Happy Valley Improv, State College’s premier long-form improv comedy group, opened a new theater downtown on Friday. It will kick-start the venue with a slate of performances this weekend.

The recently opened Blue Brick Theatre sits at 209 W. Calder Way in the former location of The Makery, which moved this year to a smaller site on Fraser Street. The new space provides Happy Valley Improv with a permanent home and an opportunity to grow in State College.

Happy Valley Improv will break in the new venue with a show at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 9. Additional shows are scheduled through the end of the month. You can grab tickets for $12.50 apiece through the group’s website, and students are eligible for a 20% discount.

The Blue Brick Theatre will feature more than just live shows, though. Happy Valley Improv co-founder and Penn State professor James Tierney said the group is planning an improv festival for September followed by a larger event next spring.

Additionally, Happy Valley Improv will host a number of classes for all ages, covering topics like improv comedy to introductions to stand-up.

“We will just continue to grow and see what the community wants,” Tierney told The Centre County Gazette’s Vincent Corso. “If the community wants more open-mic nights for stand-up, then we are going to give them that. If the community wants more nights of classes and only one show a week, then that is what we are going to give them. We very much want the community to be involved in this.”

More information about the brand-new theater and Happy Valley Improv is available online.