As the federal government shutdown stretches into its second month, some furloughed employees have been seeking out creative ways to fill the hours until they go back to work – including improv comedy.

“For me, it’s not a disconnect at all,” said Marc Chalfant of the idea of government bureaucrats doing improv. He is the artistic and executive director at Washington Improv Theater (WIT), which has been running free improv classes for furloughed government employees.

“People who work for the government are actually passionate about being civil servants and wanting to make government functional,” he said. “So that kind of spirit—of wanting things to get better and wanting people to be heard—like, that really connects directly with how improv works.”

But members of Congress? They’re another matter entirely, he said.

On a recent weekday, a group of two dozen furloughed workers from the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Agriculture, and other government agencies gathered at Source, a performance space on 14th Street NW, for one of WIT’s free improv classes.

“I’m excited that you’re here,” said the instructor, Donna Steele. “I also hate that you’re here.” The students laughed and nodded — they knew exactly what she meant.

First up was a get-to-know-you game. The students had to say their names with an adjective and do a movement. Then, everyone else would copy them.

“Rockin’ Robin,” said one woman as she did a little shimmy. “Crazy Carlos,” said—you guessed it—Carlos, as he put his hands above his head.

Some of the group’s sketch ideas were, understandably, shutdown-related. There was one woman who pretended to be a denied unemployment claim, and another who acted out President Trump’s border wall. But most were pure silliness. The two-hour class was fulling of laughter and shouts of encouragement.

Dan Miller, WIT’s external relations director, said the classes seemed cathartic for people who might otherwise have been at home all day.

“People have entered in near tears, in really frustrated places, and then left feeling light,” he said.

Many non-essential federal employees have been struggling to make ends meet without their regular paychecks. For others, their main battles have been boredom and finding a sense of purpose without work. 

Businesses in the creative industry have risen to the occasion: Furloughed workers have had access to free watercolor classes in Capitol Hill, free learn-to-knit classes in Alexandria, and free yoga and spinning classes at just about every gym in the greater metropolitan area. American University offered a day of free classes on everything from starting a podcast to “workplace mindfulness.”

“I’ve been really impressed by the larger D.C. community that’s provided a lot of opportunities for us,” said Mereditch Comnes, an EPA employee who came with two work friends, Matt Kelly and Nicole Berckes.

“I’m just trying to stay positive and stay engaged with the outside world,” Kelly said. “It’s just been a really nice way to do something in a fun, supportive environment,” Berckes added.

At the end of the class, the newbies watch a performance by a group of more experienced improvisers who also happened to be furloughed.

Washington Improv Theater has an open invitation out to all members of Congress and their chiefs of staff: They too can take a free improv workshop whenever they want. Chalfant laughed when he described the idea, but said he truly believes that the tools of improv might help Congress work together more effectively.

No one’s taken him up on the offer yet.