But the three performers need the public’s help to attend the finals in Knoxville, Tennessee, said coach Sandi Corbitt.
“We’re trying to raise $6,500 and have set up a GoFundMe account,” she said. “The girls have been practicing very hard and performed really well at state.”
Destination Imagination is an activities competition that challenges the minds of students.
The Posers — Zenda Olson, Sarah Cochrane, and Courtney Corbitt — chose to compete in improv performances, and recently placed third at the state tournament.
“Improv mixes things up. It’s not planned, so it’s more fun,” said Courtney Corbitt. “We love making the audience laugh and getting creative within a short time frame.”
The improv competition has an appropriately preposterous format.
Teams choose 12 confined spaces out of 30 choices, and practice improv with them leading up to the meet.
“Spaces” range from a shark tank, ice hotel room and submarine to a canoe on the Nile, International Space Station, and Egyptian tomb.
During competition, judges choose one of the spaces, and the team has three minutes to prepare their skit and perform it in four minutes.
The team must make a prop for their show from a newspaper, or other item. Also, a mystery character is introduced by the judges and must be incorporated into the skit.
Practicing improv develops wit, problem-solving skills and acting styles, and it makes you think fast.
“I come up with the craziest scenarios, and the girls put skits together while timed,” Sandi Corbitt said. “They have been working together for four years.”
For practice the team writes down random characters and puts them in a cup. Each actor draws one, a news flash in announced, and a skit is created.
“We never get bored with improv and are not afraid to be embarrassed,” Courtney said. “We all have a background in theater and have good chemistry as a team.”
The team has raised $1,200. Competitors stay in dorms at the University of Tennessee and perform in front of an audience. Teams are from across the nation and include 13 international teams.
There will be a fundraiser and performance on April 28 during the Student Showcase event at the Dolores Schools cafeteria. The Edgar Allen Posers will perform at 6:30 p.m. There will be refreshments and a raffle.
To contribute to the GoFundMe account go to https://www.gofundme.com/zaz7rtwk. The site also has a clip of their state performance.