From the Community

JP Nonprofit Rehearsal for Life Presenting Musical ‘Banned in Boston’ Back to School Edition

By |

Rehearsal for Life, a non-profit leader in Boston-area’s creative youth development sector, will present its new Banned in Boston musical virtually on April 14. The 2022 performance will once again be written and scored by award-winning creative Faith Soloway, Interim Artistic Director of Rehearsal for Life and co-writer of Amazon’s award-winning show Transparent, with special guest performances by actors Jane Lynch of Glee and Tim Meadows of Saturday Night Live. To promote accessibility and inclusivity for all, individual tickets are available with a pay as you can or are able to option here. In keeping with the Banned in Boston tradition, more than two dozen politicians, celebrities, and business leaders will join the cast to support Urban Improv’s important work with Boston Public School students. This year’s musical-esque romp, ‘Back To School’, will be a dystopian comedy based on the exaggerated reality of returning to school during the pandemic, when in-person learning and gatherings remain challenging.

2,307 Views
From the Community

Urban Improv Celebrates 25 Years of Empowering Young People Through Theater

By |

Urban Improv is proudly celebrating 25 years of empowering Boston’s youth through theater. Since 1992, the interactive program has engaged over 75,000 young people at more than 125 schools and community groups. Located in Jamaica Plain, Urban Improv’s structured improvisational theater workshops are designed to strengthen social and emotional (SEL) skills and help students deal creatively with real-life challenges through dialogue and performance

Led by professional actor/educators, each workshop teaches young people self-awareness, empathy, impulse control and responsible decision-making by presenting realistic scenes around current social issues and highlighting the skills young people need to navigate them. At the height of the scene’s conflict, students are invited to jump in and use their minds, bodies and creativity to resolve the conflict, experiencing the consequences of their choices firsthand. Through Urban Improv, students can express their unique voices, explore choices without fear or judgment, and build understanding and community through shared dialogue.

3,407 Views
From the Community

Boston Police Commissioner Visits Urban Improv’s Youth Unscripted

By |

Urban Improv, an interactive program for young people that uses structured improvisational theater to teach violence prevention, conflict resolution and decision-making, hosted Boston’s Police Commissioner William Evans at their Youth Unscripted program on Thursday, December 3, at English High School in Jamaica Plain. Youth Unscripted uses an interactive drama curriculum as a medium for change. Teens draw from real life experiences and learn to craft and act in their own dramas. For Commissioner Evans’ visit, students focused on how to appropriately interact with authority figures, including police officers. With the Urban Improv educators, and the help of a few Boston Police officers from District E-13 (Jamaica Plain) students created and acted in scenes that allowed them to explore how to have positive interactions with authority figures and discussed other options to violence in their communities.

1,522 Views