Ignite the Spark for Performing Arts! 

Meet the Young Actors Summer Institute (YASI), one of the most comprehensive summer theater programs in New England!  Led by experienced, enthusiastic local artists and educators, YASI helps students from first grade through recent high school graduates develop confidence, make new friends, build skills on and off stage, and have plenty of summer fun. 

Each YASI camp is one week-long and covers a different theatrical topic. We welcome students of all levels of experience and backgrounds. Join us for just one, or mix and match multiple camps for the ultimate theater kid summer. 

Please read the Cancellation Policy and our most recent health and safety policy.  

During classes, students should wear comfortable, movement-ready clothes and secure, closed-toe shoes.

Some camps (YASI Players, YASI Popsical, and YASI One Acts) may require a pre-meeting for script reading and casting. 

Financial Aid  

Please fill out the Financial Aid Application BEFORE registering for a summer camp. Once your application is processed (allow 10 business days), you will receive a discount code to use at registration. Financial aid is need-based only, and applicants must fill out the form and complete a personal statement to be considered. Payment plans are also available. Email education@trinityrep.com with all inquiries. 

Please Note: All students must submit a $50 non-refundable deposit to hold a spot in the program. Email education@trinityrep.com if this is cost prohibitive for your family. 

YASI 2025 Camps

YASI Fight & Make Up

June 23 – 27, 2025
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
For students entering grades 5 – 7
Up to 16 students
$425
Registration opens January 3

Master onstage illusions through two of theater’s most magical tools: stage combat and stage makeup! If you’ve ever wanted to play a zombie or a Jedi Master on stage, this is your chance. While emphasizing safety and realism, students learn techniques for movement, including punches, kicks, falls, and reaction. The moves will then be incorporated into scenes that involve confrontations.  Students will also learn how to create different kinds of stage blood, wounds, bruises, old age makeup and more.  

Students enrolled in this program may bring their own makeup, but we can also provide products in a variety of skin tones. The final fight sequence will be presented at the end of the week for students’ families and friends. 

YASI Improv & Comedy

June 23 – 27, 2025
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
For students entering grades 8 – 12 and graduated high school seniors
Up to 20 students
$425
Registration opens January 3

If you’ve ever loved an SNL skit, an iconic one-liner from your favorite movie, or a hilarious creator on social media, Improv & Comedy is for you. YASI Improv and Comedy teaches students the basics of improvisation, comedy writing, comedic timing, and physical comedy. By writing scripts and crafting characters, students will make audiences roll in the aisles laughing!  

YASI Jr.

Session One
July 7 – 11, 2025
9:00 am – 2:00 pm
For students entering grades 1– 2 (up to eight students) and grades 3 – 4 (up to 12 students)
$325
Registration opens January 3

Session Two
July 14 – 18, 2025
9:00 am – 2:00 pm
For students entering grades 1– 2 (up to eight students) and grades 3 – 4 (up to 12 students)
$325
Registration opens January 3

In our summer offering for children entering grades 1 – 4, young actors learn how to tell stories using their voice, movement, and imagination. Throughout the week, students develop characters, create props, and build an ensemble, cumulating in a short performance at the end of the week!

Please note: Please enroll in only one week of YASI Jr to make room for other students.

YASI Musical Theater

Session One
July 7 – 11, 2025
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
For students entering grades 8 – 12 and graduated high school seniors
Up to 20 students
$475
Registration opens January 3

Session Two
July 14 – 18, 2025
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
For students entering grades 5 – 7 and graduated high school seniors
Up to 20 students
$475
Registration opens January 3

Acting, singing, and dancing? It’s the classic triple threat, and this immersive experience helps students develop all three skills. In YASI Musical Theater, students explore characters and stories through words, song, and movement.

YASIlito (New!)

July 14 – 18, 2025
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
For students entering grades 8 – 12 and graduated high school seniors
Up to 15 students
$425
Registration opens January 3

YASIlito is an all-new immersive experience, designed to introduce teens to the world of bilingual performing arts. Led by Rhode Island Latino Arts (RILA), students will prepare a short, Spanish/English bilingual performance to share with families at the end of the week. This course is open to Latino/Latina/Latinx youth interested in exploring bilingualism, theater, and cultural expression. Instruction will primarily be in English and “Spanglish.” 

YASI Popsical

July 21 – 25, 2025
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
For students entering grades 5 – 9
Up to 25 students
$425
Registration opens January 3

From Mamma Mia! to Moulin Rouge, jukebox musicals are having a moment. But what if we created our own pop musical using iconic songs, both vintage and new? You’d have a pop-musical – a “Popsical!” During this camp, students mount an original jukebox musical, The Temperpest, based on The Tempest by William Shakespeare, in just one week. This magical, nautical, seaside story is an ensemble-based show and includes solo opportunities for students. At the end of the week, friends and family get to see the premiere performance of the Popsical! 

Everyone who registers for YASI Popsical will be cast in the play. The class will perform the play on the afternoon of Friday, July 25.

YASI Casting Call

July 21 – 25, 2025
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
For students entering grades 8 – 12 and graduated high school seniors
Up to 20 students
$425
Registration opens January 3

Learn how to ace the big audition with YASI Casting Call! This class explores different types of acting auditions, with a special emphasis on the two-monologue theatrical audition. Students learn how to best perform monologues and short scenes, helpful audition techniques, and common audition pitfalls to avoid. They also will create self-tapes for film, television, and commercial auditions; and put together a resume and headshots. The class culminates in a mock audition in which each student presents two monologues and receives feedback. Young actors receive files of their on-camera auditions after the class. 

YASI One Act

July 28 – August 1, 2025
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
For students entering grades 9 – 12 and graduated high school seniors
Up to 20 students
$425
Registration opens January 3

In this exciting week-long camp, students prepare a contemporary one-act play! From the first read-through of the script and character analysis to dress rehearsal and curtain call, YASI One Act gives young performers a taste of all the steps that come with working on a live stage production.  

Everyone who registers for YASI One Act will be cast in the play. The class will perform the play on the afternoon of Friday, August 1.

YASI Improv

July 28 – August 1, 2025
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
For students entering grades 5 – 7
Up to 20 students
$425
Registration opens January 3

Learn how to build characters and a scene with the power of collaboration and imagination! YASI Improv teaches students the basics of improvisation, including building off others’ ideas, establishing a point of view, and creating a world to play in. Through creating characters and committing to the physical life of a scene, students will truly create something from nothing!  

YASI Players

August 4 – 8, 2025
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
For students entering grades 5 – 9
Up to 20 students
$425
Registration opens January 3

In YASI Players, young actors rehearse, stage, and perform a brand-new family-friendly play in one week!  Written by a local artist, students will be the first to ever perform in a brand-new production, and in doing so, get a behind-the-scenes look at the opening of a show. Previous plays include Superpetey is Dead by William Derby, The Kids Go Down Below by Rodney Witherspoon II, The Many Lives of Fancy Devereaux and Rose & Iris by David Rabinow, Little Big State and The Whale in the Hudson by Bradley Wilson, and Roger That!  and Jane the Witch by Emma Platt.  

Everyone who registers for YASI Players will be cast in the play. Elder students receive priority casting. The performance will be held on the afternoon of Friday, August 8.

YASI Dice & Drama (New!)

August 4 – 8, 2025
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
For students entering grades 8 – 12 and graduated high school seniors
Up to 18 students
$425
Registration opens January 3

Calling all tabletop gamers! If you’ve ever played Dungeons & Dragons or any other roleplaying game, you know the power of telling stories. Now, take your creativity to the stage with YASI Dice and Drama! In this new course, students play short tabletop games and then work together to create original plays based on their campaigns. Students serve as actors, directors, and/or members of the creative team as they bring their campaigns to life on stage. In doing so, they will learn about narrative storytelling, dramaturgy, and visual composition. The week will end in a staged reading and presentation of the class’s characters, world, and creations.