Potomac Arts Academy

Mason Community Arts Academy, formerly the Potomac Arts Academy, is the community arts education division of George Mason University's College of Visual and Performing Arts in Fairfax, Virginia. Established in 2008 and renamed in 2018, it grew out of the Potomac Music Academy and now serves more than 3,800 participants a year with lessons, classes and summer programs in music, theatre, visual arts, and film and video. Its theatre division is Acting for Young People (AFYP), which merged with the Academy in 2011 and has trained actors of all ages since 1997 under founder and director Mary Lechter. Summer theatre camps span ages 3.5 to 18 and include weekly acting camps, musical theatre adventures and workshops, improv comedy, technical theatre, a devised theatre ensemble, an audition-only cabaret and a high school musical theatre intensive. The Academy has been named a Best Summer Camp by Northern Virginia Magazine each year from 2021 to 2025.

2026 theatre offerings: Summer Acting Discoveries (ages 3.5-5), Weekly Acting Camps (ages 5-18), Summer Musical Theater Adventures (ages 7-10), Middle School Improv Comedy Workshop (ages 10-13), Intro to Technical Theater Camp (ages 11-15), Middle School Musical Theater Workshop (ages 11-13), Summer Devised Theater Ensemble (ages 12-18), Musical Theater Cabaret (ages 13-18, by audition), High School Musical Theater Intensive (ages 14-18). Programs require full commitment to scheduled dates. Limited scholarship funds and payment plans available.