Theatre Program
Theatre Program
Within the 4 week theatre program, students are provided with intensive instruction in acting, movement, improvisation, and voice, working side by side with nationally recognized faculty. Daily classes include acting, improvisation, scene study, voice, and movement, along with guest artist workshops in stage combat, mask, Shakespeare, playwriting, directing, and acting technique.
Eligibility Requirements:
Students must currently be in 8th-12th grade at the time of application in order to qualify. Traditionally, the majority of students are in grades 10-12. It is not unusual for students to audition multiple years before gaining acceptance into the program.
Students must be full-time residents of New York State and/or attend school full-time in New York State.
Program Dates
Program Dates: July 6-August 2, 2025
Deadlines
Early decision deadline is January 12th, 2025. This is for students who want to secure their spot at NYSSSA with priority consideration.
Regular decision deadline is March 14th, 2025.
Tuition Cost
Tuition for 2025 will be $2,800. Tuition aid will be available for families making under $91,000/year Adjusted Gross Income. Tuition aid will be awarded on a sliding scale and amounts to 10-90% of the program cost. No merit scholarships are available.
To Audition:
- Fill out the application for the School of Theatre
- Submit your audition by emailing a Google Drive link to your audition portfolio to nysssa@nysed.gov. Please see the NYSSSA Theatre Audition Guide at the bottom of this page. This audition guide template should be used to submit links to your audition pieces. Complete instructions are included within the template.
- Recorded auditions should consist of both a memorized classical monologue and a contemporary monologue, each no longer than 2 minutes in length. Selections should be from well-known, published plays (not musicals), and should reflect contrasting moods and/or characters. Students will be rated on honesty, interpretation, diction/voice, and relaxation/concentration.
- IMPORTANT: When opening the Google Slide link, there will be a pop up to make a copy before entering the document. After copying the document, please rename it as "Last Name_First Name_ Theatre Audition". If utilizing PowerPoint to upload your auditions, please ensure that you've uploaded it to Google Drive and followed the correct naming conventions after the fact. Please ensure that your Portfolio is set to "anyone with link" when submitting the link, so that our faculty and staff may review it.
In addition to your application form and 2 monologues, please address the following questions as part of your recorded audition:
- Why do you want to attend this program?
- What do you expect from this program?
- What shows have you done in the past year or two?
- What show is your favorite and why?
- Please tell us about someone who inspires you.
- Submit a portfolio with your audition materials by emailing a Google Drive folder to nysssa@nysed.gov. Please see the NYSSSA Theatre Portfolio Guide at the bottom of this page. This portfolio guide template should be used to build your portfolio, allowing you to include links to your audition videos if they are listed on YouTube, Vimeo, etc. Complete instructions are included within the template.
Callback Auditions will be held via Zoom.
