When I was a kid and I meagerly attempted to predict my future career, I never pictured myself performing…like, anything. I never thought I’d be getting on stage in front of people, except maybe on accident.

People are scary. In a group they have all the power and are free to hold judgment over those on stage. It didn’t help that I had no performance-based talents. We had talent shows in elementary school, but I never had anything to offer them. It’s not that I didn’t have anything I was good at, but you probably don’t want to sit and watch me draw for about four hours.

I’ve also been a quiet kid for most of my life. For a long time, I was a shy and awkward person who didn’t think he had much to offer anybody else. So I closed myself off and hoped nobody noticed the chubby kid with weird hair who could kind of draw.

And yet I find myself on stage, in front of people, about every two weeks, and I’m performing. I found I actually have a stage talent. I can make a pretty good fool of myself and I found other people who do the same. We’re called Hello Dali and we’re Eastern’s improv-comedy troupe, we’ve got a Facebook page and everything.

From what I can tell, we seem to have a cult following on campus. We usually perform on Thursdays and we wear matching black-and-yellow bowling shirts, because that’s how awesome we are.

Ever seen “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” Our shows are kind of like that, except we’re college students performing for college students, so things tend to get pretty raunchy (sorry mom, I’ve mimed things you might not find acceptable).

My freshman year, I went to a lot of Dali shows. As cool as I thought it would be to goof off alongside them for the joy of others, I never really thought I’d make the cut. But this year I went to one of their workshops/auditions and I guess I made an impression because they called me later asking if I’d keep playing games with them on a permanent basis.

After passing their secret blood initiation I received my sacred Dalinian name: Radar. Because I kind of look like the character from “M*A*S*H” I guess (I don’t really see it but you can be the judge).

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love the attention I get on stage; the laughter and applause from an audience sends waves of endorphins throughout my brain parts. It’s still scary, but in the same sense that a roller coaster is scary. You might fear the first steps you take into the spotlight, but you’ll be surging with adrenaline by the time it’s over.

It’s not for everyone. A lot of my friends and family have told me our group is incredibly brave for putting ourselves out there. Though if you feel the same way, you should go for it. Our workshops aren’t for a while but they’re open to everybody and they give a great taste of what improv comedy is like.

In the meantime though, why not come to one of our shows? We’ve got one tomorrow starting at 7 p.m. in the Black Box of Doudna. This might seem like a shameless plug, but it’s for a good cause. Tickets are $5 and all proceeds go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Illinois. So come help somebody out and we’ll make you laugh in the process.

Seth Schroeder is a sophomore journalism major. He can be reached at 581-7942 or DENopinions@gmail.com.