WEST Performing Arts

WEST Performing Arts offers Winter/Spring classes, Summer Camps, WEST Academy Classes and Programs, and WEST Ensemble Players. Students take part in hands-on arts adventures in literature, performance, and original works, with specific offerings that have included Adventures of a Comic Book Hero, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Radium Girls. The program also offers community classes and creative residencies.

• Ages: 4–18 years old

WEST Performing Arts was founded in 2007 by Terri Steinmann, who is described as a lifelong educator and artist. The program’s stated mission is to ignite bold imagination, resilient creativity, and deep human connection through hands-on arts adventures in literature, performance, and original works, meeting young people ages 4–26 exactly where they are and cultivating joyful process, holistic growth, and community unity. WEST Performing Arts hosts community classes and partners with many alternative and public schools and independent learning centers, bringing creative residencies that honor each learner’s journey. The program describes itself as literature-rich and fantasy-infused, with programs that live in the worlds of books, from Hogwarts to Middle-earth, mythic quests, and original tales created in the room. It states that every child is welcomed without audition pressure or “type” casting, that educators are trained to adapt to different learning styles, sensory needs, and energy levels, and that neurodivergent and neurodiverse students are described as a cornerstone of its strength. The organization states that it prioritizes process over product, imagination over perfection, and human connection over polished performance, with final performances framed as celebrations rather than the goal. WEST Performing Arts notes that its approach echoes Montessori principles such as child-led discovery, hands-on play, and respect for individual pace, combined with ensemble collaboration. It also states a commitment to fairness and accessibility, including eliminating financial, physical, and cultural barriers through ADA-compliant facilities and targeted initiatives, and describes its professional community as embodying California’s vibrant diversity.

Last updated April 8, 2026.