While most summer activities take place outdoors, the Black Box Improv Theater on Third Street wants to get people inside for a variety of events, camps and shows this summer.
This will be the fourth year of KidProv, an improv camp for kids ages 9-17 that lasts five days. Students learn the techniques of improv, how to listen and build character. This year it will be offered for four weeks in the summer instead of the normal two weeks.
Kevin Carter, co-owner of Black Box Improv Theater, said that the camp has expanded because there’s been a lot of success with the camps, and the feedback from the parents has been amazing.
“The shyness has went away,” he said. “From not having friends, not knowing how to speak and talk to make friends and things like that. They [parents] said from within the third day of the first time they ever took improv, they still have the same friends four years later.”
KidProv returns this summer at the Black Box Theater. CONTRIBUTED
Carter, who is also a regular performer at the club, touts how improv can help any individual to open up, but for kids, at a certain age, it becomes incredibly important to remind them that laughing together and making jokes is OK.
“Parents would email me and say their kid has changed, even outside of just friendship, they’re more open and more accepting to try new things and just looking at life differently. I feel that the 13 to 17 age is very important as far as exploring and understanding that your imagination is OK.”
Classes for KidProv are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a Showcase on Saturday at 6 p.m. so family and friends can see what the kids have been working on. The sections are split between ages 9-12 and 13-17. Lunch isn’t provided, so students need to pack one. All students will get a T-shirt at the end. The class is $350 for the week.
The next Level I improv classes start again July 14 and are every Tuesday for eight weeks from 6:30-9:30 p.m. The first class is focused on learning the basic elements of long-form improv and getting comfortable on stage. The class ends with a show with all the students performing.
Carter said that the Level I class is the most popular class the theater teaches. Level II and III classes are offered, but Carter said it’s sometimes hard to get people to commit past the Level I and perform more at the theater.
The Black Box Theater improvisers perform at a recent show. CONTRIBUTED
“I think it’s just Level I is a lot of people who want to face that fear,” he said. “It’s almost like who do open mics, stand-up. I just want to do a set and see what happens, right? OK, I did that bucket list thing.”
On June 12, the theater will host PrideProv at 8 p.m. The Rubi Girls will be on stage with other improvisers to create magical scenes out of thin air. A portion of the night’s proceeds will go to Closet Transformation to support local transgender clothing exchange and the local Dayton LGBTQ+ community.
Carter said the last couple of years have been great for the Black Box, and the future is looking even brighter. He was to continue to work with other community organizations and other improv theaters nationally to bring big-name improvisers to the theater.
“We want to just expand the awareness of the theater,” he said. “We always want to bring more customers in, more people wanting to do improv. That’s how we grow, right? We understand improv is also a niche type of comedy. It’s not like stand-up, so you got to roll with the punches.”
The theater has regular scheduled shows every week with their house improv troupes Wednesdays through Saturdays. For tickets for any events or to sign up for classes or KidProv, visit their website at www.daytonblackboximprov.com.
Jessica Graue
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.daytondailynews.com ’
