Many theater veterans are well-equipped with knowledge of stage equipment and acting, but the Lafayette Theatre Academy makes sure that theatre’s youngest participants gets a taste of both in its four-day crash course.

Theatre Intensives, Onstage & Backstage teaches students seventh through twelfth grades about behind-the-curtain essentials, as well as acting exercises that will help them prepare for their futures in the theater world.

“These are pretty much things that we felt the kids could really use some more intense training in,” LSPA Marketing Director Amy McDow said. “It gives students a chance to meet the instructors that they will be working with in the next year.”

In the morning, students are given crash-course exposure to necessities such as set design, directing, lighting and more skills that help build a show. By the afternoon, professional theater artists give them valuable feedback on acting through voice command, stance posing, and facial expressions, as well as tips on how to write and develop stories.

Fourteen-year-old theater student Becca McDow has been doing theatre tech since she was five. 

After assisting in the lighting booth for three years, she decided to make the transition into acting.

“Tech and acting are drastically different,” said McDow. 

“I don’t think I like one more than the other.”

Through working with the LTA, students like McDow are able to take their skills to schools and competitions and build reputations that help them receive scholarships later on.

Amy McDow said that the LTA is currently working on developing a scholarship program for its students. 

The academy also has classes for Pre-K through first grade students. 

For additional information on the LTA’s programs and upcoming events, visit their website at Lsparts.org