ASC Theatre Camp
Blackfriars Playhouse, 316 Academy St, Mary Baldwin University, VA 24401
About
ASC Theatre Camp is a three-week residential summer intensive where campers rehearse and perform full productions of Antony & Cleopatra and Twelfth Night. Campers take part in auditions, a mid-session Showcase, and a Final Performance Festival, working with directors, professional theatre practitioners, and production teams to mount shows in the Blackfriars Playhouse. The program includes living on campus at Mary Baldwin University throughout the session.
• Ages: 13–18 years old
• Schedule: Three-week residential program; ASCTC 2026 runs June 24 – July 16, 2026, with a Showcase Performance on July 8, 2026, and a Final Performance Festival event on Wednesday, July 15 at 10:30am
• Price: Tuition for ASCTC 2026 is $3975; a non-refundable $150 tuition deposit is due at registration, and tuition covers lodging, meals, and show tickets from the moment campers arrive in Staunton
The 2026 theme is Egypt, Rome, and Illyria, and camper applications open September 30, 2025. Attendance is by acceptance only, with applications reviewed on the first of each month and decisions sent the following week, and registration for accepted campers is first-come, first-served. Camper applications are considered on a rolling basis until the session is full or until the final application deadline of May 1, 2026, and applications submitted after that date are considered only if space is available.
All campers and staff live in Tyson Hall, where campers typically share dorm rooms with one or two other campers, with a limited number of single rooms possibly available depending on enrollment numbers. Room assignments are made in advance by camp leadership to support safety, privacy, and age-appropriate boundaries, and camp facilities include shared bathrooms with daily scheduled and supervised shower access. Campers arrive at and leave shower areas appropriately dressed, changing takes place in dorm rooms, staff supervise transitions and common areas but do not enter private spaces, expectations around privacy, respect, and personal boundaries are reviewed at the start of the program, and housing and facility accommodations are handled individually, respectfully, and discreetly.
Campers audition on their first full day to receive their parts for both the mid-session Showcase and the Final Performance Festival, then spend three weeks working together with directors and production teams to mount their shows. The program is described as perfect for first-time performers and seasoned stage veterans alike.
Financial aid options include a general financial aid fund that may cover up to half the cost of tuition, the Sydney Stark Jr. Memorial fund that may cover up to the full cost of tuition, and a Military Family fund that provides at least half the cost of tuition for campers from military families. The deadline to apply for financial aid is April 15, 2026. The Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge offers Performing Arts Enrichment Scholarships for local performing arts students in grades 6–12, and a full scholarship to ASC Theatre Camp is the prize for top winners of the National Shakespeare Competitions run by the English Speaking Union and The Anglo-Mexican Foundation.
For ASCTC 2026, the shows are Twelfth Night, directed by Hailey Pearce, and Antony & Cleopatra, directed by Mili Koncelik. The leadership team has also announced ASCTC 2025 Session 1 shows Henry VI, Part 1 (directed by Hailey Pearce) and Henry VI, Part 2 (directed by Mili Koncelik), and Session 2 shows Henry VI, Part 3 (directed by Mili Koncelik) and Richard III (directed by Austen Bell).
Last updated July 17, 2026.
• Ages: 13–18 years old
• Schedule: Three-week residential program; ASCTC 2026 runs June 24 – July 16, 2026, with a Showcase Performance on July 8, 2026, and a Final Performance Festival event on Wednesday, July 15 at 10:30am
• Price: Tuition for ASCTC 2026 is $3975; a non-refundable $150 tuition deposit is due at registration, and tuition covers lodging, meals, and show tickets from the moment campers arrive in Staunton
The 2026 theme is Egypt, Rome, and Illyria, and camper applications open September 30, 2025. Attendance is by acceptance only, with applications reviewed on the first of each month and decisions sent the following week, and registration for accepted campers is first-come, first-served. Camper applications are considered on a rolling basis until the session is full or until the final application deadline of May 1, 2026, and applications submitted after that date are considered only if space is available.
All campers and staff live in Tyson Hall, where campers typically share dorm rooms with one or two other campers, with a limited number of single rooms possibly available depending on enrollment numbers. Room assignments are made in advance by camp leadership to support safety, privacy, and age-appropriate boundaries, and camp facilities include shared bathrooms with daily scheduled and supervised shower access. Campers arrive at and leave shower areas appropriately dressed, changing takes place in dorm rooms, staff supervise transitions and common areas but do not enter private spaces, expectations around privacy, respect, and personal boundaries are reviewed at the start of the program, and housing and facility accommodations are handled individually, respectfully, and discreetly.
Campers audition on their first full day to receive their parts for both the mid-session Showcase and the Final Performance Festival, then spend three weeks working together with directors and production teams to mount their shows. The program is described as perfect for first-time performers and seasoned stage veterans alike.
Financial aid options include a general financial aid fund that may cover up to half the cost of tuition, the Sydney Stark Jr. Memorial fund that may cover up to the full cost of tuition, and a Military Family fund that provides at least half the cost of tuition for campers from military families. The deadline to apply for financial aid is April 15, 2026. The Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge offers Performing Arts Enrichment Scholarships for local performing arts students in grades 6–12, and a full scholarship to ASC Theatre Camp is the prize for top winners of the National Shakespeare Competitions run by the English Speaking Union and The Anglo-Mexican Foundation.
For ASCTC 2026, the shows are Twelfth Night, directed by Hailey Pearce, and Antony & Cleopatra, directed by Mili Koncelik. The leadership team has also announced ASCTC 2025 Session 1 shows Henry VI, Part 1 (directed by Hailey Pearce) and Henry VI, Part 2 (directed by Mili Koncelik), and Session 2 shows Henry VI, Part 3 (directed by Mili Koncelik) and Richard III (directed by Austen Bell).
Last updated July 17, 2026.
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