AKT Academy Youth Acting & Musical Theater Workshops
Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W Sierra Madre Blvd, Sierra Madre, CA 91024
About
AKT Academy Youth Acting & Musical Theater Workshops offers hands-on classes in acting, comedy, singing, movement, monologue, scene work, improv, writing, theater games, and improv techniques. The program also includes a Writing & Comedy Workshop and a Youth Onstage Musical Theater option that focuses on mastering singing, movement, and drama, with final student showcases for each session.
• Ages: 10–18 years old
• Schedule: Multi-week sessions with weekday class options in June and August, plus a fall Youth Onstage Musical Theater series
• Price: $775 per session, with discounts and a $600 option for Youth Onstage Musical Theater
Session 1 includes a morning class, “Frumpled Fairy Tales & Fractured Fables,” meeting Monday–Friday from June 15–26, 9:00 am–12:00 pm, and an afternoon “Theater Games and Improv Techniques” class meeting Monday–Friday from June 15–26, 1:00 pm–4:00 pm, with a final student showcase on June 26. Session 2 is a Writing & Comedy Workshop for grades 5–10 that meets Monday–Friday from August 3–14, 8:00 am–12:00 pm, with a final student showcase on August 14. Session 1 offers free extended care before class (8:00–9:00 am), mid-day (12:00–1:00 pm, bring your own lunch), and after class (4:00–5:00 pm), and has a maximum of 15 students per class for ages 10–15. Youth Onstage Musical Theater meets Tuesdays from 4:00–6:00 pm from September 10 to December 11, includes 12 classes plus one individual coaching session, has a class limit of 12 students, and ends with a final showcase on December 11, with no class on October 1 or November 26.
The program has been running for 25 years under the banner “From Stage Fright to Spotlight — 25 Years Strong!” Lead instructor Alison Kalmus has over 30 years of film and theater performance, teaching, directing, and producing experience, and is an award-winning director of theater, musicals, and opera with directing credits at Sierra Madre Playhouse and four seasons of professional Shakespeare in The Park in collaboration with the City of Sierra Madre and Los Angeles County Parks & Recreation. Vocal and music instructors Gayle Bluemel and Dianne Harmel bring experience as a school principal and performing arts specialist, founder and leader of a vocal arts nonprofit, college voice faculty member, and mezzo-soprano soloist. Choreography and movement instructor Jean-Michelle Sayeg is a professional dancer and choreographer with national tour, ballet, and opera credits, multiple dance and choreography awards, and membership in Actors Equity, SAG-AFTRA, and AGMA.
One parent, Gary Rapkin, Ph.D., Executive Leadership Consultant and Former Superintendent of Schools, describes his daughter’s participation in both Spring and Summer AKT Academies as “fun, positive and productive” and notes that she is “excited to jump on board for the Fall session,” and he thanks director Alison Kalmus and her team for “doing a tremendous job and providing a great service to kids and their families.”
Last updated June 24, 2026.
• Ages: 10–18 years old
• Schedule: Multi-week sessions with weekday class options in June and August, plus a fall Youth Onstage Musical Theater series
• Price: $775 per session, with discounts and a $600 option for Youth Onstage Musical Theater
Session 1 includes a morning class, “Frumpled Fairy Tales & Fractured Fables,” meeting Monday–Friday from June 15–26, 9:00 am–12:00 pm, and an afternoon “Theater Games and Improv Techniques” class meeting Monday–Friday from June 15–26, 1:00 pm–4:00 pm, with a final student showcase on June 26. Session 2 is a Writing & Comedy Workshop for grades 5–10 that meets Monday–Friday from August 3–14, 8:00 am–12:00 pm, with a final student showcase on August 14. Session 1 offers free extended care before class (8:00–9:00 am), mid-day (12:00–1:00 pm, bring your own lunch), and after class (4:00–5:00 pm), and has a maximum of 15 students per class for ages 10–15. Youth Onstage Musical Theater meets Tuesdays from 4:00–6:00 pm from September 10 to December 11, includes 12 classes plus one individual coaching session, has a class limit of 12 students, and ends with a final showcase on December 11, with no class on October 1 or November 26.
The program has been running for 25 years under the banner “From Stage Fright to Spotlight — 25 Years Strong!” Lead instructor Alison Kalmus has over 30 years of film and theater performance, teaching, directing, and producing experience, and is an award-winning director of theater, musicals, and opera with directing credits at Sierra Madre Playhouse and four seasons of professional Shakespeare in The Park in collaboration with the City of Sierra Madre and Los Angeles County Parks & Recreation. Vocal and music instructors Gayle Bluemel and Dianne Harmel bring experience as a school principal and performing arts specialist, founder and leader of a vocal arts nonprofit, college voice faculty member, and mezzo-soprano soloist. Choreography and movement instructor Jean-Michelle Sayeg is a professional dancer and choreographer with national tour, ballet, and opera credits, multiple dance and choreography awards, and membership in Actors Equity, SAG-AFTRA, and AGMA.
One parent, Gary Rapkin, Ph.D., Executive Leadership Consultant and Former Superintendent of Schools, describes his daughter’s participation in both Spring and Summer AKT Academies as “fun, positive and productive” and notes that she is “excited to jump on board for the Fall session,” and he thanks director Alison Kalmus and her team for “doing a tremendous job and providing a great service to kids and their families.”
Last updated June 24, 2026.
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