Goose Troupe: Stonehill's improv comedy club

By Kyla Smulski  

The Goose Troupe isn’t just for comedians. It’s for anyone who loves to laugh and have fun. Stonehill's Improv Comedy Club, formerly known as the Quack Pack, was founded around five years ago. Their beloved mascot? Moose the Goose Troupe goose.  

“We are the only improv comedy club on campus; we provide students with an outlet for creativity,” said Brendan Hone ’26, the group’s president. “Not in the writing sense or a sense of just doing art, we do performance-based creativity, and we don’t require as much commitment as the theatre club or the theater company on campus. We provide these outlets for students to have a low-stakes environment so they can still be performing while doing other things on campus,” he said.  

Hone joined the club his freshman year after attending the activities fair. In his sophomore year, he joined the eBoard, and has been president for the past two years.  

The vice president, Cecilia Moisan ’27, shared a similar sentiment.  

“I started when I was a freshman. No matter when you join, you will leave feeling like you have been there since freshman year. We have people who come in during the last semester of the year, and they always say that they wish they started before. This is the spot where everyone can go,” she said.  

The club meets in Duffy 207 every Wednesday from 8 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. The meeting starts with a quick intro from the vice president outlining the theme of the day.  

“When I make my presentation, I do my best to be as chill as possible. No one is perfect, we have no expectation of perfection or knowledge, we come in and fly by the seat of our pants. I present the theme, give advice, review how to be a respectful audience member, and how to support those who are performing," said Moisan. 

Photo Credit: Danielle Gubitose '26

After the introduction, they do a quick warm-up game to get everyone loose. Once everyone is ready, they play about five improv games.  

“You don’t even have to participate for the first few times you come in, we tell people the expectation for your first meeting is you don’t have to raise your hand to get up and play in a game. It’s more of you coming in, being in the moment, enjoying yourself, and then once you feel more comfortable, you can start playing games,” said Hone.  

Members said the club is all about community and new members are always welcome, the group is always there to help them get comfortable. 

 “We welcome anyone, whether you are skilled in improv, theater, or not,” said social media manager, Danielle Gubitose, ’26, who joined her freshman year.  

“We encourage everyone to join us, even if it's just to hang out and have a laugh. The more you show up at the meetings, eventually you will get that urge to want to go up and play the games, we just have so much fun. Nobody is obligated to play games, they can if they want to. No one is judging you when you go up,” she said.  

The club hosts an annual charity show which began in the 2023-2024 academic year. The president at the time wanted to do a charity live show and was inspired by the gaming club, which is the sister club of the Goose Troupe. 

Photo Credit: Danielle Gubitose '26

 The gaming club hosts an annual 24-hour Twitch livestream, with proceeds donated to charity.  

“We wanted to also give back since we are so close in membership. We did Wonderfund the first year we did it, then next show we donated I believe to ALS ONE. And then last year we did a show where we donated to Lily’s Voice which benefits children with speaking disabilities and gets them equipment,” said Hone.   

The Goose Troupe is also an outlet for stress relief, something college students are always in need of.  

“We are there to not think about school, you can't work on homework during our meetings,” Moisan said. “It is definitely helpful in leaving school behind, it sounds minor, but it is the reason people come. At a lot of clubs, people come and end up doing work. This is one of the only clubs where you are in the moment. Our goal is to cultivate a community.” 

The club builds confidence in its members, not only when performing comedically, but in school settings as well, members said.  

“The games help you become better as a performer and comedian, but I have found that it just helps with public speaking in general,” said Gubitose. 

Gubitose’s job is to advertise the club, she runs the Instagram (@goosetroupe.stonehill), makes posters, and takes photos and videos. She is also in charge of the moment of the week. After a meeting, she posts a poll on Instagram with four one-liners, and people can vote.  

“Even though we are growing, it is never a bad time to stop by. We never have any off meetings, people come consistently. It’s always fun, I can't remember a time when I didn't leave feeling better,” said Moisan.