POCATELLO - About 25 people turned out at the Gateway Theater Sunday to vie for one of four openings in the Comedy Project, a local improv group.

Josh Ronneburg, 18, said he started doing comedy almost four years ago in high school theater.

Ronneburg said he wasn't nervous about Sunday's audition and he thought he had a good chance to become a Comedy Project player.

"It's fun, I get to act and I get to brighten up everyone's day," he said.

Drew Schnoebelen, a longtime member of the comedy troupe, said the group planned to accept two male and two female players.

"We only have one girl in the group right now, and we think she's probably lonely," he said.

The Comedy Project's eight members present shows every Friday at the Gateway Theater, located at East Benton Street and Second Avenue.

"It's an art form we don't have enough of in this area," Schnoebelen said.

The doors open at 9:30 p.m. and the family friendly shows start at 10 p.m.

Admission is $3, and Schnoebelen said, with the current price of gas and movie tickets, attendance at the Gateway is picking up.

The Comedy Project was formed in 1998 and has toured internationally.

But Schnoebelen warned the group of hopeful comedians that if they were looking for a spot in the troupe as a way to make money, they should leave ahead of time.

"We are all volunteers," he said. "We do this because we love it. Nobody gets paid. We do get water every Friday though."

Schnoebelen told the group that they must commit to showing up for rehearsals, as well as the Friday shows.

Before the auditions, the group headed outside to warm up for the auditions.

The candidates were divided into several groups and then into two-person teams. Each team was given an idea and the players came up with their own scenario.

Comedy Project veteran Ted Bonman said the troupe would be looking at the team's ability to craft realistic scenes.

Again, he warned the players to keep it clean.

"On stage we are family friendly, during rehearsals, not always," he said.

Samantha Worthen, 17, auditioned for one of the openings Sunday.

Worthen, who plans to attend Idaho State University next fall, said she's a regular at the Friday shows.

"My whole family says I'm funny," she said. "I'm the entertainer in the house, I hope I'm funny."