Performing Arts Summer Programs for High School Students
EC Finder currently lists 36 performing arts summer programs for high school students. Of these, 3 are free to participate in and 2 offer virtual participation. Examples include Alvin Ailey School Summer Intensive, AMDA High School Conservatory, and American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive.
- 36
- listed
- 3
- free
- 2
- virtual
- 30
- with a listed deadline
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are performing arts summer programs for high school students?
- Performing Arts Summer Programs for High School Students are curated extracurricular listings for high school students interested in performing arts. Each listing includes eligibility, cost, and deadline details where known, so you can compare options and find the right fit for your college application profile.
- When are the application deadlines?
- 30 of the 36 summer programs listed here have a specific deadline month noted. Deadlines vary by program, so check each listing for exact dates.
- Are any of these summer programs free?
- Yes — 3 of the 36 summer programs listed here are free to participate in.
- Can I participate virtually?
- Yes — 2 of the 36 summer programs listed here offer virtual or online participation.
- Are performing arts summer programs good for a college application?
- Yes — performing arts summer programs are a common way for high schoolers to show sustained interest and initiative in performing arts on college applications.
Related Categories
36 activities found·Browse by category
Alvin Ailey School Summer Intensive
Summer dance training at the Ailey School in New York City, with a Junior Division for ages 12-15 and a Professional Division for ages 16-25 covering ballet, Horton, Graham, jazz, and contemporary technique.
AMDA High School Conservatory
AMDA's High School Conservatory offers on-campus and online intensives in acting, musical theatre, and dance, giving students conservatory-style training with industry professionals.
American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive
ABT's flagship summer ballet training program held in New York, California, and Florida, offering advanced dancers instruction in ABT's National Training Curriculum with merit-based scholarships available.
American Dance Festival Pre-Professional Dance Intensive
A two-week summer dance intensive at Duke University for dancers ages 13-17, offering training across multiple contemporary and modern dance forms with master classes from renowned touring companies.
ArtsBridge Summer – Dramatic Acting
ArtsBridge Dramatic Acting is an audition-based summer intensive hosted at partner colleges where serious high-school actors train with college faculty and receive guidance on BFA/BM audition prep.
ArtsBridge Summer – Musical Theater
Similar to the dramatic acting track, this intensive focuses on voice, acting, and dance for students aiming at competitive musical-theatre programs, with college faculty coaching audition materials.
Berkeley Rep School of Theatre – Camps and Intensives
Berkeley Repertory Theatre's School of Theatre runs summer camps and intensives in acting, musical theatre, and production for middle and high-school students, taught by professional artists.
Berklee Summer – Musical Theater Acting Intensive (MTAI)
Berklee's MTAI is a two-week intensive in Boston for high-school students focusing on acting, singing, and movement for musical theatre, culminating in a showcase.
Brevard Music Center High School Programs
Residential summer training at Brevard Music Center in North Carolina, with multi-week tracks for high schoolers in orchestral studies, musical theater, and classical voice alongside guest artists from major orchestras.
Broadway Artists Alliance – Summer Intensives
BAA runs audition-only summer intensives in New York City for young performers, with masterclasses led by Broadway professionals and individualized coaching on songs and monologues.
BroadwayEvolved – Summer Intensive
BroadwayEvolved offers a selective NYC-based intensive where students train with Broadway actors, directors, and casting directors in song interpretation, acting, and dance, plus industry panels.
California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA) - Theater
A highly selective four-week residential summer conservatory for high school students serious about acting, with training in scene study, voice, movement, and on-camera acting from working industry professionals.
Chapman University Backhausdance Summer Intensive
In-person 1-3 week dance intensive at Chapman University where high schoolers train daily in contemporary, modern, ballet, improvisation, and composition.
Circle in the Square Theatre School Summer Intensive
A rigorous two-week summer acting or musical theater workshop at the only theater school housed inside a Broadway theater, condensing the conservatory's professional training curriculum for students 15 and up.
CMU Pre-College Drama
Carnegie Mellon's Pre-College Drama is a rigorous six-week residential program mirroring the School of Drama's BFA training in acting, musical theatre, or design/production, ideal for students aiming for top-tier theatre programs.
CSSSA Dance (California State Summer School for the Arts)
Four-week residential pre-professional dance intensive for California high schoolers, offering ballet, contemporary, and modern technique training with professional guest artists.
Idyllwild Arts Summer Program
A summer arts program on a mountain campus in Southern California offering 120+ workshops and intensives for teens ages 13-18 in visual arts, music, theatre, dance, film, and creative writing.
Interlochen Arts Camp - High School Programs
A renowned residential summer arts camp in Michigan where high schoolers train intensively in music, theatre, dance, visual arts, film, or creative writing alongside a community of thousands of young artists.
International Thespian Festival
A week-long national theatre festival at Indiana University bringing together thousands of high school Thespians for workshops, college auditions, and the Thespy Awards recognizing excellence in school theatre performance and technical design.
Joffrey Ballet School Summer Intensives
Summer ballet intensives at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City, including a pre-professional track for ages 14-25 covering classical technique, partnering, pointe, and contemporary styles, admission by audition.
La Jolla Playhouse – Young Performers Programs
La Jolla Playhouse offers summer and school-year acting and theatre-making programs for youth, including high-school intensives tied to its professional productions.
Looking for Shakespeare (NYU Steinhardt)
A four-week online summer intensive from NYU Steinhardt's Program in Educational Theatre in which high school students study Shakespeare's plays through close text analysis, acting, and virtual production.
North Carolina Governor's School
The nation's oldest statewide residential summer program for gifted and talented students, offering rising juniors and seniors intensive study across the arts alongside academic disciplines at no cost to families.
Northwestern NHSI – Theatre Arts Division (Cherubs)
Northwestern's Theatre Arts "Cherubs" program is a five-week, very selective residential intensive in Evanston with a full conservatory-style schedule and final performances.
NYU Tisch Summer High School Program
Tisch Summer High School offers four-week residential and commuter tracks in drama, filmmaking, and production, giving students college-credit training with Tisch faculty in New York City.
San Francisco Ballet School Summer Program
Prestigious pre-professional summer ballet intensive with tracks for intermediate and advanced/pre-professional dancers, admission by audition.
School of American Ballet Summer Course
A five-week intensive ballet training program in New York City run by the official school of New York City Ballet, admitting intermediate and advanced dancers ages 12-18 through a national audition tour.
South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities Summer Programs
One- to five-week residential summer arts programs in South Carolina for students in grades 6-11, offering focused training tracks in music, visual arts, dance, theatre, and creative writing.
Stagedoor Manor
A total-immersion theater summer camp in upstate New York for students ages 10-18, offering three-week sessions with dozens of full productions and classes across acting, singing, dance, and technical theater.
Summer Shakes Intensive (Chicago Youth Shakespeare)
A Chicago summer intensive in which high school students train in Shakespearean acting technique and textual analysis, culminating in a week of live Shakespeare performances.
Summer with Shakespeare High School Intensive (A Noise Within)
A five-week summer intensive in Pasadena, California for students ages 14-18 that combines conservatory-style Shakespeare text analysis with a choice of acting or theater technology training, culminating in performances.
Tennessee Governor's School for the Arts
A three-week tuition-free summer intensive for rising Tennessee juniors and seniors to develop pre-professional skills in music, ballet, theatre, filmmaking, or visual art.
UNCSA Summer Session
Summer intensives, camps, and workshops for high schoolers at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, spanning dance, drama, visual art, filmmaking/animation, and music with conservatory-level faculty.
Virginia Summer Residential Governor's Schools - Visual & Performing Arts
A tuition-free, weeks-long residential summer program on a Virginia college campus where junior and senior high schoolers pursue intensive study in visual and performing arts alongside seminars and performances.
Walnut Hill School for the Arts Summer Programs
One- to three-week residential summer intensives at Walnut Hill's arts boarding school near Boston, covering theater, music, dance, filmmaking/writing, fashion, and visual arts for students ages 11-19.
Young Artists of America – Summer Performing Arts Program
YAA runs summer training and performance programs that combine orchestra, choir, and musical theatre, culminating in fully staged productions with professional-level direction.
ECFinder provides links to outside extracurricular opportunities for informational purposes only. Students and families should research each program before applying. ECFinder does not operate or control the listed organizations and is not responsible for their actions or policies.