The Outside The Box improv course held its first session last night at the Portage Regional Library.

The ten-week course is open to teens ages 12 to 18 and instructor Chris Kitchen says they wanted to do something at the library to meet the needs of older kids. He explains the inspiration behind Outside The Box.

"Comedy is changing to a lot more improv comedy, you see these improv teams and competitions. Of course, TV shows are bringing more and more improv in, game shows and that, Whose Line Is It Anyway, and the kids are very intrigued by this. But like anything else it is a bit of a science, there is a way to do it. You just don't get up on stage and just start going nuts. The idea is to teach them how to do it and do it well."

He adds one of the great things about improv is the skills developed can be transferred to everyday life. Outside The Box will teach teens not only how to do improv but will also teach them how to adapt to unexpected situations, develop their quick thinking skills and care for others.

Kitchen notes the free course is a great way to develop one's acting skills.

"If you're interested in drama, interested in theatre or anything like that [then] this is a really good class to be part of and develop your personal skills. If you're no so much interested in getting on stage but you want to learn how to adapt to life, be able to deal with the unexpected, this is a great class for learning that too because we're not going to be up on stage, there's no final project, there's no audience."

Even if you missed last night's course you can still check out Outside The Box next Friday at 6:30 at the Portage library.