Commedia Ensemble is all about Commedia dell’Arte! Originating in the Italian Renaissance, Commedia dell’Arte is the style of improvised theatre that pioneered many theatrical conventions that we now take for granted: slapstick comedy, professional actors, and (startlingly enough) women playing the female roles! 

Originating during the Italian Renaissance, Commedia dominated the European theatre scene for more than two centuries and inspired everyone from Shakespeare to the Simpsons. Masked and unmasked actors play stock characters with improvised dialogue in a wild and hilarious slapstick comedy!

All students who want to participate in Commedia Ensemble must attend an audition, held virtually over Zoom. Please prepare a non-ologue to perform! Auditions will also include some improvisational games. The fee for the audition is $20.   Read more >>>

Create an original play in three weeks, using the masks, characters, and techniques of Commedia dell’Arte! Combining outrageous physical comedy, improvisation, and group playwriting, the Commedia Ensemble is a truly unique summer theatre experience.

This summer, the Commedia Troupe performs its own original adaptation of Jack and the Beanstalk. Young Jack is certain he’s made the deal of a lifetime when he trades his family’s cow for some magic beans that take him to a magical land of giants in the sky. But newfound riches come with consequences and now he must think quickly to keep his comfortable new life in this classic tale of family, magic, and deals gone awry.

Students spend 3 weeks nestled in the scenic woods of Virginia, rehearsing, taking classes, and making friends and memories for a lifetime!

Students live in Five Star Rustic Cabins (with electricity and AC!) in one of four villages.  To ensure social distancing the cabin capacity has been reduced from 14 students to 7.  Showers & bathrooms are a short walk from the cabins.

Student and staff cabins are interspersed in the 4 cabin villages.  Staff are nearby, attentive and available, while still allowing students an appropriate level of privacy.

Students eat a delicious, diverse and healthy menu. Fresh produce is always available, and every meal will have multiple entre options, including vegetarian options.

When not in rehearsal, students can join a variety of exciting activities: swimming, hiking, challenge courses, river hiking, assisting in the costume and props shops, or just chilling out.  On Thursdays, and in the evenings, the community will come together to compete in our popular inter-ensemble CAMPionship and color wars, as well as celebrate each other’s artistic growth during Revels.

Students are immersed in an intentional community of their peers.  They will help maintain the community (sweeping their cabins/chopping vegetables) as well as shape it, by suggesting events and activities they want to pursue. The Forum is our weekly  inter-ensemble meeting where everyone can come together and make choices that benefit the community (like proposing a new class or activity). It is a way for our students to have a meaningful impact on the community, and it gives them appropriate responsibility for the communities’ wellbeing and joy.

Camping out in tents allow students to enjoy all nature has to offer.  During campouts students learn the fundamentals of Leave No Trace camping, including how to pitch a tent, build a fire and campfire cooking. And of course, no campout is complete without plenty of s’mores!

My growth as an actor was immediately evident when I returned to school. Several of my fellow student-actors approached me in amazement over my newfound acting abilities. When they asked me how I had improved so much, I realized that I was experiencing the result of a second summer spent with Traveling Players. I am positive that these abilities will assist me in the future whenever I need to make any form of presentation, analyze and examine literature, or apply my creativity to any purpose.

– Camper

By focusing on classical theatre, Traveling Players trains performers who are bold, resourceful, and skilled. If you can act Shakespeare, then you can act anything. Classical acting is demanding — and remains foundational to all modern acting technique. Hence, a summer at Traveling Players trains you to act not just anything, but anywhere. All the world’s a stage!

Traveling Players summer programs offer expert training in acting, character creation, physical comedy, stage combat, improvisation, and text analysis. A typical day includes intensive rehearsals in addition to classes taught by expert faculty, expanding each performers skill set.

All-Inclusive Tuition: $4450
($4650 after the Early Bird Discount flies away March 26th at midnight)

• Any gift card balance from Summer 2020 counts towards your enrollment! You can check your balance at any time here.
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• Information on scholarships.