Eastern’s improvisation group, Hello Dali, will be performing at 9 p.m. Thursday in the Coleman Auditorium.

Liam Taylor, junior communication studies major, said the comedy group has been around Eastern for a long time and started performing in the second week of school during the fall semester.

They will be having their ninth performance on Thursday.

Hello Dali performs at the same time and place every other Thursday night.

“The best part about Hello Dali is that every show is an entirely new experience,” Taylor said. “That’s what’s awesome about improv, it is never the same show twice.”

Hello Dali plays games with the audience throughout the show and makes jokes based on their participation.

Taylor said the most important part of Hello Dali is the audience’s participation, and the group does not have a single game that does not require this participation.

The improv group will ask the audience for topics and perform based on what the audience’s feedback is.

Taylor said he joined Hello Dali his freshman year and this will be his fifth semester as a member of the improv group.

There are nine members in Hello Dali, all with their own nicknames, including Suzanne Foehr as “Pink Lemonade,” Austin Scavone as “Shaft,” Imani McDaniel as “Yoga Pants,” Taylor as “Moldy Clown,” Ricco Torres as “Mouse God,” Charlee Claudill as “Si,” Irving Coleman as “El Chupacabra,” Gavin Peterson as “Skittles” and Devon Harman as “Default.”

Everyone from the improv group received their nickname from previous members during their auditions into Hello Dali.

After auditions, the old members give new members their nicknames based off of what they thought was funniest in their performance.

“I think we have a great time together on stage and we bond over that,” Taylor said. “It is hard to perform well if you do not like the person you are working with.”

Taylor said he thinks the group works well together on and off stage.

“Improv is so much fun and there are so many awesome things about it,” Taylor said. “But hearing people laughing at your jokes- that’s a really good feeling.”

Abbey Whittington can be reached at 581-2812 or anwhittington@eiu.edu