SHEPHERDSTOWN — On Oct. 24, the Black Box Youth Playhouse announced its plans to expand its work into a secondary location in Shepherdstown. But to make this expansion happen, the organization had to take a big leap of faith, by leasing the former dance studio space, without having raised all of the funds needed to do so.

“For nearly two decades the children’s programming at the Black Box Youth Playhouse has made do with a very small performance space, and an off-site storage facility a few miles away to keep costumes and props. This has limited us greatly in what we can do and how flexibly we can do it,” said Black Box Youth Playhouse Managing Artistic Director Laura Richards Bakin in the Oct. 24 announcement. “But now we have a chance to expand!”

Bakin noted that Black Box Youth Playhouse, located at 113 South Princess Street, is right down the street from the dance studio space, located at 400 South Princess Street. The studio was the former location of Shepherdstown School of Dance, which permanently closed its doors during the COVID-19 Pandemic. As it is still outfitted with wooden floors and a floor-to-ceiling mirror along one wall, the dance studio space will enable the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to break free from its former spatial limitations and focus on developing challenging movement and acting skills in the children enrolled in its year-round theater camps and workshops.

“This will allow us to add classes, rehearsals, expand our programming and bring our props and costumes within reach of our main space,” Bakin said, indicating the storage space will no longer be necessary, with the acquisition of this space.

Leasing the dance studio was an act of faith in those invested in the local arts community, according to Bakin, as like most arts organizations today, the Black Box Youth Playhouse’s financial situation has not yet bounced back from the pandemic. A total of $5,000 is needed to be raised, to cover the cost of the lease.

“This is an increased expense for us, at a time when program registration has still not recovered to pre-COVID levels,” Bakin said. “We’re asking, if performing arts education has made a difference in your life or the life of a child you love, to please help us in our effort to raise funds for this extra space. We’re excited for the opportunities this will bring, but we can only do it with the support of our community.”

Donations can be made, by visiting https://givebutter.com/GCkCQr/blackboxyouth.