A great and affordable way to spend an evening! All original improv comedy made up on the spot by teams who are there just because they love to perform. Even if you've been before, the performers and show formats rotate, so it's fresh every time. The "musical" performances are something a little special, if you've not seen one. It's NOT BYOB anymore, but their drink prices (including alcohol) are quite affordable. I've taken improv classes there as well and they are also affordable and also a blast! read more

Absolutely loved the show on Saturday night and hope to return soon! We bought tickets online about 2 hours before the start and had seats blocked in the front for us. We brought a cooler with a few beers, definitely remember it is BYOB and they do not sell anything on site that I saw. The first act started with a word from the audience and went from there - the hour flew by! The second half, after a 10 min intermission, was a hilarious musical. The name of the musical came from the audience and was so funny the whole room was laughing. The two hours of show time flew by! The cast were wandering the room post show which was fun to tell them how good they were! They all seemed very fun and approachable. read more

Don't know how they got any good reviews. Not funny, BYOB, seats uncomfortable. Won't be back. read more

I don't know what all the fuss is about. After dinner we were looking for something different to do & I came across this place highly rated on yelp. There were four of us. None of us thought it was funny. There were a few things in the second Shakespeare skit that made some of us chuckle but that was about it and definitely not worth $24 per couple for that! The people were just acting silly, like the annoying friend who is trying to be sarcastically funny but just isn't. Everyone else in the building seemed to be having a good time. They were all laughing like it was the best comedy show ever, which it possibly could have been had we taken some kind of drugs before hand. Unfortunately the group there on Saturday said they are there every Saturday so I don't think we'll be returning. Otherwise the space is a nice place. The atmosphere is hopeful and fun. We've been to improvs before and it's typical, small bistro table with chairs. It's BYOB, I'm not sure if they allow food or not and everyone was nice. read more

We were looking for something unique and different to do in Dayton and came across the Black Box while looking at the Active Dayton website. We really loved it and would definitely go back! So, what is the Black Box? The Black Box is a place where they perform improv, duh! The first show opened up by them interviewing a random audience member about work, life, where she's from, etc. This interview gave them material for the first show, there was some really funny stuff, looked like they were having a great time with it! The second show was a little different in that there was no interview, only a request for someone in the audience to throw out a random word, the next few minutes of improv was centered around that word and then they asked for another one, etc., again some really funny stuff! We really enjoyed ourselves with a few really minor exceptions.First of all, the website was not very informative with what to expect regarding drinks, etc. We learned once we got there that it is BYOB from watching other people come in. We told the girl at the door that this was our first time at the Black Box and while she was very friendly, she didn't really tell us much about the place, especially the BYOB policy, only asked us to sign up for the email list. The admission was very reasonable though, for two of us including both shows it was $20.00. The BYOB policy is actually pretty cool in my opinion because you can bring whatever you want a lot cheaper than buying drinks at a place like a comedy club, some people even brought coolers in! So, if you're looking for something fun and different to do in the Dayton area definitely check the Black Box out, you'll have a lot of fun! Oh, they even offer classes on how to do improv, so if you want to get in touch with your extroverted side, check out the classes. read more

Save Me From ANOTHER Dinner and a Movie! I discovered Black Box two years ago, and I actually took classes before I saw a show. I have invited many friends who can't believe that more people don't flock to the theater as something so fun, inexpensive and different to do on a weekend in Dayton. If you like SNL, or have been to Second City or other improv in Chicago or NYC, you know what you are in for... If not, go surprise yourself! read more

Date night? Meeting with friends after work? The Black Box is a fun venue to laugh out loud with off the wall skits one right after another. A hidden gem right downtown with never the same thing twice. read more

I can't believe no one has reviewed this place yet! If you are in Dayton and need something fun and inexpensive to do, come to this improv theater. I'm pretty sure this place is fairly new (like a year old?) but the actors seem pretty seasoned and are ungodly hilarious. No offense but I am not really a huge fan of improv and I don't know much about the different types, how it worked, etc; but this place and these people make you want to get up on stage and have as much fun as they are having. The show starts differently each time I go- they ask their audience for a word and they start a skit off that word. Or they ask for an audience member to be interviewed and they do a skit off that person. Every single time you are amazed how they can produce an entire show with one word or one persons story. It's amazing to watch such quick witted people perform such a high quality side splitting show with absolutely no rehearsal. Once in awhile, they will do a musical. You can't miss this. You can't. Even if you aren't into musicals. The last one I went to was completely sold out and they did an amazing job. Long story short, it's great. These grown adults make you feel like a kid again. they remind you that you have an imagination. They bring a sense of ingenuity and whimsy to your boring ass life. You can tell these people care about what they do and genuinely love improv. This place is one of the places in Dayton that keep it's heart beating. The space is pretty cool, it's in a neat area in the cannery building on third st. Keep in mind it's BYOB. read more

Very fun and hysterical place to go to add something new to your typical weekend! Definitely go with friends and remember to BYOB! I kind of got the urge to get on stage myself! read more

I enjoyed the shows here so much, I decided to take classes, which are pretty cheap, shaking out to $5/hr. After 3 levels, I got on to perform regularly at these workshop nights on Wednesdays. One of the best parts of my Dayton experience. read more

This is a great evening out with friends. Use their website to reserve tickets and they will have a table waiting for you. Bring in your own food and drinks to make it a very fun evening out with friends. No doubt one of the best values for $12 in the downtown Dayton area. Show is over at 10:00 and there is plenty to do around the area. read more

genuinely one of the best spots in Dayton, the black box offers improv shows every Friday and Saturday nights. bring your own beer and the friendly atmosphere will keep you coming back. I started going regularly after seeing the owner, Justin Howard, give a talk at last year's TEDxDayton. he was funny and smart so I went that night to check out a few of their shows. what a fantastic group of people.. there is a fun, uplifting atmosphere at the black box theater, and it never gets old. I mean, it's improv! it's always different! not only are there shows every week, but the black box also offers improv and sketch writing classes. I've been taking the improv classes for the last few months and plan on trying sketch writing. if you are looking for something new and amazing, give this place a try. you won't be disappointed. read more

Great place for a night out. With rotating improv shows there's always something new. They also offer great classes if you're interested Improv. read more

I was in this area on business from Boston. I have often seen improv shows in Boston so I wanted to check this place out with a colleague who had never seen improv before. It seriously ROCKED! We laughed so hard! It was a great time. The performers were great and came up with awesome funny stuff. All the staff were friendly and funny. I was surprised the place wasn't packed. It is inexpensive and so much fun. My colleague is hooked now too. I am sure to go back whenever I am in the area. Check it out! read more

We've been here a few times and LOVED it! The shows are great and the people are EXCEPTIONAL! This place is an untapped GEM! How they come up with the stuff they do, right off the top of their heads, is unbelievable!! The owner, Justin, made us feel very welcome and happy to have us there. You HAVE to give it a try. Bring your own drinks, sit back and prepare to be THOROUGHLY ENTERTAINED!! read more

Exactly what I was looking for in the city. UpDayton exposed me to Black Box, and I am so happy they did! It is such a nice atmosphere and great prices for AMAZING shows. The actors are great at what they do and are sure to deliver. I will definitely be back with my friends and some drinks! The place is BYOB, so make sure you come prepared for good vibes, and good laughs. Support Local! read more