**The Detroit Creativity Project Moves The Improv Project Online

MEDIA CONTACT

Teia B. Wallington

Teia@Detroitcreativityproject.org

C: 313-468-2146

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Detroit Creativity Project Moves The Improv Project Online

Artists, students, celebrities to host improv games online

DETROIT, April 9, 2020  - The Improv Project, a school-based arts program powered by The Detroit Creativity Project, is going virtual! Improv games and exercises will be led by artists, students and special celebrity guests, including Marc Evan Jackson of "The Good Place" and "Brooklyn Nine-Nine." Jackson also is the founder and president of The Detroit Creativity Project. Starting the week of April 13, new games and exercises will be added on The Improv Project YouTube and Instagram on Monday each week. To reach students without internet access, the organization will be launching a postcard series featuring improv lessons and games. Students and parents across metro Detroit are invited to participate.

 

"We're committed to keep reaching our students in The Improv Project with alternatives to classroom learning given the school closures," Jackson says. "Much of what improv teaches can be so useful right now, when so much is uncertain—like how to be in the moment, adapt to change, remain optimistic, and see things from another person's perspective. Improv is also an outlet to stretch ourselves creatively, and it's just a great way to laugh, have fun and be together." 

 

As The Detroit Creativity Project's free flagship program, The Improv Project usually brings students together in the classroom for 10 weeks each semester. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic closing Michigan schools for the rest of the 2019-20 school year, the program is now using an online approach to serve students.

 

"Offering improv online during this challenging time is a huge opportunity to provide access to creativity," says Margaret Edwartowski, executive director of Y Arts, which partners with The Detroit Creativity Project for the improv initiative. "We hope to reach not only the youth we've been serving, but also reach many other young people who need some joy, levity, and connection right now."

 

The Improv Project's teaching artists are selecting improv games that students can play at home either solo, in pairs, or with a group of kids and adults. One of the first games to be posted is "Two Words at a Time." In this game, a group of two to six people create a story two words at a time. One person begins by providing two words in the story. Each player then adds to the story, two words at a time. "This is a great exercise to work on listening and building on other people's ideas," Jackson says. "It also helps students work on storytelling for other writing assignments."

 

These online games and exercises will continue The Detroit Creativity Project's goal to give students improv skills that help them develop social and emotional skills related to teamwork, communication, and problem solving. The training will also help students build literacy through storytelling.

 

Join The Improv Project on YouTube. Follow The Detroit Creativity Project online on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Participate in the conversation using #ImprovProjectOnline. For more information, visit www.DetroitCreativityProject.org. For media and interviews via video conference or telephone with founder Marc Evan Jackson, contact teia@detroitcreativityproject.org.

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About The Detroit Creativity Project and The Improv Project

The Detroit Creativity Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that develops and supports improv programs for young people in Detroit and neighboring cities. Its flagship program, The improv Project, is a free, 10-week, school-based program and workshop series for middle and high school students and is administered in partnership with the Y Arts, the arts division of the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit. The program serves more than 1,000 students annually. Improvisation training teaches students important life skills, including how to solve problems and persevere, how to respect the ideas of others, and how to collaborate and communicate effectively.