Lovewell Institute for the Creative Arts, Kansas

Lovewell Institute's Northwest Kansas workshops give teenagers one week to write, design, compose, choreograph and produce an original work of musical theatre, ending in a public performance on the final Friday evening. The 2026 season runs in three towns: Hays at Fort Hays State University with optional dorm housing, Concordia at the Brown Grand Theatre, and Phillipsburg at the Huck Boyd Community Center. Each workshop is capped at twenty students and is open to Kansas students entering high school through their freshman year of college. The program seeks a mix of writers, actors, poets, singers, visual artists, composers, musicians and designers, since the focus is on the days of collective creation rather than performance alone. The workshops are underwritten by the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, which also funds scholarships for students in its service area.

Open to Kansas students entering high school through freshman year of college. Each workshop caps at 20 students. Workshop hours are 9am-4pm Monday through Wednesday, 9am-7pm Thursday, and Friday through the 7pm performance. Hays offers residential housing at Fort Hays State University with move-in the evening before. Workshops are underwritten by the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, and students living within the foundation's service area may apply for scholarships. Application fees are nonrefundable unless the workshop is cancelled.