When does registration begin?

Registration for our 2026/27 season of classes will be held on Tuesday, August 25th at noon. 

 

What are the term dates?

Fall Term: October 3rd-November 12th

Winter Term: January 9th-February 18th

Spring Term: April 13th-May 22nd

What is your attendance policy?

Students must attend 5 of the 6 class sessions for the class to count as a prerequisite towards our School of Theatre Arts Production. Attendance in theatre class is crucial for students and absences affect not only the student who is missing, but also their classmates and fellow collaborators. While we understand that emergencies and illness happen, we encourage students to PLAN on attending every class.  If a student misses more than 1 full class period (2 hours or 1 hour for dance classes), then the class is considered “incomplete” and will not count as a prerequisite.  

 

What is your refund and cancellation policy for classes and camps?

In the event that the Theatre must cancel a course or camp due to low enrollment, a full refund is issued.

If a student requests a withdrawal, on or before each refund deadline below, a 50% refund is issued. Refund is forfeited if withdrawal occurs after the refund deadlines below. Registration and tuition are non-transferrable.

Fall Term Refund Deadline: September 21st, 2026

Winter Term Refund Deadline: December 17th, 2026

Spring Term Refund Deadline: March 30th, 2027

Summer Camp Refund Deadline: May 4th, 2027

Civic Theatre staff reserves the right to implement procedures that protect the health and safety of their students and staff at any time.  In the past, such procedures have included asking students and staff to wear masks and/or test for Covid 19 if an outbreak of a contagious illness is discovered in the building.  Should those procedures be deemed necessary, Civic Administration will clearly communicate the procedures and the reasons for the procedures, and compliance may be required in order to participate.

What is the registration deadline for classes?

The registration deadline for each class is 1 week before the class begins. This allows our instructors to prepare final scripts and lesson plans. 

 

How long are the terms?

The fall, winter and spring term classes are all 6 weeks long.

 

How do I register for a class or camp?

Registration can be done online at www.grct.org/classes. Payment is due at the time of registration.

 

How does the wait list work?

When a class or camp is full, students can add their name to the waitlist for the class or camp by completing the online waitlist form at the registration page. If a spot opens up for a class or camp that has a waitlist, an email or text from our registration software (Ludus) is automatically sent to the first student on the list. The student is given 48 hours to accept the spot and pay the tuition. If a student declines the spot or does not respond to the communication, Civic proceeds to contact the next person on the waitlist and offer them the spot. This pattern will continue until the spot is filled.

 

Are the CORE classes level based?

Our Acting and Musical Theatre CORE classes are not level based. They are open to students of all experience levels! CORE classes are grade based; designed and curriculum written specifically for a grade level. Your student would take the class that corresponds with their current grade in school.

 

How do I find out if a class is cancelled due to weather or any other reason?

In the event that a closing must occur, students will be notified through the email given at registration and notice will be displayed both onscreen and online at WOOD-TV8 and WZZM-13. This decision will be made by 2:00 pm on weekdays, 7:00 am on Saturdays and 11:00 am on Sundays. In the event that a class is cancelled, the term will be extended out 1 week on the same day of the week and time as the originally scheduled class. 

 

When is payment due for a class or camp?

Payment is due at the time of registration.

 

Do you provide scholarships for your classes and camps?

The Grand Rapids Civic Theatre School of Theatre Arts, through the support of generous community members and foundations, is pleased to offer need-based scholarships for classes and summer camps.

Qualified applicants may receive up to: 

• 75% tuition scholarship for fall, winter or spring term classes
• 50% tuition scholarship for summer camps.

Scholarships are limited to one class per student, per term and cannot be added retroactively. Due to the limited amount of scholarship funds available to us, there is a limit to the number of scholarships that we are able to accept within a given year. Be sure to get your application in early for the next school year!

How do I apply for a scholarship?

Complete the appropriate scholarship application. These will be updated on our website in July!

 

Do you offer discounts for classes or camps?

We offer a discount for our Season Ticket Subscribers. Current season ticket subscribers receive $10 off each class, workshop or summer camp.  Please contact the Box Office for your discount code. 

 

What are your discount policies?

• Discounts must be taken at the time of registration and cannot be added retroactively.

• Discounts cannot be combined.

 

Can my student make up a class or camp?

Due to the nature of our programs, we are unable to offer make ups for missed sessions. Please be sure to tell us in advance if your student will be missing any program days due to travel, illness, or other circumstances by emailing grctschool@grct.org

 

What is an Informance?

Each class will have an in-class, informal performance the last day of the class for family and friends. This is an opportunity for the students to showcase what they worked on during the term. Not all classes will have an informance, and you will receive this information along with your welcome email for class. Informances allow a limited number of guests per student to attend due to the size of the classrooms and availability of chairs. 

 

Where do classes take place?

Classes take place at the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, 30 N. Division Ave.  Students arrive and leave through the main lobby doors on Library Street.

Can parents or guardians observe the classroom or wait in the building? 

We do not allow parents/guardians to be present in the classroom unless there is a documented need for accommodations. We find that students are more successful in the classroom in their independence, collaboration, and communication skills without parents observing. Additionally, all individuals who are present in our building while minors are in class have underwent a background check for the safety of all students. 

*Parents/guardians are required to attend Broadway Baby with their student due to the age of the participants.

We do not have a space for parents to wait in the building unless there is a document need for accommodations. With rehearsals, performances, and other on-site programming as well as the need for education staff to be present to support students, there is not staff to monitor and support parents/guardians in the building as is needed for safety purposes. 

 

Are snacks and beverages allowed during class time?

Grand Rapids Civic Theatre is a NUT FREE ZONE!  Students are allowed to have a non-nut snack in the lobby before heading up to class.  Water is the only thing allowed in the classrooms.

 

What should my student bring to class?

• Students should wear shoes that cover their entire foot (no sandals, flip flops, slides, or crocs). Tennis shoes or sneakers are preferred. No boots of any kind are allowed on the Dance Studio Floor.

• Students should bring a water bottle to class

• Students should bring their script (if using) and a pencil to each class

 

 

 

 

Registration Tips: 

• Create your account EARLY! This will speed up your registration process on the day of and will limit data input in the system. 
• Here is the link for individuals to create those accounts: https://grct.easy-ware-ticketing.com/classes
• Be familiar with the classes available and which session (day/time) that you would like to select! For complete details check out: grct.org/classes
• With our new enrollment platform, you can use the options on the left to filter by Term, Program, and Days of the week. We recommend filtering by group first to ensure you enroll the student in the appropriate class.
• We recommend using a desktop computer for best results. Phones and tablets could error out, as the registration platform isn’t as mobile-friendly.
• Selecting a Class: Select “register” for the class and choose the student listed in your family profile under “select attendees.”
• On the top right, select the “reserve class” button.
• From here, you can add another student to the same class session by selecting “add more” or “continue shopping” to enroll in a different class session.
• Be sure to check the boxes located in the “legal” section and add emergency contact information under “class registration” on the review page at check-out.
• Continue to payment. Add payment information. Once you select “submit” at the top right, your students will be enrolled. Look for a confirmation email.
• When entering payment information, please go slowly to enter the information correctly and in its entirety!  If even a single digit is off, it will issue an error.
• If you have a hyphenated last name, please leave out the hyphen when entering credit card information.  Program coding does not recognize the hyphen and can cause an error.  
• Every phone call and email that our Education Department receives will be timestamped; we will return them in the order in which they are received.
• Finally, we thank you in advance for your patience and grace. With our continual growth and wide span of educational offerings, we will continue to serve our students and their families to the very best of our abilities.

 

How to Create a User Account for Registration: 

• Here is the link for individuals to create those accounts: https://grct.easy-ware-ticketing.com/classes
• Create a new account
• Add your information (parent or purchaser) FIRST
• Once you have added yourself, add another parent and/or child(ren) to your profile
• Add NON-HOUSEHOLD emergency contacts
• Begin enrollment (when open on August 26th or 27th)