Porchlight Summer Camp

Porchlight Summer Camp offers theatre-focused summer camp sessions where campers take part in acting, dancing, and singing through programs such as Mini Musicals, Broadway Basics, Intermediate Ensemble, Porchlight Youth Presents Willy Wonka Jr., and PMTeens. Camp days include drama games, learning music and acting technique, learning group songs and choreography, prop work, rehearsal, and a final presentation, along with lunch and free time at Oz Park. Campers in some sessions create an original musical performance, while actors in Porchlight Youth Presents rehearse and perform a full licensed script, and PMTeens participants receive professional theatre training, exclusive masterclasses, and live, professional theater experiences.

• Ages: 4–17 years old
• Schedule: Mini Musicals Summer Camp sessions run for 1 week from 9 AM–3 PM, with themed weeks scheduled from June 15–18 (no camp June 19), June 22–26, June 29–July 3, July 6–10, July 13–17, July 20–24, July 27–31, and August 3–7; Broadway Basics for ages 7–10 is a 2-week summer camp; before care is available starting at 7:30 AM and aftercare is available from 3:30–5:30 PM on camp days
• Price: Mini Musicals sessions range from $300 to $370 per week depending on the theme; before care through Jen’s Camp costs $160 per week with special pricing using the code porchlightmornings; a separate dance session on Saturday, May 9 at 10:30 AM costs $25

Porchlight Summer Camp’s Foundation Classes include Mini Musicals for ages 4–6, Broadway Basics for ages 7–10, and Intermediate Ensemble for ages 11–13, which introduce music theater skills through activities such as exploring environments, creating characters through play and improvisation, and more challenging technique and group work. Actors aged 7–13 years can join Porchlight Youth Presents to apply their skills while rehearsing and performing Willy Wonka Jr., which features songs from the 1971 film along with additional songs. PMTeens is described as a one-of-a-kind opportunity for 16 actors aged 14–17, who participate in an elite group that receives professional theatre training, exclusive masterclasses, and preparation for music theatre auditions.

All Porchlight classes are taught by theatre professionals who have appeared on stages throughout Chicagoland. Porchlight states that arts education is essential for all students and that no child will be turned away for their inability to pay, with scholarships and financial aid awarded on a need and interest basis through an application, and additional supports such as travel and meal support potentially available; payment plans are always available. Porchlight Music Theatre classes and camps are mask encouraged for all campers and Teaching Artists, and guidelines and recommendations were created following advice from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Illinois Department of Health, and Chicago Public Schools.

Porchlight Music Theatre is involved in outreach projects that focus on youth and underserved audiences’ understanding and appreciation of the music theatre genre, including a Community Outreach Program through which members of underserved populations attend live, professional theater as guests, with around 300–500 youth group guests hosted per season. The organization has partnered with the Humanities Department at Kennedy-King College and with Storycatchers Theatre to host intergenerational groups, and it provides free or greatly reduced-price tickets for Chicago-area community members who do not have the opportunity or financial means to attend performances. Over multiple holiday seasons, Porchlight Music Theatre has collected thousands of dollars in donations for Season of Concern, which serves community members affected by AIDS and HIV, and it donates gift certificates for tickets to Porchlight productions to support arts, community, education, and social service agency fundraisers.

Last updated April 18, 2026.