Porchlight Youth Classes
FALL & SPRING YOUTH CLASSES
OFFERED EACH FALL & SPRING • AGES 4-17
Fall Classes 2026 are on sale NOW!
Porchlight is proud to be Chicago’s home for music theatre and believes in the power of studying theater to build self-confidence, creative thinking and open us all up to be more empathetic and caring humans.
Our Foundation Classes – Mini Musicals for ages 4 – 6, Broadway Basics for ages 7 – 10 and Intermediate Ensemble for ages 11 – 13 – introduce music theater skills in a fun and welcoming atmosphere.
Students grow from exploring environments in Mini Musicals to creating characters through play and improvisation in Broadway Basics, to more challenging technique and group work in Intermediate Ensemble. Actors will spend their day singing, dancing and creating an original musical performance to share on the day of class.
Offered each Fall, pre-professional and high school aged actors (14 – 17 years) join us for the Broadway Teen Intensive series for any actors curious about or planning on auditioning for college music theater programs. Actors will leave more confident in their music theatre skills and, if they are high school Seniors, can submit their videos for the Common Music Theatre Prescreen Audition. This workshop series covers material selection and coaching for song and monologues, practice learning dance audition combinations, and guided information on the audition process.
All classes (except for Broadway Teen Intenisve) are held at:
Second City, etc
230 W. North Ave, Chicago IL 60614
Accessible by Brown/Purple line, Clark and North bus.
Broadway Teen Intensive is held at:
Porchlight Studios
4200 W. Diversey Ave.
Chicago, IL 60639
Accessible by Diversey bus, parking lot available.
Please note: the registration will ask for YOUR (the parent’s) name at checkout. Please feel free to put your CHILD’S NAME in the order notes. There will be a link to submit all your actor’s information in the confirmation email. A processing fee of $5.50 is added by the website. Unfortunately we are not able to waive this fee.
Want to Try Before You Buy?
Join us for the first week of class for $25.
If you love it and want to join the rest of class, we’ll apply the cost of the trial to the rest of the term!
MINI MUSICALS • AGES 4 – 6
Offered each Fall and Spring term
Fall 2026: September 19 – December 19 (no class 11/28)
Saturdays, 10:00 – 11:00 am
$350
Budding actors join us each week for songs, games, making new friends, and having a blast on stage! Our youngest students stretch their theatre muscles as they create an original musical story – with dance moves, props, and songs to share with family and friends on the last day of class!
BROADWAY BASICS • AGES 7 – 10
Offered each Fall and Spring term
Fall 2026: September 19 – December 19 (no class 11/28)
Saturdays, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
$500
Enter the world of music, drama, dance, writing, and more while practicing teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. Students will be introduced to their actor tools — their bodies, voices, and imaginations — while singing and dancing to classic and contemporary Broadway hits, writing their own story, and with lots of time for playing games and making new friends. At the end of the session join us for a final performance to celebrate all your young actors’ work!
INTERMEDIATE ENSEMBLE • AGES 11 – 13
Offered each Fall and Spring term
Fall 2026: September 19 – December 19 (no class 11/28)
Saturday, 1:30pm – 3:30 pm
$650
Returning and new middle school aged actors join us to grow as they focus on classic or contemporary musicals, learn musical theater songs, choreography and create a musical revue to share with family and friends.
Register for Intermediate Ensemble
BROADWAY TEEN INTENSIVE
Offered each Fall term
December 5, 2026 – January 30, 2027 (no class 12/26/26 or 1/2/27)
Saturdays, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
This class meets at Porchlight Studios – 4200 W. Diversey Ave.
There are two registration options for the Broadway Teen Intensive, depending on the age of your actor.
- The standard Broadway Teen Intensive is designed for students in Grades 9, 10, 11 interested in (or curious about!) auditioning for college Music Theatre Programs. Choose “For Grades 9, 10, 11” at checkout. $575
- The extended class is intended for high school seniors preparing their audition materials for the 2026-2027 school year. Choose “For Grade 12” at checkout. $650
Material covered includes song and monologue selection and preparation, recording and submitting pre-screen videos for the Music Theater Common Prescreen (for seniors), as well as preparing acting resumes. Students will leave this class more prepared for all audition opportunities.
Class will meet December 5, 2026 – January 30, 2027 with no class on December 26, 2026 or January 2, 2027. The extended class for high school seniors will continue through Chicago Unified Auditions in February 2027.
New this year by family request is a second option for high school seniors completing their college auditions in the 2026 – 2027 school year. We will attend Chicago Unified Auditions together at the Palmer House Hilton including day-of warm ups and coordination.
Register for Broadway Teen Intensive
Scholarships for Youth Programming
Payment plans are available for all youth programming by emailing rebeccah@porchlightmusictheatre.org. Scholarships and financial aid available by filling out this application.
Scholarships are available, along with financial aid and payment plans. To apply for a scholarship, apply HERE. For more information on scholarships, please visit our FAQ section or email Porchlight’s Education Director Rebeccah Singer* at rebeccah@porchlightmusictheatre.org.
Scholarships Provided due to generous donations from:
Pronoun Key: + (he/him/his); * (she/her/hers); ^ (they, them, theirs); = (any with respect)