2025 marks 20 years of the Landon and Holton-Arms Improv troupes turning spontaneous creativity into memorable performances.  

Bear and Panther alumni came together for a January reunion show to celebrate the troupe’s legacy and longevity. It was the first in a series of 20th-anniversary improv shows. 

Asher Josef and Jack Sadow are senior leaders in the troupe and helped lead the onstage games. 

“Both Jack and I love to act with the former leaders that inspired us so much,” Asher said. “When they returned to play games with us, the chemistry of years past was instantly reawakened." 

“This community and its continuous, successful collaboration have always been one of my safe spaces, and I've been so fortunate to meet some of my best friends through the troupe,” said Audrey Colbourn ’25, Holton Improv President. “For the past 20 years, Improv has proudly been a space where Holton and Landon come together to spread joy and laughter in their combined communities, and hopefully that will continue for years to come.” 

The troupes’ unscripted journey began in 2004 when Robert Gelb ’06 from Landon and Arielle Seidman ’06 from Holton-Arms founded the improv clubs at their respective schools.  

“I’m simultaneously so pleased to hear that the improv club is still running strong and mildly offended that it has the gall to be 20 years old,” said Gelb.  

The clubs combined for their first performance in January 2005. 

“I was a fan of shows like ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’ and ‘Saturday Night Live,’ but also didn’t have great improv skills, so when we were discussing the idea I thought it would be fun to have both ‘Whose Line’-style games with a host to call the games, and faculty guest stars,” Gelb recalled.  

Since then, the troupe’s performances have become a beloved tradition, with shows held monthly and the locations alternating between campuses.  

"The improv troupe emphasizes fun and togetherness, so to me, being a member is having people that you can rely on and count on. In order to perform in front of an audience without any scripting or planning, you need to rely on your imagination and ability to work with one another," said Sadow.

Gelb said the faculty guest stars brought the shows’ magic to new heights. Dr. John Botti, former Landon Associate Head of School, Ethics Chair, and History Teacher, and former English teacher Okorie Johnson ’93, appeared as the first two faculty guests in 2005. Another memorable evening included current Alumni Ambassador Rob Bordley ’66 stepping to the stage in 2012. 

“The faculty, in my opinion, is the best thing about Landon, and as a student I was fortunate to experience first-hand how funny many of them could be,” said Gelb. “I was pleased every time a teacher took part, as they’d often really throw themselves into the games and have a great time.” 

The Landon faculty moderator, Matt Dougherty, along with Blair Northcott from 2013 to 2021, guided the troupe until Dougherty’s retirement in June 2022. In 2024, Dougherty returned as a long-term substitute in the English department and is back with improvisers. 

He said one of the biggest rewards, aside from working with his two daughters who were in the original Holton-Arms troupe, has been “providing students an experience that is in a large sense unpredictable, but which is played out within certain conventions.”  

“At some point, I used to remind the troupes before performances that since no one knows what's going to happen until it happens, let it happen,” he added. “When it's going well, it's unstoppably hilarious.” 

At Holton-Arms, Mark Robinson has led the troupe for 13 years.  

“It has been amazing watching the two troupes collaborate and perform together over the years.  Improv is one of the most successful and longest-running collaborations between our two schools, and it is a great opportunity for our students to work and play together,” said Robinson.  

Under their mentorship, club members meet regularly to practice games and hone their skills. Dougherty said he’s happy that improv has become part of the fabric of the Upper School.  

“It is wonderful to see a young person’s imagination join with that of others to produce something that will only happen once,” he said.  

Looking ahead, the troupe plans to explore new games, learn from the pros by watching professional improv, and continue to bring joy to their audiences.  

“It's so rewarding to continue this tradition, and I'm so grateful to Jack and our leadership at Holton for always bringing new, exciting, and impactful experiences to the troupes,” Asher added. “We hope these traditions can continue on after we become alumni, too.” 

“The 20-year anniversary is a wonderful milestone to reach and a testament to the commitment of our students to the community and fun that is created through improv,” added Robinson. “Here's to another 20+ years of our Holton-Landon Improv troupes saying, ‘Yes, and...!’”