Gold Coast Theatre Conservatory

Gold Coast Theatre Conservatory offers acting training that includes monologues, duologues, and exercises, along with specific classes and activities such as Acting in a Production, Intermediate Acting and Improv, Playwriting, Directing, Audition Technique, Stage Combat, Theatre History, Scene Design, Movement, Voice, and Comedy. All plays in the program are original and written specifically for each class, and all students are cast in parts that are mostly on stage for most of the time with mostly equal parts. Classes take place one weekend day only, and students also attend master classes in multiple theatre disciplines.

• Ages: 8–18 years old
• Schedule: Fall 2025 “Acting in a Production” session starts September 1, 2025, on Sundays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm; Intermediate Acting and Improv runs Sundays from 9:00 am to 10:00 am from September 8 to October 13, 2024

Founded in 1987, Gold Coast Theatre Conservatory has been giving young people a solid foundation in the basics of theatre since 1994, with cornerstone Sunday classes providing training in all aspects of theatre arts. Since 1994, the program has brought together children in grades 3–12 to work together as peers, and it encourages students to explore every aspect of the theater. In 1995, the Conservatory staged “OUR TOWN,” the first production with young actors at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, and over 1,000 young people have trained at the Conservatory.

Founding Artistic Director Stephanie (Angelini) Wilson has taught theatre to people of all ages since 1980 and has produced and directed for The Olympic Arts Festival, Cabrillo Music Theatre, and Young Artists Ensemble. Her original productions have been showcased at the Mark Taper Forum and Covent Garden in London. Gold Coast Theatre Conservatory is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and Gold Coast Plays has received several Ovation Award nominations.

Gold Coast Performing Arts Association has been very active since 1994 as a way for local companies to gain access to theatres at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza and to provide a funding safety net for programming. One student described the conservatory as offering a nurturing environment with a variety of course material and unique works, and said the auditioning master class taught them how to go into an interview or audition prepared. A parent of a returning student shared that their child started with stage fright and now signs up for every acting opportunity, and another parent noted that their 13-year-old is working on a second play and looks forward to every practice and showtime.

Last updated March 15, 2026.