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Theatre by Kids, for Kids!

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Fall 2024 & Winter 2025 at a Glance

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Learn, play and explore the world of theatre with Encore Stage & Studio! Develop the creativity, empathy and more through Encore's theatre classes and camps.

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The Front Row Blog

Parker’s Performance Playbook – The Lion King

By Parker Nelson | November 19, 2024

Our final performances for The Lion King Jr are coming up this weekend! Audiences can’t get enough of our take on the animated classic. Today I am bringing you my final dramaturgy blog post about The Lion King, so, whether you have already seen our show or you are getting ready to see it this …

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Tips of the Theatre Trade – “Yes, and?”

By Encore Stage Team | November 3, 2024

Have you heard the phrase “yes, and?” It is the most popular approach to improv, to always say yes to whatever prompt or suggestion you receive. Saying “no” stops the momentum of the scene and it’s hard to get moving again. But this posture is applicable outside of improv, too, you can choose to say …

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Five Strong Ensemble Numbers: Emma’s Ensemble Feature

By Emma Crawford | October 26, 2024

Welcome back to Emma’s Ensemble Feature!  Today I’m going to cover 5 ensemble numbers that I absolutely love!  It broke my heart that I could only pick five! However, I’m delighted to share that most have been done here at Encore! Coming up first, we have “Seize the Day” from Newsies. This number is incredible …

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What’s In My Rehearsal Bag – Parker’s Version

By Parker Nelson | October 22, 2024

This is Tips of the Trade, and today I’m going to talk about What’s In My Rehearsal Bag. Our season is in full swing, which means we have rehearsals happening for a couple shows at once! To give a little insight into what might be expected of actors arriving at rehearsals, I am going to …

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Meet Emma Crawford, Encore’s Marketing & Development Coordinator

By Aileen Christian | October 17, 2024

We are so excited for you to meet our Marketing and Development Coordinator — Emma Crawford! You’ll see her with the front of house crew, leading box office and more. Tell us about yourself! I was raised in Sterling, VA where I was involved with dance, theatre, and digital media all through my childhood.  I …

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Parker’s Performance Playbook – On Puppets

By Parker Nelson | October 15, 2024

Welcome back to Parker’s Performance Playbook! As we look toward the opening of The Lion King Jr. here at Encore, we’re going to dive into the history of puppets on stage. Let’s dive right in! In the original Broadway production of The Lion King, there were over 200 individual puppets used throughout the show. It …

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Our 2024/2025 Season of Courage

By Parker Nelson | October 9, 2024

What does it mean to be courageous? Do you have to climb a mountain? Or stand up to a bully? Is it possible that we can find courage in just being ourselves? This season, Encore is exploring the theme of courage through a variety of mainstage shows, from The Lion King Jr to Flip the …

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Parker’s Performance Playbook – What is Dramaturgy?

By Parker Nelson | October 7, 2024

Welcome to our new series, “Parker’s Performance Playbook” which is all about theatre dramaturgy! If you’ve never seen that word before or you don’t know what it means, read on! I’m here to talk all about it. So, what is dramaturgy? Dramaturgy is an exploration of the world of the play. It is the study …

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Introducing our Newest Series: Emma’s Ensemble Feature

By Emma Crawford | October 6, 2024

Greetings everyone, I’m Emma, the Marketing and Development Coordinator at Encore Stage & Studio. I’m happy to begin this series called Emma’s Ensemble Feature, where I’ll be talking about all things ensemble related in theatre.  I have several years of ensemble work under my belt, as I have twelve years of choreography experience in musical …

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Meet 2024/2025 Education Apprentice, Parker Nelson

By Aileen Christian | September 27, 2024

New season, new staff members! Help us welcome to the team our newest Education Apprentice, Parker Nelson! Tell us about yourself and your latest role with Encore! I am so excited to be here at Encore as an Education Apprentice! I have been involved in theater since I was very young growing up in Charlottesville, …

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Reviews

cindykanephotography.FreakyFriday-23

Freaky Friday

“The entire student, teen, and kids ensembles, as well as several talented adults, shined...”
- Maryland Theatre Guide

Juli Walitt is Annabelle and Sydney Payne is Margie in Encore Stage & Studio's production of "Enchanted Bookshop Christmas." (Cindy Kane Photography)

The Enchanted Bookshop

" For the youngster set, Encore is the region’s gold standard..."
- Sun Gazette

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The Newsies

“The quality of the show is made all the more remarkable by how much its youthful participants drive the show.”
- Prince George’s Sentinel

Theatre for Kids, by Kids!

Encore Stage & Studio inspires young people to develop the creativity, empathy and confidence they need to create meaningful connections with peers and have a positive impact in their communities.

Take a starring role in fostering tomorrow's leaders

For over fifty years, Encore Stage & Studio has helped today’s kids become tomorrow’s leaders through the transformative power of theatre. Our organization is much bigger than our staff. It’s the parents, volunteers, community leaders, kids, and, of course, people like you who make our mission possible.

In order for as many young people as possible to participate, we keep ticket prices affordable for families, frequently offer discounted and complimentary tickets to families in our community who wouldn’t otherwise have access to theatre, offer need-based scholarships to all of our Education programs, and ensure that no child ever has to pay to participate in our productions. We hope you will show your support for “theatre by kids, for kids!” by making a tax-deductible gift today!

Thank you to our generous sponsors

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