GCPA Youth Theatre Company
Our first ever Youth Theatre Company production!
“Our first experience with theatre outside of a school environment was incredible through GCPA. From the audition until strike, the staff encouraged all performers to do their best and provided guidance and education tailored to each individual.”
The GCPA Youth Theatre Company was created in 2014 to fulfill an import part of GCPA's mission to provide opportunities to express and experience high quality performing arts. We believe that musical theatre, at its core, is a performance art and one cannot truly have a complete experience without live performance - thus the YTC was born.
We offer two types of productions each year: our Mainstage Season and our Summer Season. Both offer varying experiences to help every performer grow and improve, whether this is their first experience or they are well on their path to a professional career.
The Mainstage Season brings our largest, most comprehensive opportunities. These performances include large casts and expose every actor to the whole process, including auditions, rehearsals, different theatre venues, technical aspects, live music, costumes, strike, and more. Rehearsals are generally 2-3 evenings during the week and Saturdays for 3-4 consecutive months.
The Summer Season shows are a hybrid of the Youth Theatre Company and GCPA educational experience. They bring actors with strong training, skills, and interest together for a more intensive and intimate process. Actors are challenged to create authentic performances that both entertain and inspire their audience. These shows have limited cast members and are chosen to be thought provoking, challenging, and to push the "norm" of St. Louis youth theatre. Broken down by age group, we offer three productions each summer:
KIDS Musical: This is an enrollment based production, with no audition needed. During this 2-week production camp (offered multiple times through the summer), young actors experience everything it takes to put on a full musical from auditions to casting to rehearsal, all the way up to a full performance on stage with sets, lights and costuming. Enrollment begins with summer registration. Age range varies depending on the show and season, but averages Ages 6-10.
Junior Musical: This audition based production is a 3-week rehearsal process meeting daily from 9 am - 4 pm, Monday - Friday. Days are filled with rehearsal as well as technical time in class to expand singing, dancing and acting skills. Age range varies depending on the show and season, but averages Ages 11-14.
Professional Focus Musical: This audition based production rehearses evenings and weekends during the summer and features deep, thought-provoking show choices conducted at the highest quality experience and production level. Exact rehearsals vary from summer to summer, so please check out the current production schedule. Age range varies depending on the show and season, but averages Ages 14-20.