Our Young Actors Summer Institute (YASI) programs are some of the most comprehensive summer arts enrichment programs in New England. Led by experienced, enthusiastic local artists and educators, YASI can help students from kindergarten through recent high school graduates develop confidence, make new friends, and have plenty of summer fun. Welcoming students of all abilities, YASI teaches students about a variety of theater topics, so there’s something for everyone!
Financial Aid
Please fill out the Financial Aid Application BEFORE registering for a summer camp. Once your application is processed (allow 10 business days), you will be given a discount code to register. Financial aid is need-based only, and applicants must fill out the form and complete an essay to be considered. Payment plans are also available. Email education@trinityrep.com with all inquiries.
Please Note: All students must submit a $50 non-refundable deposit to hold a spot in the program. Email education@trinityrep.com if this is cost prohibitive for your family.
Some camps (YASI Players and YASI One Acts) may require a pre-meeting for script reading and casting. For information about Trinity Rep’s COVID-19 Safety Precautions, click here.
Our Camps
YASI Jr.
- June 26 – 30, 2023, 9:00 am – 2:00 pm for students entering grades 1 – 2 (FULL – add name to waitlist)
- June 26 – 30, 2023, 9:00 am – 2:00 pm for students entering grades 3 – 4 (FULL – add name to waitlist)
- July 10 – 14, 2023, 9:00 am – 2:00 pm for students entering grades 1 – 2 – Register Here
- July 10 – 14, 2023, 9:00 am – 2:00 pm for students entering grades 3 – 4 – Register Here
In our summer offering for children entering grades 1 – 4, young actors learn how to tell stories using their voice, movement, and imagination. Throughout the week, we work to produce a short performance by creating our own props, developing characters, and building an ensemble! Please note: students who are already enrolled in the June 26 – 30 camp should not enroll in the July 10 – 14 program so we can make space for new students.
Limit: 10 students per age group, 20 overall
Cost: $300
Location: Lederer Theater Center, 201 Washington Street, Providence RI 02903
YASI Musical Theater
- July 10 – 14, 2023, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm for students entering grades 5 – 7 – Register Here
- July 17 – 21, 2023, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm for students entering grades 8 – 12 – Register Here
Acting, singing, and dancing? It’s the classic triple threat, and this immersive experience helps students work on all three. In YASI Musical Theater, students explore character creation through words, song, and movement alongside trained professional actors. Note: students should wear clothes they can move in and secure shoes.
Limit: 20 students per age group
Cost: $450
Location: Pell Chafee Performance Center, 87 Empire Street, Providence RI 02903
YASI Improv and Comedy
- July 17 – 21, 2023, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm for students entering grades 5 -7 – Register Here
Improvisation is the craft of building theater spontaneously through collaboration. While humor is not its goal, improvisational theater can be hilariously funny! YASI Improv and Comedy teaches students the basics of improvisation, including accepting and building, establishing point of view, and creating a world to play in. By writing scripts, creating characters, and committing to the physical life of a scene, students will have the audience rolling in the aisles!
Limit: 20 students
Cost: $400
Location: Lederer Theater Center, 201 Washington Street, Providence RI 02903
YASI Playwriting & Directing
- July 24 – 28, 2023, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm for students entering grades 8 – 12 and graduated high school seniors – Register Here
Students learn the basics of playwriting by writing their own short play! They will decide on a story and a theme, create their own characters, and write scenes and monologues to build on their ideas. As they explore each other’s work, students may also serve as actors, directors, or members of the production team for each script. In doing so, they learn about narrative storytelling, dramaturgy, and visual composition. The students will then present a staged reading of their creation at the showcase at the end of the week!
Limit: 20 students
Cost: $400
Location: Lederer Theater Center, 201 Washington Street, Providence RI 02903
YASI Fight & Make Up
- July 24 – 28, 2023, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm for students entering grades 5 – 7 – Register Here
Combining two of our most popular classes, this course dives into the basics of stage combat and make-up for the stage. If you’ve ever wanted to play a zombie or a Jedi Master on stage, this is your chance! While emphasizing safety and realism, students learn techniques for movement, including punches, kicks, falls, and reaction. The moves will then be incorporated into scenes that involve confrontations. Learn to create different kinds of stage blood, wounds, bruises, old age makeup and more. We will explore the stage illusions that trick the audience into believing in zombies, stage fights, and fairies. Students enrolled in this program can bring their own makeup, but we can also provide products in a variety of skin tones. The final fight sequence will be presented at the end of the week for students’ families and friends.
Limit: 20 students
Cost: $400
Location: Pell Chafee Performance Center, 87 Empire Street, Providence RI 02903
YASI Popsical
- July 31 – August 4, 2023, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm for students entering grades 5 – 7 – Register Here
From Mamma Mia! to Moulin Rouge, jukebox musicals are having a moment. But what if we created our own pop musical using iconic songs, both vintage and new? You’d have a pop-musical – a “Popsical!” During this camp, students mount an original jukebox musical in just one week. The ensemble-based show includes solo opportunities for students. At the end of the week, friends and family get to see the premiere performance of the Popsical!
Everyone who registers for YASI Popsical will be cast in the play. The class will perform the play on Friday, August 4 in the afternoon.
Limit: 20 students
Cost: $450
Location: Lederer Theater Center, 201 Washington Street, Providence RI 02903
YASI Casting Call
- July 31 – August 4, 2023, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm for students entering grades 8 – 12 and graduated high school seniors – Register Here
Learn how to ace the big audition with YASI Casting Call! This class explores different types of acting auditions, with a special emphasis on the two-monologue theatrical audition. Students learn to perform monologues, short scenes, helpful audition techniques, and common audition pitfalls to avoid. They also learn about creating self-tapes for film, television, and commercial auditions; and how to put together a resume and headshots. The class culminates in a mock audition in which each student presents two monologues and receives feedback and actors will receive files of their on-camera auditions.
Limit: 20 students
Cost: $400
Location: Pell Chafee Performance Center, 87 Empire Street, Providence RI 02903
YASI Players
- August 7 – 11, 2023, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm for students entering grades 5 – 9 – Register Here
In YASI Players, young actors rehearse, stage, and perform a brand-new family-friendly play in one week! Written by a local artist, students will be the first to ever perform in a brand-new production, and in doing so, get a behind-the-scenes look at the opening of a show. Previous plays include The Kids Go Down Below by Rodney Witherspoon II, The Many Lives of Fancy Devereaux and Rose & Iris by David Rabinow and Little Big State and The Whale in the Hudson by Bradley Wilson, and Roger That! By Emma Platt.
Everyone who registers for YASI Players will be cast in the play. Priority casting is given to elder students. The performance will be held on Friday, August 11, in the afternoon.
Limit: 20 students
Cost: $400
Location: Lederer Theater Center, 201 Washington Street, Providence RI 02903
YASI One Acts
- August 7 – 11, 2023, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm for students entering grades 10 – 12 and graduated high school seniors – Register Here
In this exciting week-long camp, students prepare a contemporary one-act play! From the first read-through of the script and character analysis to dress rehearsal and curtain call, YASI One Act gives young performers get a taste of all the steps that come with working on a live stage production.
Everyone who registers for YASI One Act will be cast in the play. The class will perform the play on Friday, August 11 in the afternoon.
Limit: 20 students
Cost: $400
Location: Pell Chafee Performance Center, 87 Empire Street, Providence RI 02903
