One night during the Fall 2024 semester, students Ian Toppall, Ben Levy, Hunter Gill and Josh Hoover turned their dorm’s living room into a stage. Their first improv show as Phat Dragon would soon become a weekly event.
Toppall, a sophomore comedy writing and performance major, said it began when Levy told them he wanted to do more improv, to which he agreed, even suggesting they should practice together every night for 20 minutes.
“Hunter joined in very quickly, as did Josh, and we invited some friends over, and that week, we had our first show with literally just nine people sitting on our couch,” Toppall said.
As they began doing more shows every Wednesday night in Unit 501 at 30 East Balboa Dr., their audience grew, and they started getting openers for their shows. At this year’s Manifest on May 16, they will have their biggest stage yet.
“After living with these guys 24/7, performing with them felt so natural, a sort of extension of the messing around that we did all the time in our apartment,” said Levy, a junior comedy writing and performance major.
Hoover, a sophomore animation major, said that as more people wanted to come see their show, they struggled to fit them all in their living room, where residents are only allowed to sign in two guests at a time. They eventually had to knock on random people’s doors to help them sign in guests who came.
“I think a lot of times that got us out of our comfort zone in terms of crowdsourcing people to help us bring other people in,” Hoover said.
First-year film and television major Natalie Brenne was one of the residents who helped them check guests into the building.
“Originally, I wasn’t sure if I was going to attend the actual show,” Brenne said. “But once I got to their performance space and saw [how] excited the crowd was, I was convinced into staying.”
They managed to gather more people through word of mouth, with Toppall riding the elevators of 30 East, the theater building and the Student Center, inviting people to join them in their dorm room to watch the show.
“We consistently had about 17 to 25-ish people coming,” Toppall said. “One week later, I started saying to people that we have over 30 people in our living room. And they went, ‘You have over 30 people in your living room?’ And I went, ‘Yes.’ That week, we had 33 people show up.”
When the room capacity of their living room went way over the limit, they moved to the common room on the top floor of 30 East, bringing in a crowd of 90 people.
Senior comedy major gigi Vera Noblewolf, who lowercases her first name, is one of their regular attendees who’s been to a handful of Phat Dragon’s shows.
“It’s a very intimate environment, which is such a change from other improv shows I’ve been to,” Noblewolf said. “The chemistry between the performers probably sets it apart the most.”
As the 2025 Spring semester started, junior social media and digital strategy major Mia Hillyer joined the team as their manager as part of her talent management class.
“I saw them perform at the audition, and they probably got five minutes,” Hillyer said. “After they left, I hopped out of my seat and just ran after them because I was like, ‘This is who I want to manage.'”
Hillyer runs the team’s social media platforms, creates content and books shows through her class. Phat Dragon soon opened for different acts and was featured in other shows on and off campus, which helped them gain more attention.
Gill, a sophomore comedy major, realized that their improv group could grow bigger when people started recognizing them as Phat Dragon when they would go out.
It “made me truly realize that we created something big,” Gill said.
Eventually, they outgrew the common areas at the dorm building.
The group has performed at different locations this year, including the Haus at 623 S. Wabash Ave., The Revival and Bughouse Theatre.
Levy said he’s been part of performance groups before, but this is the first time that the crowd of fans show up “for the sole reason that they enjoy what we do.”
“I did really appreciate the homey energy of the apartment shows and would really hope that doesn’t go away,” Levy said.
Gill also said that the most rewarding part of their journey for him was their first show at The Revival, an improv theater in the South Loop.
“Over 100 people showed up, and you could tell everyone was having a good time,” Gill said. “Then with that, another rewarding part was booking two more shows at The Revival.”
Hoover, who is not a comedy major, struggled with stage fright.
“It took a lot of convincing for me to join them in doing the improv,” Hoover said. “But there’s a certain point where it’s like, this isn’t about me or us anymore.”
Hoover pushed through because of the people who came to their show for a good time.
“I gotta put whatever anxieties, fears and nervousness I have away and just have fun with everybody,” he said.
Toppall said that they pride themselves on making sure they have something for their audience each week, regardless of the turnout.
“We would perform for two people,” Toppall said. “I think for a lot of groups, it’s just like, ‘Ah, we couldn’t get booked whatever,’ but we create our own opportunity.”
After the semester ends, the group will split, temporarily. Levy and Toppall will be doing the Semester in LA program, while Gill and Hoover will stay in Chicago.
Phat Dragon hopes to pitch and perform at Annoyance Theatre & Bar when they reunite in 2026.
“From there, Second City, from there, SNL, from there, world,” Toppall said. “I think I heard once you either have a good time or a good story and I think we give both.”
Copy edited by Patience Hurston
Resumen en Español:
Durante el otoño de 2024, cuatro estudiantes de Columbia — Ian Toppall, Ben Levy, Hunter Gill y Josh Hoover — convirtieron su sala en un escenario improvisado. Así nació Phat Dragon, un grupo de comedia que pronto atrajo a decenas de espectadores cada semana. Lo que empezó como un espectáculo íntimo en un dormitorio creció hasta llenar salones comunes con más de 90 personas. Ahora, con el apoyo de una mánager y presentaciones en teatros como The Revival, el grupo se prepara para su mayor escenario hasta ahora en Manifest el 16 de mayo, y sueñan con llegar aún más lejos.
Resumen por Doreen Abril Albuerne Rodriguez
Resumen editado por Manuel Nocera
