Regardless of the form it takes, art provides a creative outlet to express our sense of identity and communicate ideas or perspectives. And on National Inspire Your Heart with Art Day (Jan. 31), we’re reminded to appreciate the impact art has within our everyday lives—from visual works (i.e., painting and sculpture), music and literature to architecture, fashion and beyond.
Art can also connect us to our emotions—and each other—through storytelling, and at Case Western Reserve University, theater is one of the many avenues through which students can pursue this type of creative expression.
“Art gives voice to the silent and can be a powerful instrument for change,” said Milana Sacco, a third-year business management and theater student and co-publicity manager of the CWRU Footlighters, a student-run (and produced) group dedicated to musical theater on campus.
To learn how the art of theater, specifically, inspires other members of the CWRU community, The Daily spoke with several members of IMPROVment, a short-form musical improvisation troupe hosted within the College of Arts and Sciences.
Read on to hear their thoughts.
Some answers have been lightly edited for length and style.
Neha Praseed
Praseed, president of IMPROVment, is a fourth-year business management and economics student who has been involved with the club for four years.
1. How does art inspire you?
My academic and professional environment is product-oriented; however, with art, I love that we focus on the act of performing and producing it. The beauty is in the way we tell stories, and to improve as artists is to tell those stories with more authenticity.
2. How has being a member influenced your experience at CWRU?
IMPROVment has felt like a home away from home. My time in the troupe has made me a more effective communicator, a more collaborative teammate, and a more empathetic person. More than anything, I’m so fortunate to regularly practice and perform with people who support me unconditionally—both on and off stage.
Alain Kouchica
Kouchica, a co-public relations chair of IMROVment, is a third-year mechanical engineering student who has been involved with the club for two years.
1. How does art inspire you?
Art allows me to express myself. Great art pieces don’t just inspire me, they allow me an outlet for my creativity.
2. How has being a member influenced your experience at CWRU?
IMPROVment has given me a space to let loose and enjoy the more expressive side of my personality.
Jasmyn Zeigerson
Zeigerson, a former secretary of the club, is a third-year theater arts and music student who has participated in the club for two years.
1. How does art inspire you?
I am constantly inspired by the beauty, joy and depth that art can hold. There are so many different facets and styles of art, and to see how people can contribute love into the world through their art is one of the most meaningful things I find in life.
2. How has being a member influenced your experience at CWRU?
Being a member of IMPROVment has been one of the greatest joys of my life at CWRU. From finding a group of people I love and [can] be silly with to fostering an art form that brings such joy to the world, my life has been changed by knowing this troupe.
Lisa O’Brien
O’Brien, a secondary co-public relations chair of the club, is a third-year theater and international studies student who has participated in the club for two years.
1. How does art inspire you?
People’s true personalities are conveyed in the type of art they make, which I think is beautiful. To me, there is no other connecting force that is as diverse, personal and transcending as art is.
2. How has being a member influenced your experience at CWRU?
I saw my first IMPROVment show as a prospective student and I loved it. Being in the troupe has not only bettered me as an actor (and improviser), but as a person. I have met the most supportive people in my life who I will continue to have connections with after college. This troupe is easily the highlight of my CWRU experience.
Every Saturday, IMPROVment performs in the Kalberer Black Box Theatre of the Maltz Performing Arts Center. To discover upcoming performances, visit their Facebook and Instagram pages.