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The Black Box Theatre Experience
What is a Black Box Theatre?
A Black Box Theatre is an intimate performance space, simplistic in design, and configurable in a variety of ways. Differing from a proscenium or thrust theatre, a black box features a flat stage floor with limited or no 'wing' space that can be adapted to various types of productions.
What are the benefits of a Black Box performance?
The smaller audience with close proximity to the stage allows patrons to feel like part of the action! With no bad seat in the house, every emotion, facial expression, and movement are clear. Actors are fully exposed, creating more genuine moments on stage.
Why is Black Box Theatre experience important for performing arts students?
A majority of professional theatres in most major cities are Black Box theatres! From experimental store fronts to intimate A-list performances, the popularity of the Black Box theatre format has exploded in the past 30 years. At TEPA, we offer valuable performance opportunities in a space unlike any other youth theatre in the area! Students will get a taste of life as a Chicago actor, performing inches away from audience members, highly visible, vulnerable, and real!
What can I expect from a TEPA Black Box performance?
We keep our cast sizes small with lots of feature opportunities for all actors. No one is hidden on a huge stage amongst a huge cast! Our performances focus on growth for each actor - developing genuine acting moments, building choreography skills, and learning the ins and outs of putting together a complete production!
Due to the intimate theatre size, ticket purchases may be limited for each cast member for the initial sale period. We hold multiple performances throughout each show weekend to maximize our audience!
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