Coming up on Friday and Saturday, March 28 and 29, Stomping Ground Comedy Theater is hosting the first-ever Dallas Youth Improv Festival.
Improv is a great way for young people to have fun and make friends while being creative and building skills – and you don’t want to miss all the up-and-coming Dallas improv comedy stars who’ll be performing. Plus there are opportunities for young people who are improv-curious to try it out. At the bottom of this page, you’ll find the full schedule of festival events with links to buy tickets.
In anticipation of the fest, we asked members of two of our Stomping Ground Youth Improv House Teams, Warm Milk and 8 Count, what they love about improv. Here’s what some of them said:
“I think doing improv is nice because I’ve always wanted to be an actor when I grow up. When I’m on stage I feel more comfortable. I don’t get stage fright. I did talent shows in elementary school, and I really loved them – going up on stage, it’s really fun entertaining everybody.”
Rhader, 11
“I like being funny. It makes me feel happy when people are laughing at what I say and do, and I like making people laugh.”
Zaid, 11
“I like improv because it’s unhinged. When I’m performing it feels like I’m famous. I’ve been making a lot of wild decisions on the stage – a lot of screaming, falling, and fake passing out. The trick to fake passing out is to do it unexpectedly.”
August, 13
“I think improv is fun. It’s a good experience to learn to think of things on the spot. I like being on stage, and I’ve been doing musical theater for a while. It’s different doing improv, though – it’s a little outside my comfort zone. In musical theater you have a script and you know what you’re going to do, but with improv it’s more like a game and you don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Nadine, 13
“I like being dramatic and thinking on the fly, and it’s fun to do that on a stage. Most of the time it comes naturally, but sometimes I get a little nervous. I like performing in front of other people and having fun and giving other people joy.”
Aedan, 13
“I like that I can express myself in different ways. It’s like theater but with a twist. I’m not totally used to making things up on the spot, but I’m getting used to it. I definitely like getting on stage. I’m into it.”
Micah, 10
“I really enjoy acting, so I think it’s even more fun to be doing it spontaneously and in the moment. At first I wasn’t used to it, but I’ve become more comfortable with the idea of it over time. I definitely enjoy being on stage. It feels really fun to be in the spotlight.”
Beatrix, 11
“I love how scary it is when you’re on stage. It’s like a rollercoaster because you never know what’s going to happen, and it’s fun to see what comes off the top of your brain so quickly. I’ve done a bunch of musicals and some plays and stuff like that, but improv was actually my gateway to doing a lot of acting stuff. And my mom does it here, too – she’s in the standup class and is about to do the improv class.”
Hudson, 13
“I like the feeling of going on stage and almost always knowing that I’m going to be able to make something really good. It’s fun to not know what you’re about to do. Sometimes when you’re in a play you know exactly what you’re doing, and it’s not as exciting. In improv you’ve got no idea what you’re doing, and that makes it more fun because there’s so many more opportunities for you to do new things. It never gets old.”
Hank, 12
“My favorite thing about improv is that it’s something new every time. So one show it could be that you’re a dog and the next you could be a tree – it’s new every time. I’m in theater my play at school is coming up. We’re doing the play 15 Reasons Not To Be in a Play and the musical Dear Edwina.”
Lorelai, 12
You can see Warm Milk and 8 Count at 1:30 pm on Saturday during the fest.
Check out the full schedule for the Dallas Youth Improv Festival below:
Friday, March 28th
5:30-7 PM Kickoff Mixer and Jam: This event is FREE and open to anyone of any experience level ages 10-17. If you’ve got a kiddo who wants to dip their toe into improv and see what it’s all about, this is the perfect space. Participants will be organized by age group.
7:30-8:30 PM Greenhill Improv: The improv team from Greenhill School kicks off the Dallas Youth Improv Fest Friday night with some teenage chaos and spontaneity. Don’t miss these rising stars of Dallas improv.
Saturday, March 29th
IMPROV WORKSHOPS:
9- 11 am Youth Introduction to Improv
11 am- 1 pm Bringing Characters to Life Using VAPAPO
IMPROV SHOWS:
1:30-3 pm Warm Milk and 8 Count: Check out the Stomping Ground Youth Improv House Teams as they bring you unexpected laughs and some zany energy. These nuggets will have you cracking up.
3:30-4:45 pm No Repeats: The newest Stomping Ground Youth Improv House Team features teenagers. Come see what kind of great excuses they can come up with for not having their homework turned in.
5:30-7 pm Redacted and Distracted and Booker T. Washington Improv: These two teen improv teams will have you laughing about what it’s like to grow up these days. And who knows – you might just see them on TV someday.
7:30-8:30 pm VERSUS! (Youth Edition): A comedic free-for-all with pointless challenges and hijinx starring the weekend’s young performers. You won’t want to miss the cherry on top of the festival!