Pasadena, CA, USA
Campers spend the day moving between performance workshops and full-cast rehearsal as they build a musical from the page to the stage. Musical Theater Camp welcomes ages 6–14 and does not require an audition for enrollment or casting. Teachers use the opening days to observe each child’s strengths and comfort level before assigning every camper a role in the production. The approach combines structured arts instruction with a non-competitive format designed for children who want to act, sing, dance, or try theater for the first time.
Morning workshop rotations develop acting technique, vocal skills, speech, choreography, and movement. Campers also work on improv, physical comedy, stage presence, script interpretation, and staging, then bring those skills into afternoon rehearsals with the full cast. Vocal training includes warm-ups, breathing, pitch, control, and phrasing. Alongside specialty instruction, campers share snack, lunch, play periods, group games, photo sessions, and Friday Spirit Day activities with the wider camp community.
The Pasadena Old Town program is held in the auditorium at Pasadena Presbyterian Church. The regular camp day runs from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, with supervised drop-off shortly before camp and a brief pickup window afterward. Each two-week session culminates in a performance for family and friends, giving campers a clear project to work toward while still keeping the daily experience centered on learning, rehearsal, and participation.
| Ages: | 6–14 |
| Type: | Day |
| Gender: | Co-Ed |
| Setting: | City |
| Arts: | Arts, Performing Arts, Musical Theater, Acting, Improvisation, Speech, Dance, Choreography, Hip-Hop Dance, Music, Singing |
| Meals Type: | Bring Your Own |
| Time: | 09:00 AM - 03:00 PM |
| Staff to Сamper Ratio: | 1:10-12 |
You won’t be charged yet. The camp will contact you to confirm all terms first.
| Dates | Days | Price | Apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 12 - Jul 23, 2027 | 12 | $1,050 | |
| Jul 26 - Aug 6, 2027 | 12 | $1,050 |
Musical Theater Camp is organized around a two-week production process. Campers begin the day with a shared warm-up and social circle, then move into specialty instruction. For Musical Theater, morning rotations include voice training, acting technique, and choreography/dance in age-appropriate peer groups. The wider curriculum also includes speech work, physical comedy, improv, stage presence, script interpretation, staging, and related performance skills.
Vocal workshops teach warm-ups, proper breathing, pitch, control, and phrasing. Acting and movement lessons are designed to give campers practical tools they can use later in rehearsal. In the afternoon, the musical-theater group comes together as a full cast to apply the morning’s techniques to the session production. Campers are not asked to audition for a place in camp or for a role. Instead, teachers observe participation during the first two days and assign every child a part based on strengths, aptitude, and comfort level.
Snack, lunch, play periods, group games, photo sessions, and Friday Spirit Day activities are built into the broader camp day. On the final day, campers present the musical for family and friends, bringing the session’s workshop and rehearsal work together on stage.
Families pack food for the camp day. Each camper should bring a mid-morning snack, a complete lunch, a beverage, and a bottle of water. The facility does not provide refrigeration for children’s lunches, so food should either be shelf-stable or packed in an insulated lunch box with an ice pack when it needs to stay cold. PAW also advises families to pack enough food for both snack and lunch because the day includes substantial movement and activity. Parents should include any food-related allergy information in the required disclosure process so the camp can plan around a child’s documented needs.
All campers must be signed in each morning and signed out each afternoon by the person dropping off or picking up. Families must provide written authorization when someone other than a parent or guardian will collect a child, or when a child is permitted to walk or bike home. At Pasadena Old Town, supervised pickup continues after the 3:00 PM camp day until the site closes at 3:20 PM.
Teaching staff are screened before working with campers and must clear a criminal background check. Camp rules also cover safe attire and footwear for an active day. Parents are asked to disclose allergies, medications, disabilities, or special needs in advance so the organization and on-site director have appropriate written guidance. Campers’ phones remain put away during the program so staff can keep children engaged and maintain established parent-to-office-to-camp communication procedures.
Parents must disclose allergies, medications, medical needs, disabilities, or special needs through PAW’s Disclosure & Guidance process. Families are advised to contact the office before enrollment when a child has specific support needs, and additional written guidance or releases may be required. In some cases, documentation may also be requested from a child’s doctor.
With written permission, staff may be able to assist with certain simple medications, but PAW instructors are arts educators rather than medical professionals and cannot support every medication or medical need. Approved medications should be clearly labeled with the child’s name and instructions, then given to the on-site director for safekeeping. Parents of children with medications or special needs are asked to arrive early on the first day to review the plan directly with the camp director.
PAW teachers are arts specialists with prior experience working with children. The organization says instructors are professionals in their fields and have or are working toward bachelor’s or master’s degrees. Teachers are screened and must clear a criminal background check before placement. The published staffing level is one adult for every 10 to 12 children. Musical Theater campers work with specialized instructors during skill workshops and then come together as a full cast for rehearsal.
Parents can relay important messages through the PAW office during camp hours. On-site directors and teachers check in with the office multiple times each day so information can move between families and the camp without pulling teaching staff away from supervision. Campers’ cell phones must remain zipped in backpacks during the program. Families may also speak with the on-site director about casting, costumes, medications, or other child-specific needs.
Supervised drop-off runs from 8:45 to 9:00 AM, and the regular camp day is 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Pasadena Old Town does not offer Extended Play; supervised pickup continues after 3:00 PM and the site closes at 3:20 PM. An optional Sunrise Student program allows arrival from 8:00 AM. Every camper must be signed in and out daily, and written authorization is required for alternate pickup or independent walking/biking. Campers should bring a snack, lunch, water, their Musical Theater script once issued, and any special clothing or gear needed for the day.
For Pasadena Old Town sessions affected by the published June 18 or July 5 holiday closure, PAW says the enrollment-form tuition is reduced by the equivalent of one camp day. Two-week Musical Theater tuition may be paid in full or through the organization’s three-installment payment plan.
