Exciting Camps and Activities for Summer 2023
Performance Arts Camps
While appearing on stage is the stuff of nightmares for some, for many young people, the theater (or auditorium) is an opportunity to shine and a safe space where they can be themselves — and anyone else they want to try on. Whether your child is a budding thespian or a virtuoso in training, these performance art camps will help them along their path.
Seattle Children’s Theatre (Seattle)
Seattle Children’s Theatre’s weekly camp offerings will include classics such as Story Drama, Musical Theatre and Actor’s Toolkit, as well as newer offerings that include Prehistoric Playground and Creating for the Camera. SCT also partners with other organizations such as MoPOP, the National Nordic Museum and Coyote Central to offer specialized summer camps.
Ages: 3–18
Cost: $125–$540
Rain City Rock Camp (Seattle)
Rain City’s weeklong day camps in Seattle and South Sound provide youths of marginalized genders with instrument and band coaching by working musicians, alongside youth empowerment workshops led by adults of marginalized genders. Most camps are open to all skill levels; a collaboration with MoPOP provides a weeklong intensive workshop for teens with prior music experience.
Ages: 8–17
Cost: $0–$425 sliding scale
Broadway Bound Children’s Theatre (Seattle)
Broadway Bound’s weeklong musical theater camps are full of acting, singing and dancing. Each week, kids work together to produce a show that they perform at the end of the week. New plays are added each year; this year’s lineup includes “Hamilton,” “Moana” and others.
Ages: 5–18
Cost: Four-day weeks, $360; five-day weeks, $450; extended day available for $20/day per child
Stone Soup Theatre (Seattle)
Stone Soup’s SummerStage program runs 16 different outdoor one-week camps starting in June. Each week, students in North and South Seattle practice and perform a play. Options include Disney musicals, “Hamilton” and adaptations of children’s books.
Ages: 5–17
Cost: $415
School of Rock (Seattle, Lynnwood, Bellevue)
For musically minded campers, School of Rock’s various locations offer performance boot camps, artist-themed camps, songwriting and recording. Each location serves a wide range of ages and skill levels in camps, from teaching the basics of music and performance to rookies, to performance camps for students proficient in their instrument. Camps last anywhere from two days to a week.
Ages: 4–18
Cost: $180–$550
Music Works (Bellevue)
Music Works is a nonprofit community music school dedicated to changing lives through accessible music education and experiences. Camp themes range from music composition to production and performance. The organization’s summer day camps (half- and full-day camps are available) are taught by professional teaching artists, and many camps will include a student showcase at the end of the week for family and friends.
Ages: 4–18
Cost: $255–$525
Summer String Academy (Ellensburg)
String Academy’s six-day summer camp combines music instruction with a classic outdoor summer camp experience. Students learn music theory and rehearse in orchestra and small ensemble settings against the backdrop of Manastash Canyon at the Lazy F Camp and Retreat Center. Dates: July 23–28 only.
Ages: Grades 6–9
Cost: $645–$695
Youth Theatre Northwest (Mercer Island)
Campers learn about acting, singing, movement, choreography and even scene analysis during Youth Theatre Northwest’s weeklong camps. This year, the long-running summer program will be adding some full-day options and off-site partnerships to its standard half-day camp offerings.
Ages: Pre-K–12
Cost: $225–$525
Bellevue Youth Theatre (Bellevue)
Dedicated to providing theater arts opportunities for all young people, regardless of income or ability, Bellevue Youth Theatre’s recreational program offers summer day camps that culminate in performances often based on folk and fairy tales.
Ages: 7–12
Cost: $522–$630 (discounted for Bellevue residents)
Taproot Theatre (Seattle)
Taproot Theatre's Acting Studio Summer Camps are offered between June 26 and August 25 and include themes such as Adventures in Drama, Imagination Quest, Art of Comedy, Musical Theatre Supercamp, Playwriting and Advanced Musical Theatre Revue. Students will learn theatrical terms, play games, and work together to tell stories. Each week has a different theme and story and ends in a performance. See the website for details about camp location, length and cost.
Ages: Pre-K–12
Cost: $230–$600
