By Kristina Pool
KRISTINAPOOL@LEDGERNEWS.COM

Talking about problems is no laughing matter, but it helps to have the right tools and one group of local comedic professionals is doing just that.

Laughing Matters, from Atlanta, created by Tommy Futch, a man who likens himself to the character "Lumpy" from the '60s TV hit, Leave it to Beaver, recently spent some time at a local school with a fellow actor.

"Improv is really about communication," said Executive Director Tommy Futch, as he was addressing a group of students at Cherokee Christian School recently.

Futch has been working to help students learn communication for some years now. He began his Laughing Matters group in 1991 after a friend told him about taking an improv class. He thought it sounded like fun, went to the class, and then eventually created Laughing Matters.

On that particular day he was working with one of his fellow actors, Jamie Moore. Moore has worked with Futch for four years, sent the morning playing fill in the gibberish game, and an improv volleyball game. Improv volleyball is where Moore or Futch call out a command like "show me grandmother playing volleyball," and the students act out the part.

Susan Gum, school of fine arts director, said the students weren't the only ones who enjoyed the performance.

"I think they're wonderful." she said. "I had heard about them before, and they're masters of their craft. They are just excellent. We get so used to verbal communications. We forget how powerful that this nonverbal communication is through the use of facial expression and body language. And Laughing Matters does that very well."

Gum said the school was looking for an element of fine arts to bring to the students and Laughing Matters was the perfect fit.