WELCOME TO Young Artist Studio!
A ten-month intensive educational program providing experienced MENTORSHIP, advanced TRAINING, and growth OPPORTUNITIES for young artists in grades 7-12 who are considering a career in theatre performance or production.
A COMPREHENSIVE program for highly motivated students!
The 2026/27 Young Artist Studio will include the following elements:
A personal MENTOR, matched to the student based on interests, who will meet with them three times a year to discuss goals and formulate plans to achieve those goals.
Monthly Studio Time where students present a piece (song, dance, monologue, etc.) for the team of mentors and their peers, receive individualized written feedback, and work on their piece in breakout rooms with experts.
ADVANCED CLASSES on Saturdays, curated to the needs and goals of the students in the Studio.
ALL Classes take place on Saturdays during term from 8:30 am-5 pm
Fall Term: 10/3/26-11/7/26
Winter Term: 1/9/27-2/13/27
Spring Term: 4/17/27-5/22/27
MASTERCLASSES with industry professionals who can help students better understand theatre, as a profession. The 26/27 Masterclass schedule presented throughout the year will include 3-6 Masterclasses on various topics ranging and presented by professional theatre artists, currently working in the field. Previous Masterclasses included: Acting for the Camera, Professional Dance Call, Vocal Health, and a variety of opportunities featuring national touring companies such as Dance and Choreography with Six, Character Development with Beetlejuice, and Improv with Clue.
FIELD TRIPS AND RETREATS are intended to create opportunities for continued learning to best understand life in College/University Theatre Programs and/or life in Professional Theatre Companies on the performance or technical side of theatre.
PRODUCTION OPPORTUNITIES include a guaranteed role in the School of Theatre Arts Production (as long as attendance requirements are met) and unique opportunities to participate on MainStage production teams as an assistant.
LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES for students interested in internships, teaching assistant positions, production team positions, and other leadership roles at Civic Theatre.
EXTRA CLASSES in the School of Theatre Arts! Every Studio member is entitled to additional classes in the School of Theatre Arts during our standard terms. We highly encourage our YAS students to take additional dance classes to round out their educational experience!
OTHER PERKS for Studio members include: Comp tickets to GRCT Mainstage shows, Senior Resources, Use of Civic Spaces (at designated times), Professional Headshots, Access to Music and Script Library, Access to Civic professional staff for questions and guidance and Studio Swag.
NEW THIS YEAR: Students in the Young Artist Studio program will have access to voice lessons through the Grand Rapids Voice Collective for a highly discounted monthly fee!
APPLYING FOR THE PROGRAM
Auditions and Interviews for the 2026/27 Young Artist Studio will be Tuesday, July 14 from 6:30pm-8:30pm and Saturday, July 18 from 12pm-2pm. Interested students will need to fill out the application form here. Applications are due by July 7.
The 2026/27 Young Artist Studio will be comprised of up to 12 highly motivated, passionate, and dedicated students.
ADDI GROOM
ALANNAH FROST
AVA ROGERS
DELANEY LIMBAUGH
EDISON RODRIGUEZ
ELIZA KELLY
HAZEL THOMPSON
MAKAYLA DEPRIEST
NOLAN MOOREHEAD
RAYNE HOLT
RYLEE PEDDIE
SHAY VENEMA
2026/27 Young Artist Studio Mentors
Alyssa Garcia Bauer
Alyssa's Bio
Alyssa was most recently on the Civic stage as Carole King in Beautiful and Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast. Favorite local credits include Sweeney Todd (Beggar Woman), The Sound of Music (Maria), My Fair Lady (Eliza Doolitte), Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins), Cinderella (Cinderella), and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Esmerald). Alyssa also enjoys performing with the Grand Rapids Symphony in educational concerts.
Amy Wilson
Amy's Bio
Amy Wilson is a Grand Rapids based dance artist, choreographer, dance educator and the Artistic Director of Dance in the Annex (DITA). Amy has served on faculty at Grand Valley State University, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Grand Rapids Community College and Civic Theatre and is a regular guest artist and choreographer at studios, schools and universities around West Michigan. As the Artistic Director of DITA, a contemporary dance collective, Amy choreographs, produces and performs in live and dance-film works that are site-specific with an emphasis on process. Amy is excited for her 2nd year as a Young Artist Studio Mentor and looking forward to choreographing Civic Theatre’s mainstage production of Rocky Horror this upcoming season!
Annelise Dickinson
Annelise's Bio
Annelise is a director, actor, and vocal coach whose career has spanned the Midwest, including teaching at UW-Madison, GVSU, Aquinas College, and Interlochen Arts Camp. She holds a BA in theatre from Purdue and an MFA in Acting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Annelise grew up in Grand Rapids and returned here from Chicago a few years ago to be close to family, and she is enjoying stepping into the local theatre community. Most recently she directed Beautiful: The Carole King Musical here at Civic. Her secret talent is that she can name all of the countries and capitals in the world—just quiz her!
Audrey Aukeman
Audrey's Bio
Audrey is an actress, counselor, and teaching artist from Grand Rapids, MI. She attended Belmont University in Nashville, TN, where she received a BM in Musical Theatre. Her acting career allowed her the opportunity to perform and teach across the country in regional theatres and on tour. More recently, Audrey completed a master’s degree in counseling and enjoys working with clients in her own private practice. Since moving back to Grand Rapids, Audrey has continued to be involved with theatre as a teaching artist, music director, and private voice instructor. Audrey especially loves teaching at GRCT because she grew up performing on the Civic stage and taking classes in the School of Theatre Arts. She enjoys seeing a new generation of performers grow up at Civic and is honored to be part of their story!
Emily Volz Mills
Emily's Bio
Professional performer and music educator, Emily Volz Mills is an active music director and voice coach in the greater Grand Rapids area. She is a founding voice of Grand Rapids Premier Professional Choir, Vox GR, founded in 2022. Emily currently serves as the Operations & Education Director for the ensemble and is lucky to sing soprano. Past directing credits include Disney’s Descendants: The Musical, Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience, Shrek Jr. and a Cabaret featuring the music of Pasek & Paul
Mieke Moll
Mieke's Bio
Mieke Moll is excited to return to Civic after choreographing Disney’s Descendants the Musical and Cats! She has also choreographed The Music Man at Circle Theatre and the pilot production of Trolls Jr. in NYC. Mieke is a graduate of Syracuse University with a BFA in Musical Theatre and resides primarly in New York. Mieke grew up performing and being a dance captain in various shows at Civic, including Sister Act, Mary Poppins, Ragtime, and Circle’s Cats!
TUITION
Tuition for the 2026/27 program is $4000 for the entire ten month program. Monthly payments of $400 (spread across 10 months) will be accepted.
Tuition covers: mentorship meetings, Saturday classes and Studio time, all masterclasses, field trips/retreats, all classes, all production participation, internship/leadership participation, additional classes in the School of Theatre Arts terms and tickets to touring Broadway shows and any productions on the College/University Field trip. Some classes may have required materials such as dance shoes and/or basic office supplies that are NOT covered by tuition. Meals during field trips/retreats may not be covered by tuition, but we will strive to choose lost-cost options and/or have a sack-lunch option available.
A limited number of need based scholarships are available and applications will be available during the audition/interview process. Scholarship application will NOT impact your acceptance into the program.
There will be a MANDATORY ORIENTATION for parents and students on Wednesday, August 12th from 5-8 pm.
For more information please contact studio@grct.org
30 DIVISION AVE N, GRAND RAPIDS, MI | 616.222.6685 | GRCT.ORG
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