Thursday nights can kick off the club and dancing scene for college students. For others there’s Senseless Acts of Comedy, the improvisational comedy troupe that performs on campus.

Senseless Acts formed in fall 2002 by founding members Andrew Hamer and John C. Anderson because of Hamer’s interest in professional comedy. Both are senior radio-TV-film majors.

Hamer first tried stand up comedy that summer but hit a dry spell.

“I honestly would get sick of saying the same jokes,” he said. “I can’t stand that.”

Hamer later decided he wanted to improve his improvisation skills, so that he can attend the Second City Conservatory in Chicago, an improvisation school that many comedians have attended.

“I knew that I couldn’t go to Chicago and be funny. I decided to get my feet wet and I started doing improv,” Hamer said. “After seeing Four Day Weekend a few times for inspiration, I put out and ad in TCU Announce and ‘Senseless Acts’ was born.”

Sophomore biology major Proshad Nemati said, ‘‘Senseless Acts brings people together, if you don’t want to go out. It gives you something fun to do on a Thursday. The funniest scene from Thursday night was when Matt Meyer was putting animals down his pants for the thrill of it, and Nathan Pena placed an alligator down his backside.”

Matt Meyer, a junior political science major, said he wanted to be involved with the comedy troupe because he enjoyed watching improv comedy such as, “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” and was looking for co-curricular activities.

When asked how Meyer instantly gains energy, he said he never tries to be funny.

If the troupe has funny individuals, then the scenes will be comedic through playing out the situations, Meyer said.

“The energy is important to the mood and feeling we try to create,” Meyer said. “The audience and ourselves can always tell when we’re trying to be funny. It’s more rewarding and hysterical when comedy happens serendipitously.”

Hamer said the energy comes from the crowd.

“If they’re having a bad night, so are we,” Hamer said.

“The funny ideas come from team building. If one of us tried to perform the same show alone, you can bet they’d run out of energy fast,” Hamer said.

Meyer said most of the troupe members have known each other from the start.

“We have done a lot of improv with one another and have become great friends. Andrew, Nathan Pena and myself live in an apartment together,” Meyer said.

Senseless Acts performs at 9:30 p.m., Thursdays, in Moudy Building North, Room 141.