Advanced Training for Young Actors
Thank you to all who have auditioned for our 2025-2026 Season! Auditions have concluded. Please check back in 2026 for information about our 2026-2027 season.
First Stage Young Company, the Theater Academy’s award-winning training program for advanced high school actors is open to students who want to take their work to the next level. Accepted students will complete college and graduate-level training in Acting, Voice, Movement, and Shakespeare as well as electives ranging from Auditioning to Stage Combat to Dialects.
Traditionally, the Young Company hosts master classes with guest artists from across the nation, produces a season of three plays, and facilitates special excursions to the Utah Shakespeare Festival and American Players Theater.
Class meets 9:30AM-12:15PM Saturdays throughout the school year with additional workshops and rehearsals scheduled separately.
For questions, please contact Director of Young Company, Michelle LoRicco, at mloricco@firststage.org.
Young Company Performance Projects
Young Company Performance Projects are actor-driven presentations using elemental production values. By stripping down to a nearly bare stage, the connection of actor to audience is enhanced, and the words of the play come alive in exciting ways, allowing our award-winning students to showcase their graduate level skills with full length material, from Shakespeare to American classics to pieces commissioned specially for them.
what is young company?
For high school actors who want to take their work to the next level, First Stage offers the Young Company, the nationally renowned training program for high school-age actors. Meeting throughout the year, the Young Company is the college and graduate-level actor training program at First Stage Theater Academy. Accepted students will complete coursework in Advanced Acting, Voice, Movement, Viewpoints, Shakespeare, and electives ranging from Auditioning to Stage Combat to Dialects. In addition, the Young Company hosts master classes with guest artists from across the nation, travels annually to compete at the Utah Shakespeare Festival High School Acting Competition, and hosts an overnight training program at American Players Theatre in Spring Green. The Young Company also produces two to three performance projects each season.