Registration for Summer Camp Programs Opens January 6th!
July 12 – August 8, 2025
The Theatre Lab’s Summer Acting Institute for Teens is designed to immerse young adults in the art of acting—from mastering the essential principles of the craft to participating in a public performance of a challenging contemporary work at the end of the four weeks.
The curriculum includes audition seminars, improvisational workshops, voice and speech training, movement training, and scene study, as well as special programs designed to give interested students insight into the workings of the professional theatre community. In addition to the daily training, students will rehearse and perform a full play.
ACTING CLASSES
Summer Acting Institute participants take all of the following courses:
The Drama Workshop: An improvisational workshop designed to explore core acting skills, including: creating a character, activating needs, developing spontaneity and focus, and communicating effectively with others on stage. Students will be challenged to discover new ways of thinking, expressing themselves, and creating.
Auditioning: An intensive seminar designed to prepare students to perform monologues in an audition setting, this course focuses on developing confidence, rechanneling nervous energy into creative energy, and using the body and voice effectively to tell a story. At the conclusion of the seminar, students use their monologues to audition for The Secret in the Wings. All students are guaranteed substantial and interesting roles.
Stage Movement: Designed to increase the actor’s range of movement and physical expressiveness, this course incorporates elements of mime, dance, and improvisation, as well as training in relaxation and posture development, in order to maximize the potential of the body on stage.
Voice and Speech: Designed to give students the skills they need for clear, effective speech on stage, this course focuses on developing proper breath control, improving diction and projection, dialect, and maximizing the flexibility and range of the voice.
Scene Study: An intensive exploration of scripted work, this course focuses on developing the actor’s process through the introduction of powerful rehearsal techniques. Course culminates in a public performance of The Secret in the Wings.
In addition to the above classes, students participate in a variety of special workshops—such as acting for film and TV, mask work, and stage combat—led by guest artists from the Washington theatre community.
ADMISSION
The Theatre Lab is dedicated to providing affordable, accessible training for students seriously interested in learning about the acting process. Applicants will be accepted on the basis of their commitment to exploring the theatre craft and their willingness to collaborate in a group process of discovery with other young artists.
All applicants must complete a written essay expressing their interest in the program. Applicants must also prepare a 90-second monologue for an audition that will be scheduled upon receipt of completed application.
Due to the limited nature of our enrollment, admission is competitive. You will be contacted shortly after the application deadline to schedule an audition. Applications submitted after the deadline will be considered only if space becomes available.
A limited number of need-based scholarships are available. Apply for Financial Aid here. (Portal will open January 6, 2025)