Playhouse Theatre Academy to Offer Fall Classes

Beginning September 29, Playhouse Theatre Academy's all-original, educator-designed fall classes offer creative experiences for students ages 3–13 through acting, musical theatre, and performance. Each program is intentionally designed to help children build confidence, communication skills, creativity, and meaningful friendships while having fun in a welcoming, process-driven environment.

This fall, young storytellers ages 3–7 can journey into Once Upon a Twist, where familiar fairy tales are turned upside down through imaginative play, creative drama, music, movement, and storytelling. Students will reinvent beloved characters, solve unexpected problems, and discover that every story has more than one ending.

Older performers can channel their inner villain—or hero—in Descendants Drama Academy, a high-energy musical theatre experience inspired by Disney's hit franchise. Through songs, choreography, character exploration, and ensemble work, students will strengthen their performance skills while celebrating creativity, collaboration, and self-expression.

Students interested in developing strong acting fundamentals can enroll in Playhouse Studio: Acting Foundations, where they'll build confidence through improvisation, scene work, character development, and theatrical games. Designed for performers of all experience levels, the class emphasizes communication, creativity, and the essential skills that help young actors grow both onstage and off.

For aspiring triple threats, Mini-Mainstage Musicals: The SpongeBob Musical offers Playhouse Theatre Academy's signature production experience. Over the course of twenty weeks, students ages 9–13 rehearse with professional teaching artists before performing a fully staged musical on the Playhouse on Park stage. Younger performers can begin their theatrical journey through Mini-Mainstage: Beginners, giving students ages 6–8 the opportunity to build foundational performance skills while rehearsing alongside the main cast.

"I've always believed that children learn best when they're having so much fun they don't even realize how much they're growing," said Kevin Cronin, Director of Education & Community Engagement. "Whether a student is pretending to be a fairy tale character, developing a role through scene work, rehearsing a Broadway-style musical, or discovering their voice through improv, every class is designed to build confidence, creativity, empathy, and collaboration. If a child leaves believing they're a little braver than they were when they walked in—and their world feels just a little bit bigger—then we've done our job."

Playhouse Theatre Academy offers classes in both West Hartford and Simsbury and is committed to making theatre education accessible to all families through free trial classes for new students, interest-free payment plans, scholarships, sibling and cousin discounts, and bundle savings that make it even easier to explore multiple programs—families receive 10% off when enrolling in two classes or 20% off when registering for three or more.

Registration for fall classes is now open. Families can learn more, explore class offerings (including adult programming), and register by visiting www.PlayhouseTheatreAcademy.org or by contacting Playhouse Theatre Academy at 860-523-5900 ext. 16 or education@playhousetheatregroup.org.