Shakespeare Ensemble is more than a camp...
... it’s a summer acting conservatory designed to give high school drama students the tools they need to succeed in college and beyond!
In just three weeks, the Shakespeare Ensemble produces a 75 minute, professionally directed and designed production of one of the Bard’s greatest works. Students receive expert training in acting, performing Shakespeare, and stage combat. Actors are carefully guided by a trio of directors, ensuring every actor is challenged and grows — on stage and off!
The National Endowment for the Arts identified Shakespeare Ensemble as offering challenges unlike any other pre-college theatre program in the nation. This immersive and holistic experience allows our elite high school actors to attain a new level of artistry, confidence, leadership, and independence.
By audition only. For current 8th – 12th graders.
Only 2 Spots Left!
This program is now full.
In 8th grade? Check out Thespian Ensemble or our Technical Theatre Apprenticeship.
In 9th – 12th grade? Check out Shakespeare Troupe or our Technical Theatre Apprenticeship.
AUDITIONs
All auditions will be virtual & scheduled individually. Please register online and the director will reach out to set up a date & time.
Program Dates
- Session 1: June 25 — July 14 (3 weeks) – Only 2 Spots Left!
- Session 2: July 16 — August 4 (3 weeks) – FULL!
Program Rates
- Audition Fee: $20
- Tuition: $5100
($5400 after the Early Bird Discount flies away Jan 31st)
LIMITED AVAILABILITY: Shakespeare Ensemble is strictly limited to 13 performers. We will only hold auditions if space is still available. We recommend registering for the earliest audition you can.
OUT OF THE AREA? AUDITION VIRTUALLY!: Our summer conservatories are residential, so our campers come from across the country & globe! Register for the audition and we’ll set up a date & time that works for you.
Henry IV pt. 1
by Shakespeare
All students who want to participate in Shakespeare Ensemble must attend an audition. Please prepare one of the three selected monologues. Auditions will include some improvisational games as well as cold readings from the text of the play. Please familiarize yourself with the plot and characters. The fee for the audition is $20. Read more >>>
Out of the area? We still want to see you!
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.
Campers spend 3 weeks nestled in the scenic woods of Virginia, rehearsing, taking classes, and making friends and memories for a lifetime!
Campers live in comfy, cozy Lodges (with electricity, AC, and bathrooms – flush toilets & showers!).
- Our campus features 3 Lodges around a central quad. Campers live with near-age peers, expanding their friendships to other ensembles.
- Each Lodge includes two sleeping bays of 8-12 beds (4-6 bunk beds).
- Each Lodge is unique, but all include common areas — inside with big comfy couches for relaxing, memorizing lines and hanging out with your friends; outside with large porches or pavilions offering even more hangout space for each Lodge.
- Staff live in private rooms within the Lodges so that they are nearby, attentive, and available, while still allowing campers an appropriate level of privacy.
- Artistic Director Jeanne Harrison lives next door to the Lodges in a cottage – always available.
Campers eat a delicious, diverse, and healthy menu. Fresh produce is always available, and every meal will have multiple entre options, including vegetarian options. New this year – we’ll send out a questionnaire gathering more information about how each camper eats.
When not in rehearsal, a variety of fun activities are on offer – both exciting and relaxing: swimming, canoeing, hiking, challenge course, volleyball or just chilling out in a hammock. On weekends and in the evenings, the community will come together for inter-ensemble activities like improv jams, color wars, talent shows, and camp prom, as well as celebrate each other’s artistic growth during Revels.
Campers 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 Lodge Forum is our weekly inter-ensemble meeting where everyone can come together and make choices that benefit the community. It is a way for our campers 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 — and let’s them be just with their ensemble for one night a week. During campouts, campers 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!
All-Inclusive Tuition: $5100
($5400 after the Early Bird Discount flies away Jan 31st)
- Any gift card balance counts towards your enrollment! You can check your balance at any time here.
- Tell me about discounts!
- The Traveling Players Difference
- Information on financial aid.
Nothing else like it — my kids (now teens) participated in many drama programs throughout the DC/MD/VA area and Traveling Players Ensemble is by far the best experience either of them has had. It’s such a unique program, combining outdoor skills (which they certainly wouldn’t learn from me) with classical theatre training in a truly collaborative environment. The staff are all highly trained classical actors who return year after year. My kids have never worked as hard at anything as they do here & they love it!
— Parent
Creating, rehearsing and performing outdoors in summer attracts dynamic, enthusiastic, committed people. It’s been a few years since my daughter was a part of Traveling Players but she retains close friendships, wonderful memories and loads of learning from her summers there. I am very grateful to the Traveling Players crew for creating such a dynamic experience for young people. Creative. Cooperative. Challenging. Fun. Their commitment to and enthusiasm for young people, theatre and the environment is infectious.
– Parent
- 8th Grade Swings: Audition for either the Thespian Ensemble or the Shakespeare Ensemble
Please do not be discouraged if you are placed in a different ensemble than your preference. It is likely because we think you will receive a better challenge or more leadership opportunities in the other ensemble.
- 6th Grade Swings: Audition for either the Mythology Ensemble or the Thespian Ensemble
- 8th Grade Swings: Audition for either the Thespian Ensemble or the Shakespeare Ensemble
Please do not be discouraged if you are placed in a different ensemble than your preference. It is likely because we think you will receive a better challenge or more leadership opportunities in the other ensemble.