Laughing and Raffling

Most students on campus have been involved in a fundraiser of some sort during their time here at William & Mary. When Spring rolls around, it means just one thing to me: Improvathon. Since freshman year, I have been part of an Improvisational theatre group aptly named “Improvisational Theatre,” or “I.T.” for short. Though, occasionally I.T. can be a confusing set of initials because, quite frankly, we can’t do anything for your computer. What we can do is make you laugh by making up scenes on the spot based on suggestions from the audience. We are currently 12 members strong and range in majors from English and Theatre to Government and Neuroscience. We perform around campus and in the community year round, rarely charging admission for students. But I digress…

Improvathon is a 12-hour event we host every Spring to raise money for a local charity. In recent years, all of our proceeds have gone to Avalon, which is a Women’s Shelter and, we think, a very worthy cause. How do we raise money? Glad you asked!

First of all, the event is free to attend. Basically, we perform improvised comedy ranging from short form games – like those seen on the semi-popular TV show “Whose Line is it Anyway?” – to long form games which include fully improvised musicals. The money comes in from corporate sponsors, individual contributions, and raffle tickets which we hock incessantly throughout the day. By purchasing a raffle ticket you are eligible for any of the prizes we have received as donations from local businesses. These prizes include movie tickets, Campus Shop T-Shirts, gift certificates galore, and a variety of other knick-knacks and cool free stuff. Some of our best money makers are the water balloons we sell 1 for $2 or 3 for $5. At any point during the show, you can throw one of these at us point blank and without warning. It’s loads of fun for the audience and we put up with it because it means money for Avalon.

At any rate, if you happen to be in the Williamsburg area on Saturday, April 4th, stop by the Crim Dell Amphitheater for a free and enjoyable show. We’ll be there from noon-midnight!

Mike Wilbur

Class of 2010