Des Moines Community Playhouse Announces In-Person Summer Classes

Summer is almost here! The Des Moines Community Playhouse is offering students from kindergarten through high school 25 different classes and camps to fill the long summer days and keep their minds active. Classes will meet in-person at the theatre, and class sizes are limited. For a complete list of classes and registration, visit dmplayhouse.com.

Most camps for younger students, grades K-3, are focused on creative dramatics. Creative drama sparks children's natural abilities to become the characters they hear about in the books they love. These camps are literature-based and designed to foster listening and cooperative skills as well as self-esteem and individual expression. In June's Scene Stealers, students will act out scenes from favorites series like Junie B. Jones, The Babysitter's Club, and more. In July, elementary students can learn theatre skills and story dramatization in the Playhouse Players classes where they will read and then create scenes based on The Land of Stories series of books. Superhero fans should sign up for Dogman and Catkid or Captain Underpants classes.

Classes for students grades 4-12 take actors through a more disciplined process: Auditioning, rehearsing, and performing a play to learn how to polish skills in a dynamic, challenging environment. Broadway Stars students will present a musical revue while Performance Academy students can bring to life Alice in Wonderland or Game of Tiaras. The popular Teen Improv class returns for high school students in August.

Theatre arts education at The Playhouse provides students with the opportunity to explore, create, imagine, and express themselves, all within a safe, nurturing environment. Every class at The Playhouse is unique and led by the theatre's professional teaching artists. The Jeanne Hopson Angel Fund ensures that any student who wants to enroll in classes may do so, regardless of financial considerations.

The Playhouse is one of the oldest and largest community theatres in the US. Located at the 42nd Street exit of I-235, the theatre has presented a full season of shows since 1919 and also offers a wide variety of educational experiences including classes for ages 4 to adult, theatre trips to New York, and volunteer opportunities onstage and backstage.

For more information on summer theatre camps and other Playhouse educational offerings, contact The Playhouse education department at 515.974.5365.

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