The Urban Improv (UI) program is an interactive, theater-based youth violence prevention program designed for at-risk students living in the inner city. The program was developed to affect three psychological and behavioral outcome domains: aggressive behaviors, prosocial behaviors, and scholastic attention and engagement. Active in Boston public schools since 1992, UI uses theater improvisation to develop decision-making, impulse-control, and conflict-resolution skills. UI is based on the idea that providing students with interactive opportunities to rehearse conflict scenarios will enhance their ability to solve problems in a nonviolent manner.

Urban Improv’s mission is to challenge young people to meet the major issues in their lives head-on. By participating in an innovative, interactive curriculum, students develop the necessary skills of problem solving, cooperation, and leadership.

In the comparison immediately following program completion, the teacher-reported findings indicate increased prosocial behaviors, prevention of new onset aggression, and decreased hyperactivity and internalizing symptoms among students in the UI program. In contrast, youths in the comparison group exhibited increases in aggression, hyperactivity, and internalizing symptoms and decreases in levels of prosocial behaviors during the same period. These results support the supposition that UI not only halts the progression of aggressive behaviors but also supports the development of prosocial behaviors. It should be noted, however, that these significant findings were based on teacher reports. There were no statistical differences in student reports of aggressive or prosocial behaviors or hyperactivity and internalizing symptoms.