Helen Hayes Youth Theatre
Helen Hayes Studios, 142 Main Street, Nyack, NY 10956
About
Helen Hayes Youth Theatre offers a range of theater programs and classes, including Lollipop Kids, Junior Company, Intermediate Company, Senior Company, Musical Theater Classes, Improv Class, Voice Technique Class, One Day Broadway Master Class, Preschool Broadway, Audition Workshops, On Camera Workshop, and Summer Theater Camp. The program also runs specific productions and camps such as the Junior Company Footloose Winter 2026 program, High School Musical - Two Week Camp, The SpongeBob Musical - Two Week Camp, Mamma Mia Cabaret - One Week Camp, The Greatest Showman Cabaret - One Week Camp, and KPop Demon Hunters Cabaret - One Week Camp.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Junior Company Footloose Winter 2026 runs January 16–April 10 for the Friday Cast and January 17–April 11 for the Saturday Morning Cast, with additional mandatory dress rehearsals and performance dates in mid-April; summer camps run in one- and two-week sessions between June 29 and August 14, Monday–Friday, generally from 10:00am–4:30pm.
• Price: Junior Company Footloose Winter 2026 Friday Cast and Saturday Morning Cast are $950 each; High School Musical and The SpongeBob Musical two-week camps are $825 each; Mamma Mia, The Greatest Showman, and KPop Demon Hunters one-week cabaret camps are $400 each; early bird pricing through January 31, 2026 sets two-week camps at $775 and one-week camps at $375; the refund policy provides a 75% tuition refund with written notice at least eight weeks before the session start date, with no refund for cancellations within eight weeks or for personal reasons such as unhappiness with casting.
In 1998, Danielle Rudess founded the Helen Hayes Youth Theatre as a division of the Helen Hayes Theatre Company. In 2003, after the Helen Hayes Theatre Company closed, the Helen Hayes estate gave Danielle permission to keep the name. Since 1998, Helen Hayes Youth Theatre has served young performers ages 5–22. Over the past 20 years, many students from the program have gone on to Broadway, film, and television careers.
The program states that its mission is to offer the ultimate arts experience, with a team of theater professionals dedicated to creating high-quality theatrical productions and to giving each child special attention as they grow artistically and personally, with emphasis on the learning process, community building, and fun. It is described as one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions of theater education in America, welcoming young actors of all skill levels, from novices to seasoned performers. The High School Musical and The SpongeBob Musical two-week camps focus on rehearsing a musical that culminates in a full production, while the Mamma Mia, The Greatest Showman, and KPop Demon Hunters one-week cabaret camps focus on learning songs and choreography from those shows and ending with a cabaret showcase on the final day.
The program’s name honors Helen Hayes, who is counted among only 12 EGOT winners and received both the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Arts for her contributions to American arts and community service. It was Helen Hayes’ dream to see children in the community have the opportunity to perform in a theater bearing her name. Broadway, television, and film actor Skylar Astin has credited Helen Hayes Youth Theatre as the place where he got his start in musical theater, describing being recruited by Danielle Rudess after a piano recital and being cast as Jesus in Godspell.
Last updated February 7, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Junior Company Footloose Winter 2026 runs January 16–April 10 for the Friday Cast and January 17–April 11 for the Saturday Morning Cast, with additional mandatory dress rehearsals and performance dates in mid-April; summer camps run in one- and two-week sessions between June 29 and August 14, Monday–Friday, generally from 10:00am–4:30pm.
• Price: Junior Company Footloose Winter 2026 Friday Cast and Saturday Morning Cast are $950 each; High School Musical and The SpongeBob Musical two-week camps are $825 each; Mamma Mia, The Greatest Showman, and KPop Demon Hunters one-week cabaret camps are $400 each; early bird pricing through January 31, 2026 sets two-week camps at $775 and one-week camps at $375; the refund policy provides a 75% tuition refund with written notice at least eight weeks before the session start date, with no refund for cancellations within eight weeks or for personal reasons such as unhappiness with casting.
In 1998, Danielle Rudess founded the Helen Hayes Youth Theatre as a division of the Helen Hayes Theatre Company. In 2003, after the Helen Hayes Theatre Company closed, the Helen Hayes estate gave Danielle permission to keep the name. Since 1998, Helen Hayes Youth Theatre has served young performers ages 5–22. Over the past 20 years, many students from the program have gone on to Broadway, film, and television careers.
The program states that its mission is to offer the ultimate arts experience, with a team of theater professionals dedicated to creating high-quality theatrical productions and to giving each child special attention as they grow artistically and personally, with emphasis on the learning process, community building, and fun. It is described as one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions of theater education in America, welcoming young actors of all skill levels, from novices to seasoned performers. The High School Musical and The SpongeBob Musical two-week camps focus on rehearsing a musical that culminates in a full production, while the Mamma Mia, The Greatest Showman, and KPop Demon Hunters one-week cabaret camps focus on learning songs and choreography from those shows and ending with a cabaret showcase on the final day.
The program’s name honors Helen Hayes, who is counted among only 12 EGOT winners and received both the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Arts for her contributions to American arts and community service. It was Helen Hayes’ dream to see children in the community have the opportunity to perform in a theater bearing her name. Broadway, television, and film actor Skylar Astin has credited Helen Hayes Youth Theatre as the place where he got his start in musical theater, describing being recruited by Danielle Rudess after a piano recital and being cast as Jesus in Godspell.
Last updated February 7, 2026.
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