Black Box Acting to Open New Training Center in January 2014

Black Box Acting, Chicago's premier actor training program, has announced the opening of its new, permanent headquarters at 2625 W. North Ave. near Chicago's Logan Square, Wicker Park and West Town neighborhoods. Classes will begin in January 2014 in the newly rehabbed, 3200 square foot space, which features three classrooms for training and ensemble performances, a student lounge and other amenities. The move will allow Black Box to meet growing demand for its copyrighted training method, which has attracted students from across Chicagoland, the U.S. and internationally.

Founded in January 2009 by Laura Hooper and Audrey Francis, Black Box Acting began as a boutique studio with just 12 students and two classes. Five years later, with five full time staff members and eleven dedicated instructors, Black Box has trained more than 600 students through its two schools, THE STUDIO and THE ACADEMY.

Dedicated to creating "the fearless actor," Black Box Acting caters to theatre professionals, beginners and non-actors. The STUDIO offers year-round, five-week sessions with training progressively leading up to the Black Box Method. These comprehensive sessions allow students the flexibility of a part-time class schedule while training them to take their work out of the classroom and into the industry. The ACADEMY, which launched two years ago, is a highly intensive, rigorous and regimented, five-month accelerated training program that immerses students in the Black Box Method. The ACADEMY is geared toward those actors who are ready to begin their professional career immediately.

In a joint statement, co-founders Laura Hooper and Audrey Francis said, "We've grown up in several spaces around Chicago - most recently The Den Theatre - and our students have always considered Black Box their second home, regardless of its location. This is incredible. But to take it one step further... when we originally dreamed up Black Box, we said our goal was to build a 'home' for our artists where they could push their creative limits. And we did literally mean, a place. A physical space. We're so proud that that we've finally reached a point where that home could actually be owned by Black Box."

Designed by the award-winning firm Perimeter Architects, the new Black Box Acting Headquarters is bold and contemporary, reflecting the company's aesthetic:

• A zinc-tone metal panel façade.
• Glass doors open into the lobby, with a custom "Black Box" metal logo mounted on a perforated metal wall.
• Leather couches and chairs provide comfortable seating for students to mingle, while a built in sound system pumps music into the lobby.
• Wood floors add warmth to a black, charcoal, silver and blood-red color palette.
• Portraits of Black Box students line the walls, featuring the brand's signature photography; suspended naked light bulbs pay homage to Black Box's "Fight Club" attitude.
• A "Warrior Hallway" made entirely of perforated metal and florescent lights leads students from the lobby, through a blood-red corridor to the classrooms. Core Values hang near all four bathrooms, reminding students what it takes to be a Black Box Actor.
• Easy access to public transportation and ample street and metered parking.

The Black Box Method of training follows a regimented and streamlined curriculum based on the Meisner Technique and some Viewpoints. This Method unleashes physical and emotional impulses, frees the imagination, builds stamina, focus and endurance, while training actors to live truthfully and fearlessly under imagined circumstances. Black Box trains actors to Work Hard and Be Fearless.

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