Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the host of the Laugh Track column, a man who is aging in real time … Mike McIntyre.

Thank you, Cleveland! I tried the FaceApp thing, but instead of it showing me what I will look like when I get older, it generated a message that said, “You’re not going to make it.”

The Improvaneers: The world’s first-ever improv troupe made up entirely of people with Down Syndrome, the Improvaneers, will debut its “Not Your Average News Team” show Friday and Saturday at Akron’s Weathervane Playhouse.

The improv will make you laugh, of course, but more important is what it does for the Improveneers. The troupe’s founder, Rob Snow, said being involved in improv has improved members’ self-confidence, quick thinking, voice projection, eye contact, problem-solving, teamwork, listening and focus.

Improvaneers Adam Schoen and Theresa Buzzelli rehearse at the Weathervane Playhouse in Akron. (Photo by Stacy Gray)

“A year ago, I got with a behaviorist at Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, and we created an evaluation form, rating them on a one-to-five scale on those skill levels. And we did it again a year later, and ratings in every single category, every single one of them, have gone up,” he said.

A survey of parents of the Improvaneers also showed overwhelmingly the positive impact of the troupe.

Snow, a former comedian and Second City improv performer who now is a sales manager for a managed care company, has been raising money for Down Syndrome through comedy for years. His son, Henry, was born with Down Syndrome in 2009. Shortly after that, Snow formed “Stand Up for Downs,” a nonprofit that raised money through stand-up comedy. The Improvaneers, which he directs, is an outgrowth of that and began last year.

There are nine members of the troupe who practice two hours each week and have performed at Down Syndrome conferences at which Snow speaks. His idea is to replicate Down Syndrome improv troupes across the country.

“I’ve been at Down Syndrome and disability conferences, and there are lines after each session with people asking, ‘When can I get this in Connecticut?’ or wherever. Columbus is already signed up; they’re next,” he said. “I was using words like ‘game changer’ and ‘groundbreaking,’ and I worried they might be hyperbole, but after a year, I’m going, ‘I think those are understatements.’ ”

Among his ideas is to create different age levels of improvisation. The troupe now is all adults, ages 19 to 33. But he envisions one for kids and one for teens, too.

Henry, his son, would be a natural.

“I think he’ll be the first cast member on ‘Saturday Night Live’ with Down Syndrome. He’s a big ham,” said Snow. It’s a family trait. His other son, Charlie, who does not have Down Syndrome, does stand-up comedy at age 14.

The Improvaneers are: Audrey Costilow, Emily King, Chris Bean, Nick Doyle, Margaret Connors, Joey McGhee, Dani Chase, Adam Schoen and Theresa Buzzelli.

They present “Not Your Average News Team,” their first show with ticket sales, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 26 ($20), and 7 p.m. Saturday, July 27 ($30). It includes complimentary pre-show appetizers and post-show desserts at the Weathervane Playhouse, 1301 Weathervane Lane, Akron. Go to standupfordowns.org or call the Weathervane at 330-836-2626.

At Hilarities: YouTube sensation JP Sears headlines Hilarties at 7 p.m. Thursday ($20-$28), and 7 and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday ($25-$33). Hilarities is inside Pickwick & Frolic restaurant, 2035 East Fourth St., Cleveland. Call 216-736-4242 or go to hilarities.com.

At the Cleveland Improv: T.K. Kirkland, known as the “Gangsta of Comedy,” headlines the Cleveland Improv at 7:30 Thursday ($17), 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, and 7 p.m. Sunday (all $20). The Improv is at 1148 Main Ave., next to Shooters on the west bank of Cleveland’s Flats. Call 216-696-4677 or go to clevelandimprov.com.

At the Ohio Theatre: Daniel Sloss, the popular and edgy Scottish comic who has been a regular on TBS’s “Conan,” performs in Playhouse Square. His “Daniel Sloss: X” show (it’s his 10th solo show) has been touring around the world. Sloss performs at the Ohio Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $38. Go to playhousesquare.org or call 216-241-6000.