Before microbiology senior Shawn McWhinnie performed improv, he raised poisonous dart frogs.
“It’s the tadpole stage that’s tough,” he said. “They’re just really picky.”
And the improv “tadpole stage” is also tough. Shawn said at the beginning, he thought too hard about his scenes. He also said he realized that he doesn’t need to make anything up, but rather focus on how he would react to these situations in real life.
It’s all about keeping real emotions during improv. If you were on an awkward date with someone in a scene, how would you really react to their strange conversation starters? How would you really react to seeing your own dead body if you were time-traveling?
McWhinnie said he has particularly enjoyed performing with McDoza, a group he created with UF student and stand-up comedian Rudy Mendoza. During one of their shows, Rudy, using space-object work, got on the phone and called up a shop. Shawn responded by answering on the other end. The conversation ends up being a wrong number.
“The group mind was so good that we knew what was going on immediately,” Shawn said. “That’s one of my favorite parts of improv, when you’re both on the same page.”
UF improviser Shawn McWhinnie establishes "group mind" with the photographer.
He has two pieces of advice for beginning to advanced improvisers. For one, if you’re not having fun, then “no one’s having fun.” The second: “Be real, because real life is hilarious.”
Right before the interview was over, Shawn began to talk about the fact he’s single and looking for a lady. I asked if that was on the record.
“If this gets me a couple of dates, then yeah, it’s on the record,” he said, laughing.
BIO: Shawn McWhinnie is a microbiology senior who has performed with Theatre Strike Force, Generation Sketch Comedy and various long-form troupes. He has played music and sung with AM Radio, UF’s musical improv troupe, and he is currently entering the realm of stand-up comedy. I would give out his phone number for the ladies, but there’s stranger danger on the Internet.
Here’s an exclusive look into Shawn’s stand-up comedy:
Great post! Shawn is a friend of mine, and I can definitely say that he’s written very well here. I could hear him in my head as I was reading. Also, I think the photo is pretty much a perfect representation of him.
I enjoyed it!