"We could not believe that your kids were high school kids and not college kids." - Audience Member

Frequently Asked Questions

Where are you located?
Traveling Players camp is in residence at the Madeira School in McLean, Virginia. You can read more about the campus here.

What are your hours?
Camp runs from 9 am to 4 pm every weekday. In addition, every Thursday night features a campout; students camp overnight at Madeira and leave for home at 4 pm on Friday. We host three performance festivals throughout the summer, on July 20th, August 10th and August 17th. On those days, campers should expect to remain through the evening.

What age child can enroll?
We offer programs for rising 5th through 12th graders.

Do your programs require an audition?
Most programs do not require an audition. Only our longer advanced programs, Traveling Troupe and Commedia Troupe require an audition. You can find out everything you need to know about those auditions here.

How can my kids get to camp?
Traveling Players operates purple buses that run throughout the DC Metro area. Click here to find the stop closest to you. There is no additional charge for bus service. Families living close to the Madeira School are welcome to drop their kids at camp as well.

Are you an overnight camp?
No. While we do have a weekly overnight on Thursdays, campers will return home on most days. Campers from out of town will need regular housing during their session with us.

How many weeks is a session at camp?
The majority of our campers come for 4 week sessions; in our opinion, this is the minimum time required to effectively rehearse a play. However, we also offer a 2-week play-making intensive, and a 1-week high school improv intensive, as well as advanced camps that run longer than 4 weeks. This chart gives an overview of how long each ensemble runs.

Do you offer shorter sessions?
While most of our programs are longer, we do offer a few shorter programs. Middle Schoolers can register for our two-week Play-making Camp. High Schoolers can enroll in a fun-filled one-week Improvisation Intensive.

Do you provide meals?
On regular days, campers should bring a lunch with them. You can also order lunch from Traveling Players, in which case your child's lunch will be delivered to camp daily by a local deli. On the Thursday night campouts, we provide snacks, dinner and breakfast. We also provide the majority of meals on the longer tours; see the individual programs for details.

What should my child bring to camp?
You can find all the information about that here. Please note that Traveling Players provides tents; your child will not need his or her own tent.

What is your camp's staff-to-student ratio?
We offer a remarkable staff-to-student ratio of 1:4.

What is your camp's student retention rate?
Our overall camper retention rate is approximately 70%.

Do you take the campers swimming?
Campers go swimming every Friday afternoon in the swimming pool at the nearby Spring Hill RECenter. In addition to our own staff, Spring Hill RECenter employs certified lifeguards. High School programs also have opportunities to go swimming while on tour, supervised by the TPE staff.

What does my tuition pay for?
Traveling Players Ensemble offers high-value programs at a competitive cost. Click here to see what your tuition pays for.

Will camp be in session on July 4th?
Yes. Camp will be in session on July 4th this year, and we encourage campers to come. The time required to put together full shows means that every day of rehearsal is precious, and we can't afford to lose the time. Of course, we understand that some families may have out-of-town plansvacations planned for that weekend, and that some campers won't be able to attend. But we do ask that campers attend if at all possible, since our July 4th is usually a lot of fun, and they'll still be home in time for barbecues and fireworks.