At one point, every kid fears the dark. That’s the starting point for Boise Contemporary Theater’s “A Nighttime Survival Guide,” a new play by BCT’s Matthew Cameron Clark and Dwayne Blackaller. This original funny, suspenseful fable is an adventure of friendship about a boy in Arco, Idaho (Blackaller), and a girl in Japan (Carie Kawa, pictured) who become pen pals and help each other deal with their fears. It’s told with the help of giant, whimsical puppets created by Michael Baltzell and based on Bill Carman’s designs.

Dana Oland