For Phillip Boyne, improvisational comedy has been a way of life for several years.

Boyne, a freshman in physics, first became involved with improv as a freshman in high school.

His involvement led him to a position performing at ComedyWorx — an improv club located in Raleigh.

During his time at ComedyWorx, Boyne said he met up with two of his fellow performers who would combine to help him bring improv comedy to campus.

The two performers were John Fowler, a sophomore in computer science, and Katie Roberts, a junior in biological science and Spanish.

The three had often talked about founding a comedy club at N.C. State, but it took a while for the time to feel right.

“We had talked about starting a new club at NCSU, and we decided to do it during the summer before this year,” Boyne said. “After we started the club, it grew from there, and it has turned out to be a lot of fun.”

The club they founded is known as the Comedic Improvisation Alliance. The CIA, as club members like to call it, has been having practices throughout the year on Tuesday nights in 429 Daniels.

During practices, members of the club participate in activities and games that are designed to build on particular skill sets that are required to be a quality performer. The club maintains a close bond with ComedyWorx, one that Fowler said was essential to the club’s survival.

“When we first talked about starting the club, we felt that we didn’t have the necessary resources,” Fowler said.

The group approached ComedyWorx to see if they would help them start the club and garnered an unofficial sponsor, Fowler said.

“We have had some of the performers come in to work with our members, and they also allow us to use their rehearsal space on a couple of occasions as well,” he said.

The club has enjoyed great interest from students, and has close to 25 members who are actively involved with the club. The students who join the club often have varying levels of experience performing comedy, but, as member Brian Burleson put it, the thing that unifies all the members is a desire to have fun and improve as a performer.

“I joined the club because I had a small amount of experience with improv, and I have really enjoyed it,” Burleson, a freshman in mechanical engineering, said. “A lot of people are intimidated when they first come in to practice, but I think that even those people have learned that they are able to do something.”

Improv comedy, best known from TV shows such as Whose Line is it Anyway?, is a fast-paced brand of comedy that requires its performers to be able to think on their feet.

Audience participation is central to improv shows, and the club plans on performing shows in front of real audiences in the future on campus and in the Raleigh area.

For now, the members are content to focus on what brought them together in the first place.

“Our goal as a club is to have fun and learn more about comedy,” Fowler said. “Improv allows you to be whatever you want to be, and that’s what makes it so awesome.”

Additional information can be found at ciaimprov.com