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TEEN CLASSES
AGES 13 TO 18
Our highest level pre-professional Performance Program, Mainstage, is available to teens age 13-18 by audition. Many complimentary classes are available to support auditions skills, from Teen Acting to Broadway Dance.
Grow your skills behind-the-curtain with our Tech Mentorship Program. In combination with our Tech classes, students will learn to design sets, costumes, lighting and more. You can even learn how to direct or write a script through our classes at Metropolitan Performing Arts.
Class | Day | Time | Age Range | Teacher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Advanced Character Building | TUES | 6 - 7:30 PM | 8-18 | Will, Breanna |
Improv Intermediate | WED | 6:00 PM | 11-18 | Bryce, Kris |
Beginner Silk/Aerial, Tightrope and Tumbling | TUES | 7:30 PM | 10+ | Will |
Broadway Dance 2 | TUES | 7:30 PM | 10-15 | Chynna |
Broadway Dance 3 | TUES | 6:30 PM | 14+ | Chynna |
Broadway Movement | MON | 5:00 PM | 16+ | Shannon |
Character Building through Adventure Role Play | TUES | 5:00 PM | 8-18 | Will |
Directing* | TUES | 7:30 PM | 14+ | Kris |
Improv | WED | 7:00 PM | 11-18 | Jacquelle |
Mainstage | TH - SAT | 5-8, 5-9, 1-6 PM plus Tech Week | By Audition, 13-18 | |
Music & Audition Prep | WED | 7:00 PM | 11-15 | Melissa |
Performance Conditioning Wednesday | WED | 7:15 PM | 11+ | Shannon |
Performance Conditioning - Saturday | SAT | 12 noon | 11+ | Shannon |
Rock Band | SAT | 10:30 AM - noon | 11-18 | James |
Script Writing | MON | 7:00 PM | 12+ | |
Stage Combat 1 | SAT | 11:00 AM | 10+ | Matthew |
Tap 2 | WED | 5:00 PM | 10-16 | Shannon |
Tap 3 | WED | 8:15 PM | 12+ | Shannon |
Tap for Adults | THUR | 8:00 PM | 16+ | Shannon |
Tech Mentorship Program | SUN | Noon | 12-18 | Kris & guests |
Technical Theater 1 Costume/Props/Makeup | WED | 6:00 PM | 13+ | Taron |
Technical Theater 2 Set/Lighting/Sound | WED | 8:00 PM | 14+ | Taron, James |
Teen Acting | TUES | 5 - 6:30 PM | 14-18 | various instructors |
* Class unavailable for Fall Term, Registration for Winter term will open on November 15, 2025
TEEN CLASS DESCRIPTIONS
Advanced Character Building
For our more experienced adventurers that have had at minimum a full year of the first class and have approval by the teacher to advance to the next level. In this class you will take your characters to a more in depth level of role play. Improvisation and characters will be taken on a serious journey to explore 3 dimensional lives and how the characters interact with each other and the world that surrounds them. This class is PG rated and will be an amazing adventure for any serious actor or role player.
Beginner Silk/Aerial, Tightrope and Tumbling
This class lets you bring out your inner trapeze artist. You will learn aerial silks, tight rope walking, tumbling, and more. Come soar through the theater and learn a new and fun skill set! This class culminates in a showcase during the final class for your family. Take this as many times as you like to continue to build your skills.
Broadway Dance 3
Advanced students will work on a variety of broadway choreography styles from Fossi to Stroman to Robbins with techniques that will help them be successful with auditions, dance calls, and more. From the golden age to modern shows, students will learn dances to their favorite broadway songs throughout the year. Classes will help students build a skill set that will level up their audition techniques and help them add dance verbiage and styles as performers.
Character Building through Adventure Role Play
Develop a character from the ground up through roleplaying. This class aims to explore the emotional development of a character, improvisation, voice acting, problem-solving, and unsurprisingly roleplaying! Stimulate the imagination and level up your acting. Learn to create a character and make improvisational choices using that character's backstory and traits. This class is geared towards our new or newer role players. To level up into the advanced class you must have teacher approval. This class is rated PG.
Improv
Through in class exercises, games, practice, and instructor feedback, students will explore Short-form and Long-form improvisation. Focus will be working on physical, verbal, and short form game improv. Goals of the class are improving speed, listening skills, story, and teamwork. Students will be challenged to think quickly and create a scene with partners or in a large group. Class will also consist of warm-up exercises to help with nervousness, self-confidence and imagination and specific physical and verbal games to help timing and creativity. There is no prerequisite for this class. This class can be retaken as many times as you want!
Music & Audition Prep
For students interested in advancing their musical skills. This class will help students learn to read music, understand their voice, and sing harmonies. This is perfect for growing your musical skills or for students that want an introduction to music theory that have aged out of Music Fundamentals.
Script Writing
In this class students will delve into the world of play writing. Students will learn basic skills in developing their own texts (scripts) with each other. They will have the opportunity to be the playwrights, the directors, and the actors. By working together as an ensemble, students will have the chance to tell their own stories! It's a fantastic creative outlet for those wanting to see their imaginations come to life on stage. At the end of term we will showcase the works of the students in a staged reading for parents and guardians.
Tap 2
An intermediate tap class designed to develop rhythm, style, and sound. Exercises focus on building flexibility of the knee and ankles, coordination, and speed of movement. The class emphasis is on developing proper tap techniques and producing clear tap sounds. Students will be able to take this class several times and will move up levels based on the teacher’s recommendation.
Tap for Adults
Have you ever wanted to tap dance but never learned as a kid? Are you an adult that used to tap and wants to again? Are you an adult or teen that taps already but wants a fun class that works at your level? Well Adult Tap is for you!! This fun and supportive class will adjust to your level and is a great way to continue your tap studies, brush off your tap shoes, dance for exercise or to learn a new skill.
Technical Theater 1 Costume/Props/Makeup
In this class students will learn about color theory and era fashions. They will also learn techniques for how to create moods and styles based on the characters' costume design. Learn the basics of costume design for a play or musical based on the script needs and how to communicate with a director. Students will help with Costume design for the teen conservatory play.
Teen Acting
Teens asked for their own acting class so here it is! This class will provide a year long look at a variety of acting methods taught by teachers specializing in each method. Students will meet once a week exploring the techniques needed towards becoming a professional actor. This class will cover Acting techniques based on Stanislavsky, Uta Hagan, Meisner, Suzuki, Alexander, View Points and much more. For teens only, class will be PG13.
Improv Intermediate
Through in-class exercises, games, practice, and instructor feedback, students will explore Short-form and Long-form improvisation. Focus will be working on physical, verbal, and short form game improv, expanding into long form game improv in the intermediate class. Goals of the class are improving speed, listening skills, story, and teamwork. Students will be challenged to think quickly and create a scene with partners or in a large group. Class will also consist of warm-up exercises building decreasing nervousness, increasing self-confidence and imagination and specific physical and verbal games to help timing and creativity. This class expands on the skills learned in beginning improv, beginning improv is a requirement for taking intermediate.
Broadway Dance 2
Students will expand on the fundamentals of Broadway dance by focusing on styles of dance and choreography. From the golden age to modern shows, students will learn dances to their favorite broadway songs throughout the year. Classes will push students to build up their audition skills and will continue to add dance verbiage and styles to their skill set as performers.
Broadway Movement
Students will focus on learning proper dance techniques while exploring various dance styles such as; learning Broadway numbers, across the floor exercises and a high-heel how-to class! This fast-paced and fun dance class will focus on building confidence as a performer and developing knowledge of all dance types. For all levels
Directing*
Students should have completed Acting Studies and Basic Theater Tech to enroll in this class. This is a year long class. Students will focus on script analysis, creating movement, history of the director, types of staging, stages and communication. Students will be challenged to take a text and create a world of the play, blocking, and design. Students will work with set pieces, conflict ideas and stage blocking movements to understand how to create pictures and character flow in order to tell the playwright's story. In addition, there will be work with specific tasks that will help scene pacing and creativity. Through in-class exercises, practice, instructor and peer feedback, students will actively direct a 10 minute play that will be performed towards the end of the year. Students will also work on how to run rehearsals, production meetings, communication with actors, a design team and blocking. Students will be challenged to take their text from the previous term and put all the tools that they have learned into practice. They will get the experience to fully rehearse and realize the play. Students will get a chance to rehearse outside of class with their actors by signing up for time slots in the theater, green room, or dance studio. This class can be retaken as many times as you want!
Mainstage
Our mainstage productions are for students that are 13 -18 years old and have had experience on stage. They should feel like they are ready for a full Broadway level show. This includes focus and fortitude. These productions have rehearsals on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. During tech week students will be in rehearsal every evening through opening night.
Rock Band
The Rock Band Class consists of a weekly group rehearsal where students learn by playing iconic rock songs with a band composed of their peers. Students are assigned songs and parts suited to them based on skill level. The goal of the class will be to prepare kids and teens for live music performance and to put on a performance of their songs that family and friends are invited to come see. Students will be performing songs from bands such as “Green Day”, “The Beatles”, “Led Zeppelin”, and “AC/DC”. Students are expected to practice at least an hour a week outside of class times. Students will need a folder, water bottle, two pencils, their instrument, and any handouts for each class. Ear plugs are required, MPA will have cheap reusable ear plugs if you can not provide your own or you forget yours.
Stage Combat 1
Stage Combat class is back in full swing (pun intended)! Learn to punch, kick, fall and fight with partners. Learn basic skills with broadswords and quarterstaffs. Learn to trust your scene partner and yourself. Even if you have taken a stage combat class before, this course will brush up your skills, teach new weapons, and have you pratfalling like a pro. Learning these skills can add to your resume, make you more hirable, and keep you safe when acting in a variety of roles. This term you will be learning or reviewing some of the following: Punches, Kicks, Slaps, Knaps, Falls, Blocks, Chokes, Evasions, Hair Pulls, Elbow Strikes, Pushes, in addition to broadsword attacks/defense moves and quarterstaff attack/defense moves. Students will work on choreographed fights with partners and develop the skills needed to really sell a fight on stage.
Tap 3
An advanced tap class designed to develop rhythm, style, and sound. Exercises focus on building flexibility of the knee and ankles, coordination, and speed of movement. The class emphasis is on developing proper tap techniques and producing clear tap sounds. This class can be retaken as often as students like.
Tech Mentorship Program
A Technical Theater training program. Students signed up for this class will have taken basic technical theater classes first. Students will meet twice a month with the Education Director to chat about their focus, what they have learned and for guidance in their field of interest. Students will then pick a focus for the next show that they can work on and they will shadow the professional designer for that show. Each student should have one credit (shows worked) in each technical theater focus, plus additional credits of their choosing in Sound, Lights, Set/Scenic/Projections, Costumes, Stage Management, and Props. After completing a design shadow in a specific field, the student can then apply to design their own Broadway Jr. or Off Broadway showcase. After their 6 credits are completed (they could earn up to 5 credits a year if they want) they can then choose to specialize in a particular area. The program is completed when a student has graduated high school and they will be acknowledged and given a certificate with their credits and specialization. This program looks great on a resume.
Our Mainstage productions are for students with stage experience and feel they are ready for a full Broadway-level show. This program is a pre-professional program and fast-paced.
Rehearsals are on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. During tech week students will be in rehearsal every evening through opening night.
To participate in a Mainstage show, students must be enrolled in at least one weekly MPA class. It is recommended that students further their practice by taking acting, music, and dance classes, as these classes will give students the skills needed to excel in Mainstage, as well as preparation for auditions and rehearsals.
Mainstage productions have a show fee of $350.00 to help offset production costs and signs students up for Show Conditioning, which is a mandatory class for all Mainstage students. Parents of a Mainstage student are required to volunteer at least 8 hours during the production process. Buyout and ad sales available in lieu of volunteer hours.
Mainstage Shows
Pippin Performances: Dec. 5–20
Footloose Performances: May 8–24
Summer Intensive The Prom Camp: July 6–24; Performances: July 24–26
* Students must be available for all performance dates
Develop a new skill or hone your craft. MPA offers a large variety of private lessons in acting, voice, piano, dance, guitar & More!
See the Private lessons page for more information.
Various Timeslots
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