By Kaitlin Keane

As an incoming freshman with dreams of starting a small improvisational comedy group, Chad Cooper could not have imagined how far he would go with the help of a group of devoted young comedians and a campus nightclub.

NU ‘ Improv’d, composed of 13 Northeastern students that practice and perform comedy, has grown rapidly since it began in 2003. The comedy improv troupe performs every month for a packed afterHOURS and has been invited to participate in the Boston International Comedy and Movie Festival, which begins April 25 — an impressive achievement for such a young group.

“The fact that we are doing so well is just amazing since we literally just reached the one year mark,” said Cooper, a sophomore communications major. He serves as founder and president of the group.

In addition to a paid agreement with afterHOURS, the group has performed for improv groups from Suffolk University and Dartmouth College and recently began signing on as entertainment for fundraising events of other student groups on campus.

Performances are reminiscent of “Whose Line is it Anyway?,” an improv show on ABC Family that utilizes several of the fundamental improv games and skits, though members have added to and developed the program over the past year. The professionalism of the group’s comedy is a result of hard work and practice — about two to three hours twice a week — and a meticulously chosen team of comedic talent.

The group holds auditions every semester, weeding through around 50 prospective humorists in order to choose new members that will easily become part of the close bonds existing members have established both onstage and off. The auditions are extremely selective, generally yielding only a few new faces each time, as it is imperitive that new members fit in both comedically and personally, Cooper said.

“The best part has been getting to know people that are really unique and just really funny. Of the people I’ve met at Northeastern, they are the most cultured,” said Whitney Jablonski, a freshman chemical engineering major and one of three female members. She is one of many who feels the “support system” of friendships in the group has been key to its success.

“Our close bond has served as the driving point for our creativity,” Cooper said, who swears that the group’s success is a result of both the members’ friendships and the opportunity given to them by afterHOURS. “I owe a lot of our initial success to afterHOURS. Jackie, [afterHOURS manager] is the essence of that place, she really wants the club to work in favor of student groups.”

While close ties and practice go a long way, the group’s success is a direct result of one important factor — these people are funny. Some members have comedic backgrounds, while others had never stepped on stage before joining — but it doesn’t seem to matter.

“I was never involved in any kind of theater, but I was always kind of funny in high school,” Jablonski said.

A lack of experience has never been an obstacle for any member of the group, despite the potential stress factor of improvisational performance.

“You are always nervous, but the other people on stage are your safety net,” she said. “You can’t bomb because they are there to pick it up. There are just so many comedic views that someone is always ready with something.”

Aside from a group chemistry and performance opportunity, it is the members’ ambition that has carried the group through its first year. Many are aspiring comedians either involved in or pursuing such lucrative co-ops at Comedy Central, Saturday Night Live and Howard Stern. Though not every member plans to pursue a career in the entertainment field, according to Jablonski and Cooper, they are all devoted to the future success of NU ‘ Improv’d.

Though the group has been active for only a year, members are intent on constantly expanding and promise momentous improvement in the future.

“We have really big plans for next year,” Cooper said. “Robin Williams looks like a possibility, we would love if we could bring him to campus.”

Beyond bringing big name performers to Northeastern, the group’s goals are simple, as Cooper hopes to “keep the laughs going and the fans happy.”

NU ‘ Improv’d will continue to perform monthly at afterHOURS. Their next performance is March 30 starting at 9 p.m. at afterHOURS. Cooper anticipates performances at the Boston College Improv Fest and College Stand-Up Competition. Dates for performances, as well as more information about the group and its members, can be found at www.nuimprov.com.

“To take 12 of the funniest people on campus, put them on stage with no script and limited rules, and actually put on a show that pleases people is a feat in itself,” Cooper said. “It’s all worth it.”