If your kid has any interest at all in the performing arts—either watching it or doing it—you’re in luck. The Bay Area is a verified breeding ground for grooming the next generation of Broadway stars (James Monroe Iglehart, Alex Brightman, Chelsea Morgan Stock…the list goes on). This means that your kids can watch, learn from or even become the best in the biz. We know, the Bay’s a big place and there are many facets to children’s theater—camps, classes, performing in shows and watching an onstage production. So, for your convenience, we’ve compiled a list of the best programs for all that…jazz (sorry, we couldn’t help it). Read on for our favorite children’s theater programs in the Bay Area.
Children’s Musical Theater San Jose
Children’s Musical Theater/Jeff Peters
Where: 1401 Parkmoor Ave, San Jose, CA
CMT, currently in its 51st season, is arguably the largest program in Silicon Valley—and they definitely have the art of molding kids into stars down to a science. They have popular camps and classes, but they truly excel in putting on large-scale musicals. The production value of their shows, performed at the historic Montgomery Theater, is top notch (read: parents are required to put in volunteer hours), and they’re even handily divided into age groups to let kids of any age shine. CMT also offers several professional productions a year simply for your viewing pleasure. Whether your kids are performing in or watching a CMT show, they’re sure to get the musical theater bug.
Best for: Productions, camps and classes
Age Group: Ages four and up
Where: 500 Castro St, Mountain View, CA
Theatreworks is primarily an adult theater—and really quite an exceptional one, right in your backyard. New productions have been known to debut and workshop here before heading to Broadway (if you have a kid old enough, definitely treat them to the unique cultural experience). But, for those jonesing to get onstage themselves, they also offer quality classes, labs and workshops for kids grades kindergarten to 12. Junior actors can register for a spring or summer camp, in which they’ll learn playwriting, music, dance and acting. They can also participate in a 10-day, themed intensive called Concepts at Play and a two-week residency called Young Storyteller’s Lab. Once your kiddos hit high school, they can intern at Theatreworks, learn playwriting with the Young Playwrights Project or make a play in 24 hours with the 1440 Countdown.
Best for: Classes, camps and watching (for older kids)
Age Group: Ages five and up
Where: 2162 Mountain Blvd, Oakland, CA
BACT’s productions are explicitly for kids, performed by adult professionals. Their mission is to foster a love of live theater and storytelling in elementary school children, so they adapt well-loved children’s books into onstage productions (for example, their current season includes the new She Persisted, the Musical, based on Chelsea Clinton’s beloved book). They also host an interactive Theatre for the Very Young series specifically targeted towards kids ages six months to three years. Once your kid sees a performance and falls in love with storytelling, you can sign them up for one of their many classes, camps and mini-productions around the Bay. Older kiddos (ages 9-18 years) can even audition to join the Advanced Performers, a troupe that trains then travels to compete in an annual theater festival in Sacramento.
Best for: Classes, camps and watching
Age Group: Ages six months to eight
Courtesy of American Conservatory Theater
Where: 30 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA
ACT’s shows are for adults, but they have an outstanding (Tony-winning!) conservatory program for rising stars. This one’s probably for the littles already serious about the arts, but if they are, this is the place to be. In the Young Conservatory program, the opportunities are endless—there are spring after-school classes in clowning, musical theater, improv and on-camera acting; two-week summer intensives; middle and high school cabaret troupes; and an exclusive Actor’s Ensemble. There’s even a summer musical! ACT’s been breaking training boundaries since 1965, and alumni include Darren Criss, Winona Ryder and Milo Ventimiglia—no big deal, right?
Best for: Classes and camps
Age Group: Ages eight and up
Where: 2640 College Ave, Berkeley, CA
This is another adult theater with a youth conservatory and a darn good one at that. They, too, offer camps, classes and youth productions. They recommend the following progression through their program—a day camp or an after-school class (this summer, for example, there are whimsically themed camps that teach drama games, techniques and performance) to a skills class (an intensive focus on one area) to a core class (intermediate/advanced movement, vocal technique, character development and more!) and finally to a production. KidStage (grades 3-7) and TeenStage (grades 8-12) productions each rehearse with industry professionals to perform a full musical on the Julia Morgan Theater stage.
Best for: Camps, classes and productions
Age Group: Ages eight and up
PYT/Spotlight Moments Photography
Where: 2500 Old Middlefield Way, Mountain View, CA
PYT is best for letting little actors perform in full-scale productions in a welcoming and safe environment. This spring, for example, kids ages eight to 14 can dance their way through Aladdin Jr. (younger kids are allowed a non-audition slot in the ensemble!), while the 14- to 20-year-olds can create pure hilarity in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels—a musical based on the ‘80s comedy with Steve Martin. They also have a Stories on Stage series, in which young people bring children’s stories to life, well, onstage (a great option for little ones to watch, too!). If your kid isn’t yet sure that theater is for them, PYT offers studio classes throughout the year and a two-week summer camp.
Best for: Productions, classes and camps
Age Group: Classes for ages four and up; productions for ages eight and up
Courtesy of San Carlos Children’s Theater
Where: 828 Chestnut St, San Carlos , CA
San Mateo County people, this one’s for you! This is a production-first kind of place, so if your kids can’t get enough of singing Annie, you might want to sign them up to take their talents to the stage. (SCCT is currently calling for kids ages eight to 13 to perform in Frozen Jr. (OMG!) and teens ages 14 to 18 to be in Mamma Mia.) SCCT believes in inclusion and camaraderie, so it’s a perfect place for kids to explore their passions. SCCT, like most good theater programs, offers a bevy of summer camps to whet young actors’ palates and classes to continue training during the school year. Students who are loyal to SCCT are eligible for a college scholarship.
Best for: Productions, classes and camps
Age Group: Classes for ages five and up; productions for ages eight and up
