Every other Thursday of the month, Open Play Improv is held at the Thomas K. McKeon Center for Creativity, led by a member of Third Space Tulsa (an improv-centered theater education collective founded in May of 2023), Cory Foster. The Open Play Improv kept its participants on their feet and laughing as they followed instructions in improvisation. Categories, eye contact, and free associating were used to bring a learning and entertaining experience to the improvisers.  

 When asked about how locals can get more involved in improvising workshops, Foster stated, “Show up at any Open Play; we are doing them every other Thursday at the McKeon Center. We also have a workshop series, and you can show up at any one of those. We are very beginner friendly. If you are interested, if you have a good time, fantastic. Keep going and keep showing up. If you want to do shows, if you want to move onto the longer forms of improv or improvised sketch, we have got room for that too.” 

“There are other places in town as well. There’s Crayons Improv, which has more of a family friendly, fun kind of vibe. Then there is the Jackalope Comedy Theater, which I think is at Yale right now. It’s a fun time. I’ve done a few shows with them, and Nicole Miller runs them. She is delightful, and she also does stand-up around town. You have probably seen her if you have been to any local stand-up shows.” Says Foster on how to get more involved with the community of improvisers around Tulsa. 

The Open Play Improv offers laughs, which are free to the people of Tulsa. You are invited to attend the biweekly program on Thursdays for a good laugh. Foster led his participants through a series of improvisation exercises, such as naming five different things in your life, which he challenged us to make into either a story or a knee-slapping joke that kept my brain thinking in overtime.  

Ultimately, the Open Play Improv provides locals with the opportunity to improve on their improvising skills and have a few laughs. So, the next time they have an audition for the silver screen or a job interview, the improv group will undoubtedly use skills gained at the Open Play Improv to improvise their way into the spotlight.