Madison Long
Life Editor
By day, Daniel Shelden pours hours into grading speeches and lecturing as a Communications, Media, and Persuasion professor at Idaho State University.
By night, however, Shelden operates under a different mask. He might be a small-town Christmas tree farm girl for the Hallmark show as suggested by audience member #3 or be forced to finish the scene with a new accent each time he speaks.
Shelden may enter the stage with confidence, a rampant reminder circling through his head, “Don’t bomb. Don’t do terrible.” He may exit the stage 45 minutes later, not having remembered a single thing that happened. All he will remember is the encapsulating feeling that whisks him backstage, aided only by the roaring laughter and snorts of the crowd.
Anything and everything can happen when Shelden wears the hat of the President of The Comedy Project.
Starting in 2005, Pocatello’s The Comedy Project is an improv comedy troupe bringing laughter to the community. Improv, or improvisational theatre, involves a live performance where actors create scenes, characters and dialogue on the spot, using audience suggestions or volunteers to make each show impossible to replicate.
With around 20 members – eight full-time and 12 part-time – The Comedy Project showcases various classic comedy project shows (this show consists of short form games and then a long form improv), genre provs (turning a specific genre or movie into a comedy – The Comedy Project’s Dummies and Dragons) and improv building workshops.
Rehearsals for any normal show include weekly get-togethers, practicing various improv skills – “Yes, and,” active listening, beginning with a beeline reality or not holding back. While the actors do not know specific audience suggestions that might occur, the show captain will preemptively choose the games and forms to be performed at the next show. The Comedy Project also hosts various open rehearsals for community members to jump in and test their interest in joining.
Some previous members of The Comedy Project, Jacob Andrysiak, have even brought the love of improv to the ISU Bengals, like Alex Henderson and Lindi Pomeroy.
“We incorporate the audience into what we do and we don’t have the fancy production of most of the other theatre scenes happening in town,” says Henderson, who is majoring in computer science. “The audience gets to participate and it doesn’t feel like they are coming to only watch a show. They’re coming to participate in the fun.”
What started out as an all-in-one fundraiser to support The Comedy Project finding a permanent residence, Andrysiak’s “pipe-dream” idea for the Improvathon has grown into a festival for various improv troupes – around 65 performers total from Montana, Washington, Oregon, Utah, California, or Colorado – to showcase their techniques and put on several improv workshops.
With 22 hours of improv to fill across three days (March 19-21, 2026), each troupe has around two hours in 20-minute blocks of stage time. High school students from the local area are also invited to perform sets. Various food trucks and concessions are available for the audience in attendance, with tickets around $10 for Thursday, $15 for Friday and $30 for Saturday.
“The Improvathon is a true celebration of improv comedy and education,” says Andrysiak, who works as the Senior Academic Advisor for the Boise State University Honors College. “I absolutely am proud that we host Idaho’s only improv festival. Pocatello rarely has the only event in Idaho.”
The Comedy Project has several more shows this year, including the weekend of March 6 and 7. Tickets cost $10 and $5 for students.
If you are interested in joining the troupe, attend open rehearsals, reach out on The Comedy Project’s facebook page and attend a show to experience the wild nature of Pocatello’s improv comedy theatre.
“It is one of the most beautiful things that I’ve ever been able to encounter. The Comedy Project is like a second family for me and has been for a very long time,” says Shelden, who has been participating in The Comedy Project for 13 years. “They are some of the most supportive, kind, and funny people that challenge me to not only be a better improviser and a better comedian, but also a better person.”
Visit their website at https://www.tcpimprov.org/ to check out their upcoming shows!