The Theatre Lab’s Summer Acting Institute is a challenging 4-week acting conservatory for teens designed to immerse students in the art of acting. Students master the essential principles of the craft through an intensive and comprehensive curriculum, culminating in a public performance of a challenging contemporary play. Past productions of the Summer Acting Institute for Teens (SAIT) include Midnite, The Secret in the Wings, Medea, and Almost, Maine.
Summer 2026
Looking ahead to next summer? Applications for Summer 2026 will open in early January. Our curriculum from this summer’s teen training institutes is available to browse as a general reference for what to expect. Subscribe to our emails and follow us on social media (@theatrelabdc) to be the first in line when our schedule is announced. In the meantime, explore our catalogue of school year teen classes.
Browse School Year ClassesTraining Curriculum
The curriculum for the Summer Acting Institute includes audition seminars, improvisational workshops, voice and speech training, movement training, and scene study. In addition to the daily training, SAIT students will rehearse for their public performance, culminating in a full-scale stage production. The SAIT is a challenging acting conservatory for teens that provides intensive skill-building.
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 session’s show. All students are guaranteed substantial and interesting roles.
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.
Scene Study and Vocal Technique: An intensive exploration of scripted work, this course focuses on developing the actor’s process and understanding the potential of one’s own voice. Through the introduction of powerful rehearsal techniques, this course helps prepare students for their production.
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.
Students also participate in a variety of special workshops—such as acting for film and TV, video game voice acting, and stage combat—led by guest artists from the Washington theatre community.
Admissions Process
The Theatre Lab is dedicated to providing 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 brief 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.
Tuition
Tuition for the Summer Acting Institute is $1,320. Please note: If you audition and are accepted into both the Musical Theatre Institute Session 1 and the Summer Acting Institute, you will receive a 15% discount on tuition for enrolling in both programs (total tuition is $2,350).
2025 SAIT Session
Midnite
Written by Leina Hardy and Rory Leahy
Production Directed by Randy Baker
Program Directed by Deb Gottesman
Session Details
When a group of college film majors venture into the woods to make an ill-advised horror movie, they encounter supernatural forces of love and madness in this contemporary, dark comedy loosely based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (with a touch of Blair Witch Project thrown in). A unique mix of horror and humor, Midnite invites us into a world where reality blurs with fantasy, and the unexpected is always just around the corner. It also features sharp dialogue, modern cultural references, and a playful edge that captures the essence of youthful ambition and creativity. Best of all, Midnite is a wonderful ensemble show with great roles for actors of all types. Critically-acclaimed director Randy Baker, Artistic Director of Rorschach Theatre, will direct the final production.
Please note: Midnite features profanity and mature themes.
Schedule
Mondays-Fridays, 12pm-6pm
July 14-Aug 8
(full day rehearsals on Aug 6- 8; evening performance on Aug 8)
Press & Photography
View our photo recap of Midnite on Instagram
Learn more about our summer teen training institutes
Musical Theatre Institute
Performance Intensive
Advanced Musical Theatre Intensive
Summer Program Policies
Summer Program FAQs
Financial Aid
Return to the Teen Training Institutes Homepage