Child’s Play NY

Child’s Play NY offers Theater Adventures for 3K-PreK, where children explore story-telling, song, and creative movement. It also offers Make a Musical for PreK-2nd Grade, Musical Players, Scene Study, Improvisation, Shakespeare Players, Middle School Ensemble, Summer Camp, Vacation Camp, In-Home Classes, Birthdays, and In-Schools. The listed activities include improvisation, theater games, scripted scenes, original stories, singing, dance, speech, Greek myths, Shakespearean histories, and classics of American theater.

Programs

• Theater Adventures for 3K-PreK — 3K-PreK · Children explore story-telling, song and creative movement; classes encourage creative expression and confidence.
• Make a Musical – PreK-2nd Grade — PreK-2nd Grade · Kids work on a specific show and create mini-plays through improvisation and creative movement.
• Musical Players — Grades 1-3 and 4-6 · Improvisation and theater games support creativity, ensemble skills, singing, dance, speech, and improvisation.
• Scene Study – 1st-5th Grades — 1st-5th Grades · Students develop original stories and rehearse scripted scenes with improvisation and theater games.
• Improvisation — 1st-5th Grades · Dynamic improv class where students learn to think on their feet, listen, respond, and be creative in the moment.
• Shakespeare Players — Grades 3-5 · Young people learn Shakespeare’s world, language and characters through an abridged version of Shakespeare's plays.
• Middle School Ensemble — 6th-8th Grades · Students tackle Greek myths, Shakespearean histories, and classics of American theater.
• Summer Camp — ages 3-11 · Week-long intensives in joyful theater creation.
• Vacation Camp — Play when school is out.
• In-Home Classes — Teachers come to you; you pick a theme and time and the class is customized for your group.
• Birthdays — Customized birthday parties built around dramatic play and the theme of the child's choosing.
• In-Schools — Theater provider for after-school or customized residencies.

At a glance

• Ages: 3–13 years old

About the provider

Child’s Play NY was founded by Jocelyn Greene, a professional actor and educator, and she serves as founder and executive director. The program has been operating since 2009. It is described as an award-winning theater education company, with teaching artists who are professional performers and working actors. It partners with schools across New York City, works with dozens of NYC schools, offers in-school residencies, productions, after-school classes, summer camps, birthday parties, and teacher training, and supports Multi-Language Learners and Students With Disabilities. Need-based and tuition-reduced scholarships are offered for summer and after school programs, and scholarships are also offered to students from historically marginalized backgrounds.

Programming is based in New York City. Classes are built around theater, play, and creative movement. Child’s Play NY offers need-based and tuition-reduced scholarships for summer and after school programs.

What families say

“Child’s Play introduces kids to the magic of theater– building confidence, a sense of community, and most importantly, just plain fun.” — Elizabeth Merriwether

“This is the best theater group for kids in NYC. Jocelyn and her team are knowledgeable and creative, and produce wonderful plays with children. They are also amazing at building community with the students—along with acting/theater skills. The students are very close and kind/supportive to each other, rejoicing in each other’s triumphs.” — Joy Nolan | Founder, New Learning Collaborative, LLC

“I can’t tell you how great we feel Child’s Play NY is and has been for our son. His dedication to rehearsal and what the memorization does for his brain are invaluable for the kind of kid he is. Again, I believe that Child’s Play has been enormously beneficial and I’m grateful for the space you and your artist teachers provide for him.” — Bobby Cannavale

Last updated November 7, 2026.