Encore Stage & Studio
Cherrydale United Methodist Church, 3701 Lorcom Ln, Arlington, VA 22207
About
Encore Stage & Studio offers theatre classes, workshops, and summer camp programs that include specific themes such as The Magic School Bus Adventures, Mission Impossible, Transformers: Competition For The Ages, and Encore School of Wizardry. Children and teens can take part in programs like Holiday Mini-Camps, Spring Break Camp, and themed Mini-Camp & Play in a Day sessions such as The Wizard of Oz, The Jungle-Book, Return to Zootopia, Toy Stories, Wonka, Finding Dory, Wish, Super Mario Bros, Enchanted, Minions, Moana, and Mulan. Additional offerings include programs like Broadway Kids Disney: Water & Ice, Broadway Kids Disney: Heroes and Sidekicks, Broadway Bootcamp, Broadway Workshop, Stage Combat Adventures, Costume and Makeup Design, Commedia Dell'Arte & Mask Work, and a variety of Stage Door and Scenes For Tweens productions such as Aladdin Jr., Avatar, The Dumbest Play Ever, The Great Cellphone Disaster, Usher: A Totally Teen Comedy, and Summer Stooges.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
• Price: $115 first performance, $85 additional performances (for The Three Musketeers and Treasure Island licensing)
Encore Stage & Studio was founded in 1967 as The Children’s Theatre of Arlington and has produced almost 250 productions by and for young people over the course of its history. For over 50 years, it has given hundreds of thousands of young people the opportunity to grow and discover themselves through theatre and was led by volunteers for over 40 years before moving to a professional theatre model in 2010. The program produces eight fully staged productions each year under the guidance of experienced theatre professionals, with every actor and backstage crew member under 18 years of age and middle and high school students serving on the front-of-house team, and participation in productions is entirely free.
All classes are taught by professional educators and artists with a stated passion for working with children. Encore Stage & Studio offers a year-long apprentice position and multiple summer internships for college students and recent graduates, and its original plays are available for licensing by schools or theatre groups. The organization states that it inspires young people to develop creativity, empathy, and confidence to create meaningful connections with peers and have a positive impact in their communities, and it describes its approach as “theatre by kids, for kids,” engaging kids on both sides of the curtain and meeting them at their level. It also states a commitment to promoting inclusion and equitable access, and to providing inclusive opportunities for a diverse community of future thinkers, creators, and leaders.
Encore Stage & Studio frequently offers discounted and complimentary tickets to families who would not otherwise have access to theatre, offers need-based scholarships to all education programs, and states that no child has to pay to participate in productions. It partners with local schools and PTAs throughout northern Virginia to bring programs directly to students and offers outreach to underserved children and youth with community partners. Audience guidelines include arriving 30 minutes before the start of the play, using the restroom before entering, following reserved or general admission seating as indicated, and working with ushers who provide playbills and help guests find their seats; audience members are asked to sit properly, avoid kicking seats, turn off cell phones and devices, avoid eating, drinking, or chewing gum during the show, purchase and enjoy concessions only in the lobby before the show and during intermission, and keep cameras and video equipment off unless written permission is given.
Encore Stage & Studio has been nationally recognized as the 2017 recipient of the Twink Lynch Organizational Achievement Award from the American Association of Community Theatres. It has been a featured non-profit in the Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington since 2010, participates in the federal government’s Combined Federal Campaign, and receives grant funding from the Virginia Commission for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Arlington Cultural Affairs division of Arlington Economic Development, and the Arlington Commission for the Arts. Media testimonials describe Encore as “the region’s gold standard” for young audiences, note that productions are “kid/teen cast & crew led,” and highlight how much youthful participants drive the quality of the shows.
Last updated January 18, 2026.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
• Price: $115 first performance, $85 additional performances (for The Three Musketeers and Treasure Island licensing)
Encore Stage & Studio was founded in 1967 as The Children’s Theatre of Arlington and has produced almost 250 productions by and for young people over the course of its history. For over 50 years, it has given hundreds of thousands of young people the opportunity to grow and discover themselves through theatre and was led by volunteers for over 40 years before moving to a professional theatre model in 2010. The program produces eight fully staged productions each year under the guidance of experienced theatre professionals, with every actor and backstage crew member under 18 years of age and middle and high school students serving on the front-of-house team, and participation in productions is entirely free.
All classes are taught by professional educators and artists with a stated passion for working with children. Encore Stage & Studio offers a year-long apprentice position and multiple summer internships for college students and recent graduates, and its original plays are available for licensing by schools or theatre groups. The organization states that it inspires young people to develop creativity, empathy, and confidence to create meaningful connections with peers and have a positive impact in their communities, and it describes its approach as “theatre by kids, for kids,” engaging kids on both sides of the curtain and meeting them at their level. It also states a commitment to promoting inclusion and equitable access, and to providing inclusive opportunities for a diverse community of future thinkers, creators, and leaders.
Encore Stage & Studio frequently offers discounted and complimentary tickets to families who would not otherwise have access to theatre, offers need-based scholarships to all education programs, and states that no child has to pay to participate in productions. It partners with local schools and PTAs throughout northern Virginia to bring programs directly to students and offers outreach to underserved children and youth with community partners. Audience guidelines include arriving 30 minutes before the start of the play, using the restroom before entering, following reserved or general admission seating as indicated, and working with ushers who provide playbills and help guests find their seats; audience members are asked to sit properly, avoid kicking seats, turn off cell phones and devices, avoid eating, drinking, or chewing gum during the show, purchase and enjoy concessions only in the lobby before the show and during intermission, and keep cameras and video equipment off unless written permission is given.
Encore Stage & Studio has been nationally recognized as the 2017 recipient of the Twink Lynch Organizational Achievement Award from the American Association of Community Theatres. It has been a featured non-profit in the Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington since 2010, participates in the federal government’s Combined Federal Campaign, and receives grant funding from the Virginia Commission for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Arlington Cultural Affairs division of Arlington Economic Development, and the Arlington Commission for the Arts. Media testimonials describe Encore as “the region’s gold standard” for young audiences, note that productions are “kid/teen cast & crew led,” and highlight how much youthful participants drive the quality of the shows.
Last updated January 18, 2026.
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