First Stage Theater Academy is the nation’s largest high impact theatre training program for young people. A wide variety of classes for students in grades K4-12 are offered in Fall, Winter, and Spring sessions throughout the school year. Led by professional theatre teaching artists, students will learn new acting skills including Musical Theater, Acting, and Improvisation, developing stage skills while simultaneously building life skills, such as confidence, focus, and teamwork.
Fall Theater Academy registration is now open!
Milwaukee Youth Arts Center | Milwaukee, WI
October 18 – November 14, 2026
Concordia University Wisconsin | Mequon, WI
October 17 – November 21, 2026
Carroll University | Waukesha, WI
October 17 – November 21, 2026
Early Bird Pricing
$25 off through July 13
Regular Bird Pricing
July 14 – August 24
Late Bird Pricing
$25 increase after August 24
Through the generous support of individuals, foundations, and corporations, First Stage Theater Academy continues to make programming more accessible to our community. Qualifying families can enjoy scholarships for our Theater Academy. We aim to ensure financial constraints don't prevent anyone from experiencing the lasting impact of theater training.
Young people love using their imaginations to explore the world around them, and they love the special interactions that exist with a guardian. Share unique experiences and wonderful moments through creative drama by participating in a class with your favorite young person.
Through creative drama, young actors will bring their favorite stories to life through the exploration of setting, plot, and character choices to develop beginning acting skills.
Young actors will go on a new adventure each week as they utilize improvisation techniques to create their own characters and stories, and further develop their beginning acting skills.
Students will work alongside theater professionals to establish performance skills, deepen their knowledge of theatre, and develop confidence in themselves in our Scene Study and Musical Theater classes for grades 3-4 and Acting, Musical Theater, Improvisation, Stage Combat, or Elective classes for grades 5-12!
.png?resize=500x0){kind=icon}
Extended contact hours and progressive curriculum in these multi-session classes empower each student to maximize their artistic skills as well as emphasize commitment, responsibility, critical thinking, and personal expression.
Next Steps classes are highly specialized and designed for neurodivergent students—including autistic students who speak few or no words—and for students with other developmental disabilities. With small class sizes, Next Steps curriculum explores acting, singing, dancing, and improvisation.
