Overview
Join us for our first two-week summer acting program! Unleash your creativity and share your voice in an entirely original, and personalized artistic endeavor featuring writing, acting, movement, and visual art.
What is Devised Theater?
- NO pre-written script. Created entirely by students.
- YES to collaboration. Every student is an essential playwright and performer.
- The story is personal. The performance is based on the ensemble’s own experiences and ideas.
This program is ideal for both beginners and experienced performers who are ready for an artistic adventure.
Our partners, The Precipice Theatre Team will expertly guide students through their internationally-celebrated devising process to create an autobiographical, ensemble-driven performance. Devised theatre is created by the students and considers significant questions that are crucial to the participants and their communities. Students work in a uniquely collaborative environment to create a fully-realized performance piece in just two weeks!
Ideal for actors, movers, and writers in middle and high school, this program will culminate in a premiere performance on the evening of Friday, August 7.
Come make a play about what you care about and what you want to say!
Program Details
Ages: 12-18 (rising grades 7–12)
Dates: July 27–August 7, 2026 (two week program)
9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Tuition: $995
Early Bird Special: Register by May 15 for $5 off
Location: George Mason University Fairfax Campus, de Laski Performing Arts Building
Registration Commitment
Please note that full attendance in the program will offer the most enriching and educational experience. All of our programs are ensemble-based, with every student taking part in our final presentation. Should your student have significant conflicts during the camp day/week, please consider if this program is the best choice for them at this time.
Program Faculty
TBA
Program Directors
Kaity Ormesher
Manager of Outreach and Theater Programs
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Kaity holds a B.A. in Theater and an M.A. in Arts Management from George Mason University. Kaity has been a part of the Acting for Young People team since 2008, working as a teaching artist in after school, summer camp, and showcase programs, as well as stage managing for AFYP’s Musical and Advanced Showcase programs. As of 2022, Kaity has moved out of the classroom to fully focus on the day-to-day operations of the organization as the Manager of Outreach and Theater Programs for the Academy.
Kaity has an extensive background in the arts and education. In addition to her theatrical interests, she enjoys sketching, watercolor, and is an avid reader. Kaity has taught children ranging from early childhood through high school levels since 2008. In her time as a student at GMU, she participated in many stage productions as an actor, stage manager, and technician. Kaity served on the board for GMU’s producing group, the Mason Players, for three years, and co-founded GMU’s chapter of Alpha Psi Omega, the theater honor fraternity. She received the Chris Parsons Achievement Award for her work with the theater department in 2010. Kaity has also worked professionally as a stage manager in the DC Metro Area. Kaity is the mother to twin girls. Kaity is passionate about the transformative experiences provided by arts education for people of all ages.
Mary Lechter
Executive Director of Mason Community Arts Academy
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Mary is Executive Director of Mason Community Arts Academy (MCAA) and served as MCAA’s Associate Director for 10 years. She is a longtime member of Mason’s School of Theater faculty in the areas of Performance and Theater Education. She was named a 2013 “Teacher of Distinction” and was a 2014 TEDxGeorgeMasonU speaker (“Magic Moments: the Transformative Power of Theater“). She previously taught at the Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Mary founded Acting for Young People (AFYP) in 1997 and serves as Artistic Director. She has watched the company grow from being its only teacher with a sporadic program schedule in rented spaces to where it is today: an award-winning, year-round program with a full staff, working in conjunction with MCAA.
A graduate of University of Maryland, College Park with a Bachelor of Arts in Theater and Speech Communications, Mary has worked professionally as an actor on stage, screen and radio in the Metropolitan Washington area, Los Angeles, and New York. She is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity Association.
Mary has directed several of AFYP’s student showcase productions, the Mason Players’ productions of An Experiment With an Air Pump and Shakespeare in Hollywood, and several staged readings. She is also a casting consultant and co-producer of independent films.
Notes
- Please note that group classes are subject to cancellation if minimum enrollment is not reached.
- Be sure to check our policies and procedures regarding registration, withdrawals, refunds, and more for fall or spring group classes.
- All students will receive a Welcome Letter via email at least one week before the class starts with all necessary details.
- Online registration closes two business days before the first class, however space may still be available. Please contact [email protected] for more information. A $10 late registration fee may apply.
- For additional information, please contact the Academy at [email protected].