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Teens on Stage and Teens Backstage

Every summer for over 30 years, Raleigh Little Theatre holds a theatre intensive for high school age students to participate in classes and apply their learning to a fully realized production.  Teens on Stage classes may focus on movement, voice and speech, text analysis, devising and advanced acting. Teens Backstage participants are engaged in all areas of technical theatre including set construction, costume construction, prop building, lighting, sound and scenic painting. Teens Backstage also builds the set and many costumes under the supervision of the Technical Director and design team.

The Teens on Stage / Teens Backstage program is designed to further students’ theatrical training by connecting theatre classes to production work and to develop students as theatre artists by connecting theatre to the world and society. The program is a good fit for a variety of theatre experience levels and the RLT education team believes this variety makes the program even stronger. Our goal is that this intensive theatre-making experience serves students’ goals in theatre and the arts and also in developing their communication, collaboration and problem-solving skills that can be used in a variety of ways in their lives.

Admission to Teens on Stage is by audition only and Teens Backstage is by interview.

Our 2026 Teens on Stage/Teens Backstage production will be released soon!

About the Program

Together, TOS and TBS form RLT’s teen intensive on-campus summer program that provides theatrical training and mentoring to teens. The program team’s approach prioritizes the agency of the youth participants and is grounded in the belief that young people are valuable creative collaborators. This approach supports the development of youth theatre artists as it engages them in critical thinking, creative problem solving, and a community-centered environment that recognizes what each person brings to the collaboration.

RLT seeks participants for the Teens on Stage program. All who are cast in the production divide their time between daily classes and rehearsals. Class content is designed to support students’ artistic skill development in areas that apply directly to the production, while helping them grow into well rounded theatre artists.

RLT seeks 6-8 participants in the Teens Backstage program. Participants will gain experience in all areas of technical theatre (set construction, costuming, lighting, sound and prop making) through rotating master classes and mentorship from the design team in creating all technical elements of the production. Teens Backstage participants then move into a focus area as technical rehearsals begin and then serve as the run crew with a specific role for all performances

The program is open to students grades rising 10th – 2026 high school graduates.

 

Program Dates for Teens on Stage and Teens Backstage

The first day of the program is Saturday, June 27.  Performances run July 24 – August 9, with strike (deconstruction of the production elements, followed by a final group reflection) after the show on August 9.  Performances are on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, and Sundays at 3:00 pm.

Teens on Stage and Teens Backstage meet Monday-Friday from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm until opening night.

Sample daily program schedule:

9:00 – 9:20 am Check In/Announcements

9:20 – 10:55 am TOS Class #1 & TBS Build Time

10:55 – 11:10 am Break

11:10 – 12:45 pm TOS Class #2 & TBS Build Time

12:45 – 1:15 pm Lunch

1:15 – 2:50 pm TOS Rehearsal & TBS Classes/Build Time

2:50 – 3:05 pm Break

3:05 – 4:40 pm TOS Rehearsal & TBS Classes/Build Time

4:40 – 5:00 pm End of Day Reinforcement

 

Recent Teens on Stage / Teens Backstage productions include:

 

2025 TOS/TBS production of “Hadestown: Teen Edition

Any questions about the program can be directed to Education@nullRaleighLittleTheatre.org.