$3000 for my acting specifically — $120,000 from the president of the university for my essay and extracurriculars! I got all that because of Traveling Players. All my experiences here were definitely aids in my college application and audition processes.
Private Acting Lessons
All Ages
Tysons Studio
One-on-one Sessions
Preparing for college auditions? Want to perfect your monologues? Or maybe you simply want to strengthen your acting skills?
In these one-on-one private acting lessons, instruction is tailored to each student’s goals, and they work directly with our Founder and Producing Artistic Director, Jeanne E. Harrison. Or choose to work with any of our talented, experienced, and compassionate faculty members.
What Families Are Saying
Eli, Student
300 people auditioned. 22 people were cast. My son, who was a Traveling Players student for many years, will make his Muhlenberg Mainstage debut this November in the Greek tragedy Agamemnon. He is one of only a very few freshmen to be cast in any of the school’s Mainstage productions.
Tonya, Parent
“Thanks so much Jeanne! You were such an integral part of my son’s development. He still has his love of Shakespeare and had a role in the mainstage production of Twelfth Night. This coming semester he’s playing the lead in The Wild Party and he has a principal role in Chorus Line! As soon as I’m done with tuition, I plan to give to Traveling Players because I believe in you and what you’re doing!”
Jerri, Parent
Frequently Asked Questions
For over 20 years we’ve been creating great theatre in the great outdoors with teens and pre-teens. Our team will happily walk you through any one of our carefully crafted programs.
Who founded Traveling Players? Why?
Jeanne E. Harrison founded Traveling Players in 2003 as a nurturing, challenging, educational theatrical community to bring great theatre into the great outdoors. In our first year, we had 18 students and toured our plays to Shenandoah National Park, where we performed As You Like It while backpacking off the Appalachian Trail. That is probably the quintessential Traveling Players play – you escape into the woods and return transformed.
Transformation is at the heart of what we do. We limit the ensembles to only 13 students so that we can give every student the attention they deserve. We only work with students (in grades 1-12) who are literally transforming before our eyes as they grow up, become the next best version of themselves, and, on stage, take on bold roles in our plays. All of this is to help them on their way to adulthood, when they will impact our world.
The basic formula remains the same, but many details have changed since our founding in 2003. We serve over 1000 students a year, offering programs year-round in our Studio in Tysons Corner Center, a major shopping center. We have won national awards for our comprehensive and intensive curricula, and we have seen our alums perform on Broadway and in the West End, serve as Artistic Directors, have their plays published, and become theatre professors. We still tour our plays to the community in our signature purple school buses.
I always knew I could form student ensembles that could create wonderful art while challenging themselves and each other. What I didn’t know was that I was creating friendships that would last a lifetime – the people who will be your “maid of honor/best man” at your wedding. Traveling Players’ friendships endured well beyond summer, through college and adulthood. As an alum said, “Most adults don’t name their summer camp as a central part of their identity.” Traveling Players do.
Who are your faculty?
Traveling Players faculty are a mix of professional educators, theatre artists and aspiring educators and theatre artists.
Each ensemble and technical theatre shop is led by an experienced educator-director, who carefully mentors our students through the creative process from rehearsals to the final performance. They excel at supporting and challenging each student, crafting a summer of discoveries and growth.
Our residential advisors, assistant directors, and technical artisans are a mix of professional educators, theatre artists, and college students who have completed at least two years of an undergraduate degree, generally in theatre or education.
How is Traveling Players known?
Traveling Players has two distinct reputations.
Called a top “25 summer school for the arts” by the National Endowment for the Arts, Traveling Players is known and nationally awarded for our artistic excellence. Our curriculum is rigorous, and the Shakespeare Troupe in particular has been noted for offering artistic challenges “unlike any other pre-college theatre program in the country.” You can read more about our awards and the excellent work of our students and alumni here.
However, if you asked a Traveling Players student, parent, or alum to describe us, they wouldn’t start by talking about the awards we’ve won, or the best show they were in or had seen from us. They would talk about our community.
With a 70% retention rate, our community is vibrant, connected, and kind. Our curriculum is intentionally designed to promote artistic collaboration. We limit our ensembles to just 13 students to ensure that everyone receives individualized training and attention. We select scripts that offer a wide range of roles and cast to maximize each student’s artistic growth. We help foster friendships both in and across ensembles through theatre games, low ropes challenge courses, and structured fun. The result is a community that remains thriving – and always welcoming. You can read more about why parents choose Traveling Players here.
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