Traveling Players Sleepaway Camps & Conservatories

Recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts as “1 of 25 Summer Schools of the Arts,” Traveling Players offers a range of programs for acting students (grades 3 - 12), from advanced performance training in our 6-week pre-college Shakespeare Troupe to 1-week introductory workshops for beginners.

Our hallmark summer theatre camps and acting conservatories are by-audition and residential -- in the foothills of Leesburg, VA. Actors (grades 4-12) rehearse a play in small, supportive groups of only 13 performers. Led by a trio of directors (faculty to student ratio -- 1:4), they receive expert acting training in ensemble-based theatre, text analysis, and stage combat. Each session culminates in a professionally staged and designed public performance with plays by Shakespeare, Moliere, and based on Greek Mythology.

Traveling Players emphasizes a meaningful engagement with nature. Our residential programs include a weekly campout – when performers learn Leave No Trace camping techniques, to pitch tents, and cook outdoors. As artists and backpackers, campers learn self-reliance and creative problem solving, and gain an appreciation of challenges and beauty -- while making lifelong friendships.

Members of our advanced Shakespeare Troupe apply the skills they have learned as artists and backpackers to a 5-day professional performance tour. Past tours have included performances at the Kennedy Centers’ Millennium Stage, Colonial Williamsburg, and Lime Kiln Theatre.

Young actors (grades 3-6) in the DC-metro area can train at our Studio in Tysons Corner Center. Spring Break and summer day camps expand imaginations, confidence and skills while forming new friendships. Studio training is available year-round to students of all levels.

Small by design and awarded for excellence, Traveling Players has been bringing great theatre into the great outdoors for 20 years.