Fishbowl Improv, a student improv group on campus, is launching a new comedy- filled podcast, “Bits in the Tank,” on Oct. 31. Fishbowl Improv. Credit: Courtesy of Carlie Shearer
Fishbowl Improv is looking to make a splash with its new wave of comedy.
Fishbowl Improv, a student improv group on campus, is launching a new comedy-filled podcast, “Bits in the Tank,” Oct. 31 in response to COVID-19. The podcast will be improvised, featuring long-form storytelling segments, short-form games and an advice column where listeners can submit questions, Carlie Shearer, a third-year in linguistics and theater and president of the club, said.
“Before COVID, we had shows every other week in the (Ohio) Union. We would also participate in festivals and travel across the USA. Since COVID, we have been unable to do that, and we’ve also been unable to meet together in person,” Shearer said. “So we’ve adapted all of our old formats and we’re just trying to create something new with the limitations.”
Shearer said with the absence of shows, the group is looking forward to the podcast, but the schedule for releasing episodes is tentative.
Despite the excitement, Shearer said hosting a podcast isn’t quite the same as performing live.
“It’s definitely been a whole learning curve this year doing improv or doing a podcast online,” Shearer said. “Something that is just inherently different between what we do live and what we do on podcast is the presence of the audience.”
In many ways, the audience is like a character in an improv show, as they influence the group’s actions, Shearer said.
“They give us reactions that we play off of or choose to utilize. So with the podcast, we just wanted to make sure that we have things like the advice column where we can ask people for suggestions, because we just want to ensure that the audience is still a part of what we do,” Shearer said.
And members are hoping that devout Fishbowl fans — like the more than 700 Twitter and nearly 570 Instagram followers — will tune in.
Audrey Kunath, a third-year in accounting and a member of Fishbowl Improv, said she is eagerly awaiting the podcast.
“It’s going to be really strange not feeding off of the audience’s energy, hearing laughs and engaging in comedy that way, but I still think it’s going to be really cool, and I’m excited to hear what people think after it’s released,” Kunath said.
Kunath said viewers can submit questions on the club’s Instagram and Twitter and that the group will be posting polls for the podcast on their Instagram story.
Fishbowl Improv will hold auditions next semester, Kunath said. The club has meetings for its current members on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-9 p.m. Updates can be found on their social media and website.
