EDUCATION / SUMMER CAMPS
Summer Camps
Our week-long summer camps get your child moving, learning and having fun with the theatre. Whether they're interested in acting, set design, or just having fun, we've got an age-appropriate program designed just for them. For questions, email sadie@columbiachildrenstheatre.com.
Early-Bird Deadline
Register for summer camp before April 10, 2026 to save $25 on Summer Camps!
Where is Camp?
All CCT Summer Camps will be held at Ebenezer Lutheran Church (1301 Richland St. Columbia, SC 29201).
FOR CAMPERS AGE 3-5 YEARS OLD
The camps are designed for our youngest actors. Campers will explore their favorite stories through dance, music, art, and imaginative play. The week will end with a showcase of their favorite activities from the week!
Magical Creatures
Ages 3-5 | $225
Calling all young fantasy lovers! This summer, we’re going to learn all about magical creatures through drama. Whether their favorite is unicorns, dragons, or BigFoot, students will grow their imagination and build skills in creativity and literacy! Taught by experienced Theatre for the Very Young educator Kathleen Pennyway, this play-based class will use stories, music and games to introduce our youngest actors to the world of theatre.
Dino-mite Drama
Ages 3-5 | $225
Calling all budding archeologists and dinosaur lovers! Join experienced Theatre for the Very Young educator, Kathleen Pennyway, for a Jurassic adventure that will be a wild time. Using favorite stories like Danny and the Dinosaur, We Don't Eat Our Classmates, and How Do Dinosaurs Choose Their Pets?, this class will teach students about dinosaurs and drama at the same time!
Totsy Turvy
Ages 3-5 | $225
Join us as we sing and dance, and use our imaginations! Throughout the week, we will learn about the basics of dance and how to follow directions, paired with free movement to music, story time, and a craft! It’s the perfect way to introduce your tot to the world of theatre and dance!
Fantasy Fun
CAMPS FOR RISING 1ST - 2ND Graders
These camps introduce young actors to beginner-level theatrical skills via the actor’s toolbox — voice, body, and imagination. Campers will explore exciting stories and delve into the world of drama in these weeklong camps full of creativity and fun.
Broadway Basics: Introduction to Musical Theatre
Various Weeks | Grades 1-2 | $225
Join us for this class specially designed for our blossoming musical theatre actors in the early grades. In addition to covering music and theatrical concepts, young actors will learn beginner-friendly musical numbers from popular musicals and present them in a song & dance performance at the end of the week!
Fantastic Fairytales
Grades 1-2 | $225
We’re living in a fairytale here at CCT! Whether you’re a princess, a knight, an evil queen, or even a talking frog, there’s something in this camp for you! We’ll explore fairytales and go on our very own quest in this week-long camp. Students will learn drama skills and even perform in their very own play!
Awesome Adventures
Grades 1-2 | $225
It’s time for an adventure! Will it be on the high seas with a band of pirates? A jaunt through the jungle? Space? We’ll explore awesome adventures in this weeklong, imaginative play drama camp. Campers will learn the tools of an actor on this one of a kind drama adventure, and they will even present their own adventurous play at the end of the week!
Masterful Mysteries
Grades 1-2 | $225
Learn, create, and grow in the world of theatre! Work with CCT educators and learn theatre through the lens of an intriguing mystery. We’ll play games, solve mysteries, and learn all about the actor’s toolbox. Our final mystery will be one to remember because it will be solved in front of an audience as campers showcase their themed play!
Character Round Up
Grades 1-2 | $225
Join us for a class all about creating new and exciting characters. In this class, students will explore what makes a great character and create their own. Will they be a pirate? A ninja? Maybe a wizard or superhero? Maybe all of the above? Students will enjoy playing theatre games to introduce them to drama basics as well. The class will end with a showcase of their original characters.
The Youth Experience
CAMPS FOR RISING 3RD - 6TH GRADERS
These camps have options for actors at many different levels and interests. From the beginning actor to the musical theatre diva to the fantasy obsessed, these camps are designed to explore the actor’s toolbox and learn the basics of theatrical performance. Campers will present a showcase of their work on the final day of class.
Singing, Dancing, and All That Jazz: Musical Theatre Camp
Grades 3-6 | $700
This two-week camp will focus on the rehearsal and performance of a musical. Under the direction of our Teaching Artists, students will audition, rehearse blocking, music, and choreography, and perform their fully produced show for an audience on the last day of camp.
Adventures in Role-Playing
Various Weeks | Grades 3-6 | $250 (extra cost for materials)
Our “Adventures in Role-Playing” camps are designed to make campers feel like they are in the world of their favorite books and movies. These activity-based camps will include team-building, crafts, games, music, and world-building activities. Campers will still utilize all of the tools in the actor’s toolbox, and will showcase their work in a final showcase.
K-Pop Demon Hunters
RegisterJune 8-12, 2026 | 9:00am-12:00pm
“We’re going up, up, up! It’s our moment”... to delve into the fascinating world of musical sensation K-Pop Demon Hunters. The Honmoon has been weakened, and it is up to the demon hunters to save the world! In this week-long camp, campers will form their own demon-hunting pop groups, create their own K-Pop choreography, and more!
Harry Potter
RegisterJuly 6-10, 2026 | 9:00am-12:00pm
You’ve been accepted to Hogwarts! Now join us as we delve deeply into the world of Harry Potter where you’ll get sorted, join our Hogwarts Dueling Club, and work toward the Hogwarts House Cup! Come explore the same subjects that Harry studied at Hogwarts: but beware of…You Know Who…
Percy Jackson & the Olympians
RegisterJuly 13-17, 2026 | 9:00am-12:00pm
Welcome to Camp Half-Blood! Join us for this demigod training camp as we explore the mythological world of Percy Jackson & the Olympians. You’ll learn who your mythological parent is, make prophecies, survive the Sea of Monsters, and play Camp Half-blood favorite, Capture the Flag!
Wicked
RegisterJuly 20-24, 2026 | 1:00-4:00pm
One short week in the Emerald City! Keep the magic of Wicked: The Musical alive in this camp dedicated to all things Glinda and Elphaba. This wickedly magical week will take campers to the magical land of Oz via the music from the film and the Broadway show, while also engaging in creative activities that will make campers feel like they are in the “merry old land of Oz”. Campers will present a song from the show at the end of the week.
Making a Scene
Various Weeks | Grades 3-6 | $225
Making a Scene leads campers through an exploration of the actor’s toolbox (voice, body, & imagination), with a special focus on imagination! This camp will hone these skills for young actors while they devise their own short play to be performed at the end of the week.
Stars in the Making
Various Weeks | Grades 3-6 | $225
Are you a singer? A dancer? Maybe an actor? You’re on your way to becoming a triple threat! Stars in the Making is an intro to musical theatre camp for the middle grades, where campers will learn songs and simple choreography from popular musicals to be presented at the end of the week.
Junior Comedy
Grades 3-6 | $225
Do you have a young comedian in your life? Taught by “funny man”, Cameron Muccio, this camp introduces the art of comedy to our blossoming creatives through improvisation and comedic storytelling. Campers will surely leave this camp with a joke or two, and will wrap up their week with a comedic showcase at the end of the week.
Beware of Zombies!
Grades 3-6 | $250 (extra cost for materials)
Beware! Toxic waste is taking over and creating zombies galore! Horror fans will love this camp as we create zombie lore, move our bodies in new and scary ways, and even explore zombie makeup. Surprise all of your friends next Halloween when you bust out your zombie skills! The camp will culminate in devised zombie scenes presented at the end of the week.
Teen Studios
CAMPS FOR RISING 7TH - 12TH GRADERS
These specialized camps are designed for the high school actor whether they’re just getting started or coming in with years of experience. Campers will showcase their work at the end of the week.
Advanced Acting
Grades 7-12 | $225
Actors in this studio will explore the basics of creating character, response and reaction, and other essential exercises for actors. Students will be introduced to some of the superstars of acting techniques including Uta Hagen, Meisner, and Stanislavsky. The class will culminate with a small performance showcasing student's work.
Teen Improv Troupe
Various Weeks | Grades 7-12 | $225
Led by Columbia native, Chicago and New York actor and improviser Martha Hearn, this studio will take teens beyond the basics of creating short and long form improvisational scenes. Often building scenes around audience suggestions, the actors learn to create environment, character, plot, conflict and resolution all while thinking on their feet.
Sketch Comedy Show!
Grades 7-12 | $225
Live from Columbia, it’s Saturday Night! Join The Mothers Sketch Comedy member, Cameron Muccio, as we move beyond the basics of this time-honored art form often seen in shows such as SNL or Key & Peele. Teen performers will create structure, “game”, and beats in the crafting of sketches as well as exploring character, comic timing and presentation in the performance of the sketches on the last day of class.
Costume Design
Grades 7-12 | $200
Join recent UofSC Theatre graduate, Mel Driggers, as they introduce campers to the fundamentals of costume design. From creating renderings to diving deep into script analysis, students will gain the knowledge they need to design costumes for a theatrical production. Students will leave the class with costume renderings for a show of their choice. *This is not a sewing class, as we are focussing more on design rather than construction
Stage Combat
Grades 7-12 | $225
Drama is conflict and sometimes that conflict must be realized on stage. In this class, we will lead young actors through the safe execution of stage fight choreography. Students will focus on basic hand-to-hand fight choreography and will create scenes leading up to their epic fights!
Tech/Design
Grades 7-12 | $225
This camp introduces campers to all of the aesthetic decisions that need to be made when designing a show. From lighting to set design, campers will focus on learning the process and design aspects that go into bringing a show to life.
Dungeons & Drama
Grades 7-12 | $225
Calling all adventurers! Characterization, improvisation, cooperative storytelling- these are skills that are invaluable for any actor.
Dungeons and Dragons
offers a unique opportunity to develop these skills. Join D&D aficionado, Toby O’Connor, on a roleplay-heavy quest as players dive into this popular tabletop game in this week-long camp. No experience required!
Acting the Song
Grades 7-12 | $225
Join CCT on this week-long "deep dive" into how to act a song. In musical theatre, acting is just as important as singing, and you need to be able to convey actions and emotion while keeping the audience engaged. This class will focus on creating need, intention, and stakes as necessary components of "sending" the emotion of the song to an audience. At the end of the week, students will showcase their new skills in a concert style performance.
