Hoboken Children’s Theater

55 Sterling Ave., Weehawken
646-339-8485

When it comes to theater, there’s only so much you can learn in a classroom—which is why (in addition to offering plenty of acting workshops) the Hoboken Children’s Theater gives teens serious about performing the chance to join one of their two audition-only theater companies: The Junior Company (ages 11 to 15) and the Senior Company (ages 14 and up). Weeks of classes and rehearsals all culminate in one to two weeks of performances (with real scripts, costumes and choreography) at the Monroe TheatreSpace in Hoboken. Past productions include Legally Blonde the Musical, Les Miserables, The Wizard of Oz and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

Kelsey Theatre at Mercer County Community College

1200 Old Trenton Rd., West Windsor
609-570-3333

For more than 40 years, the Kelsey Theatre at Mercer County Community College’s Tomato Patch Visual and Performing Arts Workshops have taught over 6,500 teens everything they need to know to land their next role. Tomato Patch is central Jersey’s longest running arts program with training in theater, dance, vocals, comedy, video, musical theater and more —and no where is proof of the program’s excellence more evident than in its list of star-studded alum. Nationally touring productions and TV shows past and present are full of former Tomato Patchers, including Broadways’ Chicago and Legally Blonde The Musical, and HBO’s The Sopranos.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey

3 Vreeland Rd., Florham Park
973-845-6723

For an actor, there’s arguably no better foundation than a background in Shakespeare. Luckily for Garden State teens, there’s The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey—the state’s largest professional theater company dedicated solely to the bard and home to The Shakespeare Theatre Academy. In classes like “Teen Actors Workshop,” students use games, scene work and (of course) Shakespearean texts to learn about movement, speech and character creation. Actors-in-training are invited to join the Junior Shakespeare Corps (ages 11 to 14) and the Senior Shakespeare Corps (ages 14 to 18) to showcase their skills on stage in Madison’s 400-seat Dorothy Young Center for the Arts. Past performances include Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Macbeth.

More Drama Programs In Your Area

Bergen County

Bergen Performing Arts Center
30 North Van Brunt St. Englewood
201-227-1030

The Conservatory of Performing Arts
300 Knickerbocker Rd. Cresskill
201-390-7513

Porch Light Theatre & Performance Studio
555 Broad St., Glen Rock
201-857-3520

Essex County

Broadway Performing Arts
357 Broad St., Bloomfield
973-748-2787

New Jersey Performing Arts Center
1 Center St., Newark
973-353-7058

New Jersey School of Dramatic Arts
593 Bloomfield Ave. Bloomfield
973-566-9700

Newark School of the Arts
89 Lincoln Park, Newark
973-642-0133

Paper Mill Playhouse
22 Brookside Dr., Millburn
973-379-3636

Performers Theatre Workshop
1 Pierson Rd., Maplewood
973-327-2250

Hudson County

Hoboken Comedy Festival
1039 Washington St.
Hoboken
201-898-0772

Mercer County

McCarter Theatre Center
91 University Pl., Princeton
609-258-8289

Middlesex County

George Street Playhouse
9 Livingston Ave.
New Brunswick
732-846-2895

Rutgers High School Musical Theater Academy
33 Livingston Ave.
New Brunswick
848-932-8618

Morris County

Brightest Star School of Performing Arts
16 Ridgedale Ave.
Cedar Knolls
973-829-1973

Brundage Park Playhouse
2 Bungalow Ln., Randolph
973-989-7092

Mayo Performing Arts Center
100 South St., Morristown
973-539-0345

Passaic County

Action Theatre
Conservatory
68 Union Ave., Clifton
862-243-2827

Union County

Contagious Drama Workshop
140 Mountain Ave., Westfield
917-836-3740

Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre
120 Morris Ave., Summit
908-514-9654

PeachCraft Studios of Drama, Voice & Filmmaking
371 Springfield Ave., Summit
908-673-1485

Pineda Conservatory For The Performing Arts
1171 Terrill Rd., Scotch Plains
908-731-1377

Warren County

Centenary Stage
Company
715 Grand Ave., Hackettstown
908-979-0900

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