Where Kids & Teens Can Star in a Show!
If you’ve got singin’, dancin’, actin’ kiddo (or teen), you’re in luck! Our area is full of musical theater opportunities.
Acting Academy for Kids, Laguna Niguel • Irvine • San Clemente
A performing arts program that offers classes, workshops, and camps to train the next generation of talented performers. Classes include musical theatre, film/TV, glee club, and private vocal, piano, and acting lessons. Programs for teens also available. Venues located in Laguna Niguel, Irvine, and San Clemente. Their next full-scale musical is Disney’s Frozen, coming spring 2019.
The 2019 Summer Camp is available at all three locations. Get ready for a fun-filled summer of singing, dancing, and acting during themed, week-long summer camps. Classes culminate in a performance for family and friends. Optional before-and-after camp enrichment sessions also available.
Arts & Learning Conservatory, Costa Mesa
Arts & Learning Conservatory offers high quality instruction in acting, voice, dance, instrumental instruction and live theater productions. They have developed successful after-school programs, musical camps and school productions. Arts & Learning seeks to keep a love of theatre, music, and the arts alive while instilling valuable life skills that promote teamwork, articulation, confidence, and refined social skills while having a whole lot of fun.
Biola Youth Theatre, La Mirada
A youth theater company that trains students (ages 6-18) in voice, dance, and acting with an emphasis on spiritual principles. They are the only youth theater company established in partnership with a university and one of only three Christian youth theater programs in Southern California. See their show, The Wizard of Oz, from June 6-8 and 13-15.
Broadway on Tour Children’s Theatre, Santa Ana
Brings affordable, live musical theater to families. They offer shows on weekends geared for young audiences. Shows are performed by kids (ages 8-20), with auditions open to the public. All performances held at the historic Ebell Theater.
Buena Park Youth Theatre, Buena Park
Productions for kids (ages 8-18). Visit their website for upcoming auditions and performances.
Children’s Theatre of Long Beach, Long Beach
The Children’s Theatre of Long Beach puts on main stage productions and offers educational programs for children and families. See their main stage junior production of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” on June 1, at 2 and 4 p.m.
Creative Kids Playhouse Children’s Theatre of Orange County, Mission Viejo
Provides fun theater opportunities for children (ages 3 – grade 12) and entertaining productions for the community. Their spring break camp runs from April 15-18 and culminates in a performance of “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Auditions are the first day of camp.
See their big summer play, “The Outsiders,” on July 26-27. Audition dates are July 8-9. Register on their website.
Summer mainstage immersion camps are available weekly from June 24 – August 16. Performances include Disney’s The Jungle Book, Rumpelstiltskin, Jack and the Beanstalk, and The Beast and His Beauty.
CSArts Academy, Santa Ana
CSArts Academy provides a creative and nurturing environment for students. During the school year, CSArts Academy offers two, eight-week sessions for students ages 9 to 15 on Saturdays in musical theatre and acting. This summer, Orange County School of the Arts renowned educators will offer students (8-15) fun and rewarding academic and arts courses, workshops and intensives at both the beginner and advanced level. Student artists can pursue theater classes including: acting, acting for the camera (film or TV), musical theatre, and production & design.
GO-FAME Youth Theatre Company, Long Beach
Kids (ages 8-18) learn about and experience theater from audition to performance, both on stage and behind the scenes. They produce two large-scale musicals, small-scale shows as well as offer classes and workshops. See their upcoming show “Peril on the Pike – A 1940’s Melodrama” in mid-April. Also, auditions for “Monty Python’s SPAMalot” are held in May with performances in July. Visit their website for details.
Idyllwild Arts Academy and Summer Program, Idyllwild
In the theatre department at Idyllwild Arts day and boarding school, students will master advanced techniques while they work side-by-side with gifted professional actors, dancers, singers, designers, and technicians in contemporary and classic dramas, comedies, and musicals. Courses in screenwriting, directing, cinematography and more also offered through their Film and Digital Media program.
International City Theatre, Long Beach
ICT offers a Summer Youth Conservatory for kids (ages 7-15) from July 8 – August 1. This four-week conservatory features instruction in acting, music, dance and playwriting taught by industry professionals. The program culminates in a free, special performance on August 1. ICT also puts on free shows for their Free Saturday Family Theatre Series. Reservations required for free performances.
Laguna Playhouse, Laguna Beach
Acting and musical theater classes for ages 9-18, as well as fully-produced theatrical productions designed for young audiences. Spring classes, workshops, and summer camps available. See their production of “Treasure Island,” April 27 – May 5.
Laguna Playhouse also offers educational outreach through TheatreReach: Bringing Books to Life, a program that brings professionally staged productions to schools. They also provide backstage tours for students and student matinee shows for the entire class.
Musical Theatre Academy of Orange County, Newport Beach
Offers theater classes and programs for kids (ages 4-18). Classes focus on voice, dance, acting, and performance. See their upcoming performance of “Frozen Jr.” on June 14-15 and “Mary Poppins” from June 21-30. Visit their website for audition dates, workshops, and more.
Musical Theatre West, Long Beach
MTW offers a summer youth conservatory for students (ages 7-18) interested in learning more about musical theater. Teachers and students can attend special student matinee performances at little or no cost. Visit their website to learn more about MTW’s traveling theater productions, residency programs, and scholarships. See their production of “The Little Mermaid” from July 12-28.
MYART (Musical Youth Artists Repertory Theatre), Cypress
Exciting after-school programs, workshops, and summer camps for children of all levels and ages. Sessions include training in voice, acting, and dance, with fun workshops that culminate in final performances for family and friends. See their performance of “Seussical” from May 3-12.
Mysterium Theater, La Habra
In after-school classes, students (ages 6-17) will learn storyboarding, writing, rehearsal etiquette and techniques, memorization skills, audition preparation, costuming, dance, creating sets and more.
Phantom Projects Theatre Group, La Mirada
Classes include Acting for Camera, Teen Scene Study, Foundation of Acting, and more. Class size is strictly limited to 10-15 students. First class is free for new students.
Touring shows performed live on school campuses include “Jargie The Science Girl!” and “Charlotte’s Web.” Their Teens on Tour program visits schools and youth groups with a drama performance that covers topics like prejudice, tolerance, bullying and more.
See their performance of “Wonder” on April 11 and “The Young Artist Project” on August 3. Audition information for “The Young Artist Project” will be available in June.
The Kids Theatre Company, Long Beach
TKTC delivers children’s theatrical productions the whole family can enjoy. They also offer summer camps and provide the Teen Annex, a space specially designed for older kids (grade 6 and up) to work together to write, act, and even edit and film their own material. See their performance of “Charlotte’s Web,” May 31 – June 3.
South Coast Repertory Kids and Teens Acting Classes, Costa Mesa
Skills developed and explored in their classes give students the ability and the confidence to become creative problem-solvers, inspired communicators and innovative thinkers.
Acting classes for kids and teens at SCR aren’t just about the end product; they are all about the journey. That’s because they teach the process and craft of acting, which encourages students to let their imaginations soar. Learning at SCR is progressive – each class is divided into three, 10-week sessions. Students study with their grade-level peers (grades 3-4, 5-6, 7- 8 and 9- 12) and, in these ensembles, they discover the joy of acting, make new friends and have fun! SCR students learn from the best – their faculty is comprised of theatre professionals.
Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Beverly Hills
The Wallis invests in the development of young artists through in-depth courses such as The Art of Choreography, The Art of the Small Ensemble: Classical Music & Jazz and Creating Musical Theater.
Their course offerings also include collaborations with organizations such as The Miracle Project, which provides theater programs for young people with autism and their typical peers, and Broadway Dreams, a summer intensive program with professional Broadway performers for anyone who has the dream and drive to appear on The Great White Way.
YaYa’s Performance Academy, Long Beach
A family musical theater program that offers classes, private lessons and more for kids (ages 3-18). Unlike most theater programs that require an audition to be in the show, YaYa’s guarantees a role in the production to all who enroll and complete instruction. See their performance of “Mary Poppins,” May 31 – June 2 and June 7-9.
Categories: Blog
This post was written by Kidsguide