Off the Cuff Improv Group is adding to its whimsical ranks. And the newbies have no reservations, cast members happily found.

It’s exactly the spirit founder and director Tim Thomas said he wants to see from people new to the short-form improv group.

“One of the cardinal rules of improv is you try to never say, ‘No,’ you simply say, ‘Yes, and …’ and you want to try to add to that,” he said.

Off the Cuff Improv Group of Mid-Missouri hosted auditions Sunday at Scene One Theater, potentially adding up to six members to its existing quick-witted cast of eight.

The semi-professional group, created about five years ago, performs three or four shows at Scene One each year. Shows are largely modeled after The CW Network’s “Whose Line is it Anyway?” hosted by Aisha Tyler.

Auditions were a series of games involving the current cast and potential new members, such as “Number of words,” in which the actors had to continue a scene using only a prescribed number of words, and “Freeze,” in which participants assumed the spot of another actor already engaged in a scene to make it a new one.

The auditions ended with a fruits-and-veggies-themed hoedown, in which the actors created a four-line rhyming jingle set to the fast-pace of a hoedown tune. It is, by all accounts of the current cast, an admittedly difficult game.

But the auditioners — whose day jobs ranged from being a radio announcer to a court administrator to selling insurance — rose to the challenge.

“The lack of reservations is wonderful,” said one cast member at the start of deliberations.

Thomas said he was looking for a couple more additions to the group, but he didn’t have any expectations before auditions started Sunday.

By the end of it, he said there were some tough decisions to make.

In its early days, Thomas said, Off the Cuff had approximately 14-15 members who would participate in shows to varying degrees.

He said having a group of about 10-11 allows more flexibility in games and provides a better balance of participation in games.

Prior improv experience isn’t necessary to join Off the Cuff, Thomas said.

Some of his cast has no formal training at all, he said, but they listen to the situation, take direction and have improved.

“Some are a little bit more seasoned than others, some have natural instincts,” he said. “But I’m proud of the group that I have that everyone is able to come together and we try to do a lot of different things.”

Thomas said the group fills a niche in the Capital City.

While there are several outlets for acting and comedy, few opportunities blend the two like improv.

One of the draws of improv, Thomas said, is there isn’t a script to memorize and follow — only the rules of the game. Improv is just as much about listening as acting, he said.

And you don’t always have to deliver the punchline, or even be funny, Thomas explained.

“Just try to follow the rules and have fun,” he said. “The laughter will come.”

Steve Kretzer, 44, has been part of the cast for the past year and helped lead some of the games during Sunday’s auditions.

Kretzer, a lawyer by day, said he does a lot of community theater as well but enjoys how short-form improv allows him to engage his theatrical side without investing the long hours associated with a production.

“In trying cases you always have to be very quick on your feet and this gives me a chance to kind of exercise some of those muscles inside your brain and body,” he said.

Off the Cuff had shows in February and July, raising nearly $1,900 in its first show of the year for Scene One Theater. The comedy group raised another $1,000 in July.

“It was a little bit tougher in July, not as many people came out,” Thomas said. “But our December show, we expect to do pretty well.”

Thomas said he tries to keep shows clean, avoiding offensive language and controversial political topics, but the group asks audience members to be at least 16 years old.

Thomas said the improv group will begin rehearsing for its December show in late September or early October. That gives new members the chance to get acquainted with the cast and Thomas the opportunity to determine their strengths before the next show.

His advice for those interested?

“Don’t be afraid to try.”