Between school and work, college students don’t hear the word “yes” a lot.

If a student asks to turn in a paper late, it’s not likely a professor will say, “Yes, and it won’t affect your grade.”

It’s much more likely they will be told, “No, because you knew all semester when it was due.”

This weekend, take a break from that routine and check out a show that’s all about saying yes.

The Yes Show, a New York improv comedy troupe of the Codependent Theater Co., will not only say “yes” to everyone, but it should have audience members laughing all night.

“I’ve learned to just say yes,” says Josh Kaplan, a member of The Yes Show.

“You accept whatever offer someone puts out there.”

This audience participation show is similar to the short-form improv used on the TV show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”

The group uses some of the same games, but a lot of different ones too, says Robert Z. Grant, Des Moines native and The Yes Show member.

“The best way to do it is to always see a live show,” Grant says.

Kaplan agrees, and says on TV you only get to see 30 minutes of a two-hour show, which is completely different from a live show performance.

He says he loves to work the crowd by getting in the audience or bringing people on stage who soon enough are fighting to get their suggestions chosen.

Kaplan learned how to get an audience to respond because he did stand-up when he wasn’t working his other job — as an attorney.

But through law, he met Jason Laks, another attorney who did improv outside of his job. Kaplan says Laks took him to an improv show and after that he was hooked.

“I went and checked it out and saw it was the coolest thing ever,” Kaplan says.

Grant says that the most memorable moments are when they surprise each other with what they come up with on the spot.

It’s not just the cast who can be surprised, however.

“People are really surprised that everything is completely made up,” Grant says.

“When they don’t believe us, we always encourage them to come back and see another show.”

This is the third time the group will perform at Vaudeville Mews, so it’s sure to bring back some of those questioning audience members.

The audience was also one of the biggest concerns the group had about coming to perform in Iowa, Grant says.

“The first time around, the group had a lot of misconceptions about what type of suggestions we would get,” he says.

“Everyone thought they would be about farming.”

Grant had first asked the group to come to Iowa to perform at the opening of the Vaudeville Mews because his brother co-founded the venue.

Despite the stereotypical misconceptions, the group was more then willing to come.

“It actually took very little convincing, at all,” says Susan Pasquantonio, another member of the group.

Pasquantonio says, despite how astounded she was at the small size of Des Moines, the audience was the most giving one she has ever had experience with.

This is important because a responsive audience means a great show.

“We feed off the audience’s energy,” Kaplan says.

What: The Yes Show

Where: Vaudeville Mews, 212 4th St., Des Moines

When: 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., Thursday through Saturday

Cost: $15 advance, $20 at the door