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December 8, 2011

UPB prof’s committed to campus, Bradford community

Kristin Asinger

Kristin Asinger

Pitt-Bradford faculty member Kristin Asinger thrives on variety. And between her campus and community activities, she gets plenty of it.

In addition to her work in the sports medicine program, where she teaches courses ranging from personal health and wellness to nutrition, biomechanics, human biology, anatomy and physiology, Asinger is UPB’s director of international studies and founder of the student improvisational comedy group, the Pitt Improvers.

As director of international studies, she is responsible for student study abroad, faculty going abroad and incoming international students. She has implemented a program that pairs arriving international students with UPB students with the goal of helping them fit in and become familiar with the campus and region.

She has a personal interest in international study: Her family currently is hosting its ninth exchange student. And in spring, she plans to travel with students to UPB’s sister school, the Yokohama College of Commerce.

Now in her fourth year at Pitt-Bradford, Asinger has found her niche. With bachelor’s and master’s degrees in athletic training and certifications to teach health and physical education, she’s taught at the middle school, high school and community college levels. “This is the level I always wanted to end up at. I love high school- and college-age, the ‘what do I want to do with my life?’ age,” she said. “They’re not with their parents but still need adult guidance,” a role she said she’s happy to fill.

She enjoys helping students explore their options and find their direction in life. “When you know what you want, you go straight for your goal,” she said.

Her own enthusiasm for trying new things sets a fine example for those around her. Short of anything outright dangerous, she will try almost anything. “I’m a jack of many trades,” she said. “I’m good at a lot, excellent at none of them.”

Asinger isn’t shy about using her talents. A native of Bradford who returned after a 25-year absence, she devotes herself to civic and campus activities, especially ones that strengthen UPB’s connections to the community. “It’s important for faculty, staff and students to get to know the community and vice versa, because Pitt-Bradford is a big part of the Bradford community,” she said.

She serves on the Bradford Creative and Performing Arts Center’s art and education committee; has performed and directed shows at the Bradford Little Theatre, where she also is a board member, and last month co-directed the annual Kiwanis Kapers community variety show.

The annual Kapers show “is a great way to have participation with the community,” she said, noting that UPB always is well represented in the production. In keeping with this year’s “Extreme Makeover” theme, she wanted to bring new ideas to the show. Among her contributions: a show-stealing glow dance routine fronted by three UPB students (www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTE41FF2CnM&feature=related); a spoof of the popular “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” TV show, and an improv segment.

The improv segment was a natural for Asinger. Perhaps her biggest contribution to Pitt-Bradford has been the Pitt Improvers club, which she and her husband, Tim, launched four years ago.

The Improvers’ free shows on campus are popular, typically drawing audiences of 80-120. Performances include short-form games similar to those featured on the TV improv show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” and lots of audience participation, she said. “We feed off the energy of the crowd,” she said.

The Improvers might be called upon to play a scene as superheroes, or to be quirky contestants in a game show. One game, similar to “The Dating Game,” features an audience member who must ask questions and determine the three Improvers’ individual quirks. For instance, “One thinks he’s a cat, one’s a tree hugger and one scratches his ear each time he says ‘and,’” Asinger said.

Needless to say, the chosen audience volunteers must be both outgoing and willing participants.

Beyond campus, the Improvers also have gained a following in the community. The group of 11-12 students offers community workshops and performs for civic groups and in local schools.

Donations for their performances go toward trips to improv workshops in Chicago or New York, Asinger said.

In keeping with Asinger’s commitment to the community, the Improvers also give back. Each February, they put on a fundraising show to benefit a selected local nonprofit group. “It teaches kids to give to a community,” she said.

Asinger developed her affinity for improv as an adult.

“I was a serious kid,” she said, adding that pursuing a dual major and working as an athletic trainer in college ensured those years were “all business” as well. Prior to trying out for the school play during her senior year at Bradford’s local Catholic high school, Asinger had no performance experience.

Yeas later, while living in Erie, she and her husband became part of a neighborhood theatre group that did script-in-hand performances. “We had a blast with it,” she said, adding that she learned improv by doing it.

The Asingers later found themselves living in Chicago, an area well known for its improv. There she encouraged her husband to join a local group, but when the time came for auditions, he was away on business, so she tried out instead. She made the cut and vouched for his abilities, gaining him a conditional approval until he could show up at rehearsal to prove his talent.

In addition to being a way to get to know people, the improv group became like a weekly date night. “It was a once-a-week guarantee of a night of laughter,” she said, adding that their appreciation for improv has continued to grow. Tim Asinger later studied at the famed Second City improv school, the two have attended improv workshops and they often seek out improv shows when they are vacationing.

After returning to Bradford, where Tim now operates a construction business, the Asingers launched Pitt-Bradford’s improv group with the stipulation that they would be advisers “only if we got to play too,” Kristin said.

She said people often are surprised that the small school has an improv group, adding that she thinks the existence of the unique club could be a draw for creative high schoolers. “It might encourage them to choose Pitt-Bradford,” she said.

While most improv groups retain the same members, the transient nature of students’ time on campus means there are auditions every year. “It’s fun to get the fresh view,” she said, noting this year’s Improvers include five returning members and seven newcomers.

About 20 students typically try out for 11-12 spots in the club, she said, adding that returning Improvers must re-audition as well — and don’t necessarily make the cut.

Prospective Improvers know what Asinger is looking for. Confidence on stage is one key quality. Improvers must be able to project their voices and be comfortable in a variety of spaces. A game may call for them to be on the floor, or standing on a chair, for instance. Good Improvers also must be “in the moment,” and comfortable with physical humor. “They allow characters to consume them,” she said.

Students come from a variety of majors. Some acted or participated in speech and debate groups in high school; others perform in plays at Pitt-Bradford. “Some are just funny people,” she said.

Members must develop a rapport and work well as part of a group. “In improv, no one is the star. You have to support each other and learn each other’s strengths,” she said.

Trust also is key, Asinger said. A game may call for close physical contact, such as wrestling or portraying characters in close relationships. “There also has to be trust in learning how the other person will respond,” she said.

Weekly rehearsals consist of warm-up exercises and short-form games that focus on the character, accepting the situations posed, and not going for the obvious response.

“If someone suggests ‘beach ball,’ don’t just hit the ball. Think about what it reminds you of: sand, a playground, a childhood friend, instead of going for the obvious,” she said. “Add fresh things and the funny will come.”

Ideas for the games come from shows Asinger has seen or from an online improv encyclopedia. “It’s no fun to do the same game over and over,” she said.

Improvers also benefit from attending workshops including some at Chicago’s iO Theater, where Tina Fey and Mike Myers of “Saturday Night Live” and Neil Flynn of “Scrubs” are among the alumni.

The UPB students “see different styles and learn and grow in these sessions,” Asinger said, noting that they take away a better appreciation for the art form. “They see the raw talent, how brilliant these people are and how open their minds become. They return more open to suggestions and to trying new things.”

In addition to being an outlet for their comic creativity, students take away practical benefits from the improv experience, she said.

No one can predict whether the next John Belushi is clowning in the Improvers’ midst, but that’s not what really matters to Asinger. “The goal is not to make them actors,” she said, noting that Improvers can use their skills in business situations such as networking or in sales presentations.

“Public speaking is a scary thing for most people,” she said. “Being on stage and not nervous is important.”

Such confidence can be turned into poise in awkward situations. “The next time you drop an armload of papers, improv it a little bit,” she suggested. “There are real-life useful aspects,” she said.

“You become a funnier and more fun person to be around.”

—Kimberly K. Barlow

Filed under: Feature,Volume 44 Issue 8

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