Dandylyon Drama Youth Performing Arts Programs
Shoreline Community College, 16101 Greenwood Ave N, Shoreline, WA 98133
About
Dandylyon Drama Youth Performing Arts Programs offers activities such as mystery-themed theatre classes, character creation, improvisation, scene work, physical comedy, circus characters, drama games, storytelling, creative movement, musical theatre, and circus performance. Students take part in rehearsals, auditions, cast read throughs, tech week and final dress rehearsals, and showcase performances where parents are encouraged to attend on specified dates. The program also offers summer camps, after-school drama programs, evening classes, afterschool enrichment, theater productions, a Musical Theater Club, CAPE (Creative Adaptive Performance Ensemble), and community theater productions that include launching local new works and co-producing shows.
• Ages: 4–18 years old
• Schedule: Winter quarter 2026 options include weekday after-school and afternoon classes and rehearsals, with specific programs meeting once or multiple times per week from early January through mid-March.
• Price: Winter quarter 2026 tuition ranges from $175–$350, with “Pay What You Can” tuition on all programs, tuition assistance available every quarter for one program per student, and Dandylyon Drama summer camp tuition varying by camp.
Dandylyon Drama was founded in August 2009 and has produced nearly 90 plays and musicals, as well as about twice as many classroom showcases featuring original plays by kids, and has nurtured 10 new works. It is an educational non-profit performing arts organization and a registered 501c3, with a mission to grow more creative, compassionate, and courageous people through quality and accessible performing arts education. The organization reports a 2024–2025 impact of over 3,800 audience members, more than 670 students, and over $5,000 in scholarships provided.
The program is led by Founding Artistic Director Melani Lyons, who is also an artistic director, director, and playwright of several children’s musicals. Teaching artists and staff include actors, musicians, choreographers, and theatre educators such as Mateo Quispe, Aidyn Stevens, Melani Lyons, Kelsi Raich, Katie Wallace, Lia Harper, Kasey Cheslow, and Kalea Levy, with backgrounds in theatre, music, performance, and arts education. Mateo Quispe is the former Seattle Youth Poet Laureate, the 2024–2026 Auburn Poet Laureate, and a 2025 Poets Laureate Fellowship recipient from the Academy of American Poets.
Dandylyon Drama states a commitment to accessibility and reasonable accommodations, including “Pay What You Can” tuition, tuition assistance via a form, and program accommodations such as information about venue accessibility, interpretation and translation, visual calendars, visual and verbal communication tools, large-font materials, and captions. Creators and Performers programs serve students in kindergarten through 12th grade, and Dandylyon Drama has created opportunities for teens and adults with disabilities to create and perform, including the Musical Theater Club at Friendship Adventures and CAPE, which offer quarterly opportunities for adults with disabilities. The organization partners with cities, community centers, and volunteer artists, and reports serving North King and South Snohomish counties and the Edmonds, Northshore, Seattle, and Shoreline school districts.
Testimonials from parents describe appreciation for the efforts of the teaching artists, note that relatively reserved kids became more comfortable and confident, and mention that kids had fun and felt proud in what is described as a supportive environment.
Last updated January 7, 2026.
• Ages: 4–18 years old
• Schedule: Winter quarter 2026 options include weekday after-school and afternoon classes and rehearsals, with specific programs meeting once or multiple times per week from early January through mid-March.
• Price: Winter quarter 2026 tuition ranges from $175–$350, with “Pay What You Can” tuition on all programs, tuition assistance available every quarter for one program per student, and Dandylyon Drama summer camp tuition varying by camp.
Dandylyon Drama was founded in August 2009 and has produced nearly 90 plays and musicals, as well as about twice as many classroom showcases featuring original plays by kids, and has nurtured 10 new works. It is an educational non-profit performing arts organization and a registered 501c3, with a mission to grow more creative, compassionate, and courageous people through quality and accessible performing arts education. The organization reports a 2024–2025 impact of over 3,800 audience members, more than 670 students, and over $5,000 in scholarships provided.
The program is led by Founding Artistic Director Melani Lyons, who is also an artistic director, director, and playwright of several children’s musicals. Teaching artists and staff include actors, musicians, choreographers, and theatre educators such as Mateo Quispe, Aidyn Stevens, Melani Lyons, Kelsi Raich, Katie Wallace, Lia Harper, Kasey Cheslow, and Kalea Levy, with backgrounds in theatre, music, performance, and arts education. Mateo Quispe is the former Seattle Youth Poet Laureate, the 2024–2026 Auburn Poet Laureate, and a 2025 Poets Laureate Fellowship recipient from the Academy of American Poets.
Dandylyon Drama states a commitment to accessibility and reasonable accommodations, including “Pay What You Can” tuition, tuition assistance via a form, and program accommodations such as information about venue accessibility, interpretation and translation, visual calendars, visual and verbal communication tools, large-font materials, and captions. Creators and Performers programs serve students in kindergarten through 12th grade, and Dandylyon Drama has created opportunities for teens and adults with disabilities to create and perform, including the Musical Theater Club at Friendship Adventures and CAPE, which offer quarterly opportunities for adults with disabilities. The organization partners with cities, community centers, and volunteer artists, and reports serving North King and South Snohomish counties and the Edmonds, Northshore, Seattle, and Shoreline school districts.
Testimonials from parents describe appreciation for the efforts of the teaching artists, note that relatively reserved kids became more comfortable and confident, and mention that kids had fun and felt proud in what is described as a supportive environment.
Last updated January 7, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.