behind the scenes. 

Burke described the discomfort of lingering uncertainty. Peterson said it is crucial to leap before feeling ready.

“You learn to jump in, trial by fire,” Peterson said.

However, the biggest skill isn’t joke writing or even spontaneity, but listening. Burton called it deceptively hard.

“You think that listening is really easy, but it takes work to really listen and then cooperate with your scene partner,” Burton said. 

Burton said that the ability to pivot in real time and respond with openness is what keeps her coming back to the stage. She added that the process trains a kind of mental elasticity, not just responding to words, but syncing with rhythm and tone as well. 

“You might have a plan, but your scene partner says something unexpected, and you have to throw your idea away and go with them,” Burton said.

Favorite games include rotating scene formats like Four Square, abstract guessing games like Party Quirks, and minimalist wordplay like in ABC. 

Each performer appreciates different dynamics: Some lean into more unusual setups, others into sharp timing or collaborative challenges. 

All cast members noted how the flexible structure makes the whole thing sing. 

Audience engagement is paramount and thoughtfully handled. In formats like Day in the Life, one person’s real story becomes seed for inventive scenes — but never at their expense. 

Haynes described the process as intentionally generous.

“You’re not being brought up on stage and embarrassed,” Haynes said. “Even when we do the Day in the Life structure where I interview an audience member, our goal is that they always win.” 

By offering just enough general information, the audience trusts the cast to embellish it with care, using hyperbole and invention to build scenes without putting anyone on the spot. 

Haynes said accessibility is central to the experience. 

“It’s fun — it’s an hour, and it’s $12,” Haynes said. “We’ve tried to really keep it accessible. People can show up and know that we are going to create something that they’ll at least like something.”

Haynes said he wanted the audience to feel supported and celebrated, never put on the spot or made uncomfortable. 

Swanson said, “You never know what you’re going to see, and you get to be part of it.”