Enjoy two weeks of college life at beautiful SUNY Oswego on the shore of Lake Ontario. Earn three semester hours of college credit. If you are a rising 10^th or 11^th grade student, serious about developing as a performing artist, and desire a challenging and intensive course of study that will test your limits and strengthen your abilities, this process-focused program may be for you.

In addition to daily and evening classes and seminars, the program includes a weekend visit to the Shaw Festival (one of the premier Theatre companies in North America) in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada to see two productions that blend language, character, comedy and thought provoking ideas in surprising ways.

At a matinee students will see George Bernard Shaw’s satirical comedy The Philanderer, a play that asks the question: what can a man do when the woman he loves won’t have him and the woman he spurns won’t give him up? Set in the early 1890’s, the play explores love and marriage in a provocative and humorous way when the doors of the Ibsen Club are thrown open to women – but in order for a woman to qualify, she must first prove that she is “an unwomanly woman.”

In the evening students will see a performance of Mack and Mabel. With book by Michael Stewart and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, this musical (first produced on Broadway in 1974) imaginatively explores the relationship between two real life personalities from the silent film era.  Director Mack Sennett (of Keystone Cops fame) discovers the young comedienne Mabel Normand and their tempestuous professional and romantic story is played out through an exuberant and melodic score.  

On the return trip, students will visit the lively and enchanting Renaissance Festival in Sterling, New York.

The Institute will culminate on July 28 with a reception for family and friends followed by open classes to observe working sessions.

Successful completion of the Theatre Institute will earn three college credits. These credits may be applied to any program at SUNY Oswego or easily transferred to another college or university.

Acceptance into the Theatre Institute is determined on a rolling basis within two weeks of receipt of the application. Applications will be accepted until the program capacity has been reached. Scholarship applications, however, must be received no later than May 30. Space is limited, so it recommended that you submit your application to the institute early.

The program cost, $2195, is inclusive of tuition, supplies, room, meals, and field trip. Partial, need-based scholarships are available. Join us this summer to explore the possibilities of your talent and craft!

Find out more about the various valuable classes you'll be taking...