Southern Nebraska Register
Puns, props and punchlines flew across the stage at the Sacred Heart Center for the Arts Friday, Sept. 4, when 303 Improv treated a lively audience to an evening of improvised comedy.
A Catholic comedy troupe, 303 Improv was founded in 2025 to offer wholesome entertainment while bringing together performers from different Lincoln parishes. In addition to the Sept. 4 performance hosted by the Catholic theater group S.T.A.G.E., 303 Improv has performed at community-building and fundraising events in Lincoln like the Fall Festival at Blessed Sacrament Parish and Trivia Night for St. Teresa Parish.
It’s all about building up the Catholic community through shared laughter.
“Good group activities with a dose of laughter are healthy for everyone,” 303 member Cheryl Winter said. “Improv marries spontaneity with laughter and the little challenge of speaking on the spot. Everyone can enjoy what improv brings to the table.”
Co-founder Jennifer Overkamp got the idea for the Catholic theater troupe after taking improv classes at Southeast Community College, followed by performing with a secular group.
“Improv is incredibly flexible,” Overkamp said. “There’s no script, no memorizing, no costumes, no set to build. You don’t need props or a stage, although those are nice to have. If an actor is unable to come at the last minute, you just adapt. In this busy day and age, improv is a great option for people who want to do theater but can’t handle the larger time commitment traditional theater requires.”
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SNR photos | Natalie Bender. Click for more photos
The flexibility also allows the group to welcome all kinds of people.
“Improv connects people,” Overkamp continued. “Performers of all ages can work together. The six people who performed together on Friday are members of five different parishes. They range in age from 20s to 60s. We’re forging friendships that might not otherwise have happened while having a lot of fun!”
Another key aspect of the group is to prove that improv can be funny without being stuffed with innuendo and other inappropriate material. That was a key goal of co-founder Peter Creciun.
“We wanted to show that improv can be wholesome and still just as fun,” Creciun said. “I watched a lot of the TV show ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’ when I was younger, and there was a lot of inappropriate material. We challenge ourselves to keep it clean so that anyone can enjoy our performances.”
Improv is challenging all around, with plenty of people, even actors, finding it daunting. Overkamp explained that while the group members rehearse in order to learn the different games and to build trust among the performers, each skit is made up on the spot.
“When you see a live show, what you are seeing has never happened before and will never happen again,” she said.
Group member Maureen Karl likes the challenge and the always-unique results.
“I think it is a great use of creativity to get the barest outline of a scene, maybe a location or a task, and then let it expand into a story in a matter of seconds.”
Even the name 303 Improv has a story.
“We called it 303 Improv because I thought that nobody could spell Genesius,” Overkamp said. “St. Genesius is the patron saint of actors, and he was martyred in 303. The story is that he was a pagan actor who’d written a skit mocking Christianity to perform for the Emperor Diocletian, who was infamous for his persecution of the Church. Genesius had prepared for his role by pretending to be interested in converting so that he could take instruction in Christian theology. As he was directing his actors, he found himself struggling to resist Christian beliefs. The skit included a baptism of Genesius’ character, using the correct words. When the water was poured over his head, Genesius suddenly understood the truth of Christianity and began to profess his faith in Jesus Christ. Diocletian had him beheaded.”
In addition to Catholic events and fundraisers, 303 Improv performs for private events. The members are Peter and Teresa Creciun, Maureen Karl, Jennifer Overkamp, Marie Schlater, Isabel Vinton and Cheryl Winter. The group is open to new members. Please contact Jen Overkamp for more information at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit https://teresacreciun.wixsite.com/303-improv.
