Charleston Stage has one of the oldest and largest arts education programs for young people in the region. Led by Rylee Coppel, Director of Education and Engagement, Charleston Stage's TheatreSchool classes are taught by ten full-time professional actors who make up Charleston Stage’s Resident Acting Company. These professional educators guide levels kindergarten through 8th grade through the crafts of acting, vocal development, and musical theatre at grade-appropriate challenges and curricula.

By learning the discipline of live performance as they develop their own creative voices, students grow in poise, movement, speaking, and acting as they explore improvisation, theatre games, character development, and the other many skills of professional actors. Charleston Stage’s acting classes serve to provide young people with performance and creative thinking skills that will serve them in whatever profession they one day choose.

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WANT to prepare for soa auditions? Register below for our SOA audition class.

In this two-session, 90-minute class, students will work on selecting and performing a monologue that showcases their strengths. With guidance from instructors, they’ll choose a compelling piece, develop their character, and refine their delivery through feedback on pacing, emotional expression, and stage presence.