Student Stories: Andrew Pish (Level 4)

The Hideout teaches five levels of improv classes, with a new level one class starting every month. With that many students coming through our doors, it’s safe to say that teaching is as big a part of our theater as our shows. So we thought it might be illuminating for you to hear from the students in their own words.

Here’s Andrew Pish, a current level 4 student. Andrew just started playing in Maestro not too long ago, getting a first taste of what it’s like to take all the stuff he’s learned and use it on stage.

Last summer, I was sitting at my desk during a summer internship, hoping for something, anything to come along and sweep me up from the monotony of my 9 to 5. That’s when I saw an ad on google for comedy classes in Austin, “the Hideout Theater! Take a level one improv class, it’s never too late to take a risk” and I thought to myself, “I’ve always thought about doing comedy, so why don’t I try something new?” At the time, I was a Junior engineering student at UT, and I was bogged down in numbers, equations, and physics theorems that made no sense (they still don’t). So I thought it would be a good opportunity to try something I’d never really done before, and even though I had never acted or performed on stage in any way, I signed up.

So I showed up on my first day in a room with a group of people I didn’t know, awkwardly biding my time until our teacher walked in. Our enthusiastic teacher, Andy Crouch, immediately got us doing wacky stuff to get us thinking and learning each others names. Before I knew it, all of us were laughing and having a lot of fun doing things that took us out of our comfort zone. Andy said it’s all about not letting the left side of your brain censor what comes out of your mouth. You have to be comfortable saying and doing whatever. So we would play some improv games, and inevitably someone would mess up, but Andy would then encourage that person to take a “failure bow,” while all the class applauded. And little by little, this soothed the fear of making a mistake. We all began to open up, and our classes became a lot more fun. It was great to be able to start in a very non-hostile atmosphere, and it was a great foundation for my future improvisational endeavors.

The improv classes that I have taken at the Hideout have drastically increased my confidence on and off stage. They motivated me to start doing stand-up comedy around town and definitely helped me deal with all the silent reactions to my “punchlines.” The classes even help in regular conversation, and now things come more naturally to me because I’m not as worried about every little word that comes out my mouth. I can even talk to girls now. It’s incredible what a little improvised nonsense can do for a person.

I recently finished the level three improv class and am now taking the level four class, and in all seriousness, I could not have predicted how much more satisfying improv can be now that I can act out a longer scene. It was hard to see the progress between every week of class, but now that I’m at level four, I can truly see how far I’ve come. I’ve gone from failure bows to incredibly imaginative scene work. I’ve learned how to create meaningful relationships in a scene, how to react truthfully to my stage partner, and how to commit to stronger characters. My improv class is now one of the highlights of my week, and I always enjoy going. It’s been an incredible ride, and I don’t want to get off any time soon.

Andrew Pish

Join Andrew on his journey. Our next level one starts real soon. Sign up here.