At the National Student Leadership Conference on Theater, you will live and learn in New York City, and have access to all the city has to offer. You will go backstage and see the inner workings of Broadway, participate in master classes and discussions with top New York artists, and spend evenings in the audience of Broadway shows.
Program Highlights
Showcase your talents
Experience a holistic overview of working in professional theater through collaboration on the design and performance of an original piece.
Well-rounded artistry
Designers gain performance experience and actors learn the design process to develop an appreciation for jobs on both sides of the curtain.
Award-winning productions
See Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, meet the cast in post-show talkbacks, and learn how to productively discuss a show with your peers.
Meet working professionals
Directors, actors, stage managers, and designers will talk with you about their life in the arts and offer advice on navigating a career in the industry.
Dates & Locations
Note: Space is limited. Please login to the online application to see up-to-date session availability.
Columbia University
- July 12 - July 20
- July 24 - August 1
NSLC is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Columbia University.
Hands-on Simulations
From your home base of New York, you will experience the life of a theater professional. You will go backstage and see the inner-workings of Broadway, participate in master classes and discussions with top New York artists, and spend evenings in the audience of Broadway shows. With a group of your peers, you will even design, rehearse, and produce your own show. Throughout the process you’ll receive feedback from professional actors, directors, playwrights and stage managers who have years of experience working on Broadway.
Our college-level lecture series will provide a foundation of knowledge on theater performance and production.
Topics include:
- Acting for the Theater
- The Art of Stage Management
- Playwriting: From Idea to Production
- An Introduction to Theatrical Design
- Techniques for Playing Shakespeare
- Audition Tips for Actors
- Mastering the Business of Theater
- Approaching the Monologue
- Basic Movement for Actors
Meet Theater Professionals
While at the NSLC’s high school summer theater program, you will meet with and learn from professionals in the New York theater community including playwrights, actors, directors, stage managers and producers.
Examples of past guest speakers include:
Mary Louise Parker
Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor
John Gromada
Drama Desk Award-Winning Composer and Sound Designer
John Lee Beatty
Two Time Tony Award-Winning Set Designer
Lilli Cooper
Actress, Original Cast of Spring Awakening
Ayad Akhtar
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Playwright
Award-winning casts
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Phantom of the Opera, In the Heights, and others
Doug Hughes
Tony Award-winning Director
James Fitzsimmons
Broadway Stage Manager
Nancy Piccione
Director of Casting, Manhattan Theatre Club
Behind-the-Scenes Tours
An important part of the NSLC high school summer theater program is seeing the sites around some of our nation’s greatest cities. These trips are designed as both sightseeing tours and exclusive educational trips specifically tailored to the Theater program.
These trips may include:
Columbia University
Broadway and Off-Broadway Shows | Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts- McNally Amphitheatre | Hayes Theatre | August Wilson Theatre | Top of the Rock
Leadership Training
At the heart of the NSLC is a leadership curriculum designed to build concrete leadership skills that will help you succeed. Interactive lectures and small-group workshops will give you an opportunity to build upon your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.
Leadership topics tailored to the Theater program include:
- Personality Styles and Group Dynamics
- Conflict Resolution
- Negotiation
- Public Speaking
- Intrapersonal Communication
College Credit Option
American University (AU) and NSLC have a unique partnership that enables you to earn college credit by enrolling in a supplemental online course designed to correlate with your NSLC program’s area of study. By enrolling in this credit course, you will enjoy a stimulating, innovative, and personalized college-level learning experience that builds on your NSLC accomplishments. The course is for one credit and is taught in a self-paced, asynchronous format across six weeks, allowing ample time to complete assignments. The course is designed to work within the framework of NSLC; students are not expected to complete coursework while on campus. Students may register for college credit via their personal student portal (myNSLC) once they have enrolled in an NSLC session.
Click here to learn more about this opportunity.
Tuition
Program tuition includes housing, all on-campus meals, course materials, academic expenses, and activities. Tuition also includes chartered, air-conditioned motor coaches for off-campus briefings and tours. Note: Students are responsible for the cost of travel to and from the program as well as individual spending money for souvenirs, laundry, and a few off-campus meals during fields trips and tours.
Click here to view our cancellation and refund policy.
| Location | Tuition |
|---|
| New York City | $3,995 |
