Encore Stage & Studio Camps and Classes
Tuckahoe Elementary School, 6550 26th St N, Arlington, VA 22213
About
Encore Stage & Studio Camps and Classes offers theatre classes, workshops, and summer camp programs that include specific themes and productions 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, Broadway Kids Disney sessions, Broadway Workshop, Broadway Bootcamp, and a variety of Mini-Camp & Play in a Day experiences based on stories like The Wizard of Oz, The Jungle Book, Toy Story, Finding Dory, Wish, Super Mario Bros, Enchanted, Minions, and Return to Zootopia. The program also includes focused offerings such as stage combat, Stage Combat Adventures, Costume and Makeup Design, Commedia Dell'Arte & Mask Work, makeup design, playwriting, advanced acting skills, and themed classes and camps like Eureka!, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Dora The Explorer, Moana, Mulan, Summer Stories, Summer Stooges, Scene Stealers, Legends Come To Life, Live From Encore!, and multiple Stage Door productions including The Ultimate Audition Experience, Usher: A Totally Teen Comedy, The Great Cellphone Disaster, Aladdin Jr., The Dumbest Play Ever, and Avatar.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
Encore Stage & Studio was founded in 1967 as The Children’s Theatre of Arlington and has operated for over 50 years. For over 40 of those years it was led by volunteers before moving to a professional theatre model in 2010. All classes are taught by professional educators and artists with a stated passion for working with children.
The organization states that its mission is to inspire young people to develop creativity, empathy, and confidence so they can create meaningful connections with peers and have a positive impact in their communities. It identifies itself as a national leader in theater by and for young people, engaging kids on both sides of the curtain and providing inclusive opportunities for a diverse community of future thinkers, creators, and leaders. Encore Stage & Studio describes its approach as “Theatre for Kids, by Kids!” and notes that every actor and backstage crew member in its productions is under 18 years of age, with middle and high school students serving on the front-of-house team. Participation in productions is entirely free, and the organization produces eight fully staged productions each year, including musicals, straight plays, classic stories, and new commissioned works. Encore also offers a year-long apprentice position and multiple summer internships for college students and recent graduates, and its original plays are available for licensing. The organization states that it is committed to promoting inclusion and equitable access to all of its programs and that it believes an artistic community is enhanced through diversity.
Encore Stage & Studio reports that it frequently offers discounted and complimentary tickets to families who would not otherwise have access to theatre, offers need-based scholarships for all education programs, and ensures that no child has to pay to participate in productions. It also reports frequent partnerships with local schools and PTAs in northern Virginia and outreach to underserved children and youth with community partners.
The organization has been nationally recognized with the Twink Lynch Organizational Achievement Award from the American Association of Community Theatres in 2017. It has been a featured nonprofit in the Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington since 2010 and participates in the federal government’s Combined Federal Campaign. It 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.
Published testimonials describe Encore as “so inspiring” with a “kid/teen cast & crew led production of The Lion King,” call it “the region’s gold standard” for young children, and note that “the quality of the show is made all the more remarkable by how much its youthful participants drive the show.”
Last updated January 18, 2026.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
Encore Stage & Studio was founded in 1967 as The Children’s Theatre of Arlington and has operated for over 50 years. For over 40 of those years it was led by volunteers before moving to a professional theatre model in 2010. All classes are taught by professional educators and artists with a stated passion for working with children.
The organization states that its mission is to inspire young people to develop creativity, empathy, and confidence so they can create meaningful connections with peers and have a positive impact in their communities. It identifies itself as a national leader in theater by and for young people, engaging kids on both sides of the curtain and providing inclusive opportunities for a diverse community of future thinkers, creators, and leaders. Encore Stage & Studio describes its approach as “Theatre for Kids, by Kids!” and notes that every actor and backstage crew member in its productions is under 18 years of age, with middle and high school students serving on the front-of-house team. Participation in productions is entirely free, and the organization produces eight fully staged productions each year, including musicals, straight plays, classic stories, and new commissioned works. Encore also offers a year-long apprentice position and multiple summer internships for college students and recent graduates, and its original plays are available for licensing. The organization states that it is committed to promoting inclusion and equitable access to all of its programs and that it believes an artistic community is enhanced through diversity.
Encore Stage & Studio reports that it frequently offers discounted and complimentary tickets to families who would not otherwise have access to theatre, offers need-based scholarships for all education programs, and ensures that no child has to pay to participate in productions. It also reports frequent partnerships with local schools and PTAs in northern Virginia and outreach to underserved children and youth with community partners.
The organization has been nationally recognized with the Twink Lynch Organizational Achievement Award from the American Association of Community Theatres in 2017. It has been a featured nonprofit in the Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington since 2010 and participates in the federal government’s Combined Federal Campaign. It 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.
Published testimonials describe Encore as “so inspiring” with a “kid/teen cast & crew led production of The Lion King,” call it “the region’s gold standard” for young children, and note that “the quality of the show is made all the more remarkable by how much its youthful participants drive the show.”
Last updated January 18, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.