@ The Clarice, University of Maryland, College Park


Learn more about our award-winning program below. Click on an icon for more information.


Musical Theatre Refinement & Execution

The Senior Conservatory is our flagship, OVERNIGHT musical theatre intensive for the highly disciplined student seeking classes focused on artistic process PLUS the applied training of a full musical theatre production, all in an immersive overnight experience on a college campus.

Open to rising 9th-12th graders and rising college freshmen.


All programming in summer 2023 will be in-person with health & safety as our upmost priority!

  • Each weekday morning will be spent in classes studying Acting, Dance, Voice, and Music Theory.

  • Afternoon, evenings, and weekends will be devoted to the musical theatre production:

    • staging rehearsals

    • choreography

    • music rehearsals

  • The culminating event will be a LIVE musical theatre production, featuring:

    • Faculty-led stage direction, music direction, and choreography

    • Live in-person audience (as health guidelines allow)

    • Video of production will be captured and made available to friends and family.


  • DEADLINES:

    • Registration for the Senior Conservatory is due no later than June 15, 2023 at 11:59pm EDT.

  • PROGRAM DATES: SENIOR CONSERVATORY

    • Saturday, July 1 thru Friday, July 14, 2023

      • All inclusive program, including:

        • room and board

        • field trip to see a production at a local professional theater.


Senior Conservatory students will spend their mornings receiving combined Musical Theatre training in voice, acting, dance, and music theory with leading teachers in each discipline.

Classes may include:

  • MUSICAL THEATRE

    • Acting — improvisation, character development, and scene study

    • Dance — ballet, jazz, tap, modern, and hip-hop techniques

    • Voice — vocal technique, interpretation, music theory, and acting/movement for singers

    • Music Theory — introductory through advanced levels

Class sizes will remain small (14-16 students per class) to ensure personalized attention between teacher and students.


Afternoon, evenings and weekends will be devoted to the stage production, including:

  • staging rehearsals

  • choreography

  • music rehearsals

Casting auditions for the production will take place in-person on the first day of the program.


MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION: GYPSY with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and book by Arthur Laurents



All listed times are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

Dates and times are subject to change as below is only a sample schedule.


WEEKDAYS (Monday-Friday)

  • MORNING:

    • 7:30am: Breakfast

    • 8:30am: Morning Meeting (ALL)

    • 8:45am: Class 1

      • Voice, Acting, Dance, Theory

    • 9:45am: Class 2

      • Voice, Acting, Dance, Theory

    • 10:45am: Class 3

      • Voice, Acting, Dance, Theory

    • 11:45am: Class 4

      • Voice, Acting, Dance, Theory

    • 12:45pm: Lunch Break

  • AFTERNOON / EVENING:

    • 1:30pm: Music Rehearsal for Production

    • 2:45pm: Staging for Production

    • 3:45pm: Afternoon Meeting (ALL)

    • 4:00pm: Break

    • 4:30pm: Choreography for Production

    • 5:30pm: Dinner Break

    • 6:30pm: Rehearsal for Production

    • 10:00pm: Social Activity

    • 11:00pm: Lights Out



WEEKENDS (Sat-Sun)

  • MORNING:

    • 7:30am: Breakfast

    • 8:30am: Morning Meeting

    • 9:00am-12:30pm: Rehearsals for Production

    • 12:30pm: Lunch Break

  • AFTERNOON / EVENING:

    • 1:30pm: Music Rehearsal for Production

    • 2:45pm: Staging for Production

    • 3:45pm: Afternoon Meeting

    • 4:00pm: Break

    • 4:30pm: Choreography for Production

    • 5:30pm: Dinner Break

    • 6:30pm: Social Activity or Field Trip

    • 10:00pm: Return to Campus

    • 11:00pm: Lights Out



YAA will continue this summer with strict health & safety protocols in place to provide the safest possible environment for students and staff during our in-person programming.

CLICK HERE to learn more about YAA’s Health & Safety Protocols.


We are so excited in 2023 to be returning to our Conservatory campus at campus at The Clarice!


The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center is a professional performing arts complex located on the campus of the University of Maryland (UMD) at College Park, MD.

The UMD campus is conveniently located right of I-95 & I-495, within 30 minutes from most of the DC/Baltimore metro areas. The campus is also within 30 minutes from the region’s three major airports (DCA, BWI. IAD) and only a 10 minute drive from the New Carrolton Amtrak and MARC train stations, allowing easy access for those coming in from out of town.

The Clarice houses six major performance venues, and multiple rehearsal spaces, including:

KAY THEATRE @ The Clarice

  • Kay Theatre

    • 626-seat, Broadway-quality proscenium theatre

    • Main performance space for YAA productions

    • Professional theatrical lighting, audio, fly system, & scene shop

KAY THEATRE @ The Clarice


 

KOGOD THEATRE @ The Clarice

  • Kogod Theatre

    • 126-seat black box theatre

    • Rehearsal hall for YAA

    • Multipurpose black box with theatrical lighting and various seating configurations



 

CHOREOGRAPHY STUDIO @ The Clarice

  • Choreography Studio

    • 1,349 sf dance studio featuring:

      • sprung wood floors

      • full wall mirror

      • piano

      • built-in stereo system



 

HOUSING

Conservatory students enjoy double dorm rooms on North Campus at the University of Maryland, College Park. The residential hall amenities include:

  • Air-conditioned double room with shared bathroom

  • Large common lounge on each residential floor

  • Wireless internet connections

  • 24-hour service desk

  • Laundry facility in each residence hall

  • Direct access to the North Dining facility

  • Located across the street from The Clarice

CLICK HERE for a Virtual Tour of a double room on North Campus.


DINING

Conservatory students will be provided three meals a day in the 215 North Dining Hall, adjacent to the dorms.

CLICK HERE to see a sample menu from 251 North Dining Hall.


Aquatic Center @ UMD

55-ft Climbing Wall @ UMD

When not in class or rehearsing for the production, Conservatory students will have the opportunity to participate in extracurricular recreational activities which may include:

  • Swimming at the Aquatic Center

  • Rock climbing on the Climbing Wall

  • Theatre field trip to see a production at a local professional theater.

  • Movie nights

  • ...and more

 


Artistic Faculty & Staff

Click here to read more about our Summer Intensives Faculty & Staff.

Terry Eberhardt, Director of SPAI

Paul Heinemann, Assistant Director of SPAI, Junior Music Director

Karen Collins BlakeCamp Mom, SPAI

Kristina Friedgen, Artistic Administrator, Stage Director

Carole Graham Lehan, Stage Director & Acting: Senior

Jackie Bautista, Production Stage Manager & COVID Compliance Officer

Kathryn Bailey,  Assistant Vocal Director

Wayne Allen  Lead Counselor

Colleen Daly, Voice

Madeline Rodrigue, Director of Dance

Julia Rippon, Dance: Junior

Alex Palting, Acting: Junior

Dr. Luke Spence, Director of Trumpet Academy

Malcolm Washington, Music Theory

Rolando SanzProducing Artistic Director


All students are automatically accepted into the Conservatory program upon registration.

Students should register by May 1, 2022 at 11:59pm EDT to guarantee a spot in the program.


VIDEO AUDITIONS (FOR PLACEMENT):

All students are accepted into the program upon completion of registration. A video audition will be required after registration for class placement purposes only. Students who do not submit placement videos will be considered novices and placed accordingly.

  • Please prepare two contrasting selections.

    • This may be 2 songs, 2 monologues, or 1 song and 1 monologue.

    • Material selected should show your range and reflect the material you are interested in.

IN-PERSON CASTING AUDITIONS (FOR PRODUCTIONS):

Casting auditions for roles in the Production will take place separately during the first day of each session.

If you are interested in learning more about our Daytime Senior Academy program (which includes full production in 2022), click here.


TBA Date

  • MANDATORY Virtual Orientation for all students and families

    • Zoom link forthcoming to registered families.


Senior Conservatory

  • Early-Bird Discount: ($200 discount)

    • $3,795 (automatically applied at registration through January 31, 2023)

      • includes Room and Board

  • Regular Tuition:

    • $3,995 per two-week fully in-person session

      • includes Room and Board

 

Payment:

  • A deposit of $500 is due upon registration

  • 2nd payment of half of the remaining balance is due by May 1, 2023 (non-refundable).

  • Final balance due on June 1, 2023 (non-refundable).

  • Alternative payment plans can be arranged by contacting info@yaa.org.

Tuition Includes:

  • Participation in the Senior Conservatory's in-person production: GYPSY

  • All morning classes, PLUS all afternoon, evening, and weekend rehearsals and social activities

  • Extended recreational activities, which may include:

    • Movie nights

    • Rock wall climbing

    • Swimming

    • Field trip to see a production at a local professional theater.

    • ...and more

  • A two-week summer overnight intensive experience that you won't soon forget!

Cancellation Policy: Should you need to withdraw from the program for any reason, please inform us in writing. If you have any funds due to you based on the above policy, we will return them immediately to the credit card on file in your account.

  • PLEASE NOTE: Should we need to cease in-person programming for health and safety reasons, YAA will replace the cancelled in-person sessions with similar virtual ones and there will be a price adjustment for the costs of room and board only.


  • Those who wish to be considered for a scholarship or financial aid need to submit an application to us no later than June 1, 2023.

  • Please contact Lisa Larragoite at lisa@yaa.org for more information.

  • Tuition Assistance is limited.



+ What is the difference between Senior Conservatory and Senior Academy?

The main difference is that Senior Conservatory is an all-inclusive OVERNIGHT program, while Senior Academy is a DAYTIME program. Both programs run for two weeks.

Senior Conservatory students are in residence at the The Clarice @ University of Maryland, Colllege Park 24/7 for the full duration of the two weeks with full room and board, recreational activities, plus a field trip to see a production at a local professional theater included in the tuition. The 2023 production for Senior Conservatory is GYPSY.

Senior Academy students are on campus daily from 8:30am-8:00pm at the Performing Arts Center @ Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney, MD. The 2022 production for Senior Academy is JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR.

Both programs feature similar immersive musical theatre training, with classes in voice, acting, dance, and music theory during the day and rehearsals for a mainstage production in the afternoons, evenings, and weekends.

Both the Senior Academy and Senior Conservatory will be fully in-person programs in 2023.


+ How exactly will we pull off off a full live stage production of a full musical in two weeks?

As always, we will have a blueprint for success. Staging, music, and choreography rehearsals will take place in-person at the same intensive pace that students are used to from SPAI. We will always set every student up for success! This is an INTENSIVE after all!


+ How will the final performances work?

The Kay Theatre at The Clarice has a capacity of 600+ in the audience, so we will be able to accommodate more of your friends and family that in the past.

The performances of GYPSY will take place on Thursday, July 13, 2023 at 7:00pm and Friday, July 14, 2023 at 7:00pm in the Kay Theatre at The Clarice. Tickets will be made available through The Clarice Box Office to participants first about a week before the performances, followed by opening them to the public.