This series of three workshops invites participants to explore creative writing through the lens of nature, memory (both communal and personal), and humanity. Drawing inspiration from Central Florida’s landscape, unique history, and literary voices—especially Zora Neale Hurston’s—we’ll experiment with poetry and prose to discover and discuss how personal and regional stories shape creative expression. Our readings will focus on readings from historically marginalized & intersectional identities.By the end of the course, participants will have a small portfolio of new writing, a reading list of excerpted longer works, and a deeper understanding of how to use sensory detail, figurative language, character, and self-reflection to bring their work to life. Selected student work will be exhibited online in conjunction with the NEA's Big Read: Their Eyes Were Watching God celebration.

Timeline: Workshop #1: Humanity vs. Nature: Writing Our Living World - Monday, March 9, 6 - 9 pm at the Lowndes Shakespeare Center

Workshop #2: Memoir Poetry & the Voice of Memory - Monday, March 16, 6 - 9pm at the Lowndes Shakespeare Center

Workshop #3: Zora Neale Hurston & the Culture of Central Florida - Monday, March 23, 6 - 9pm at the Lowndes Shakespeare Center

Acting With Heart is open to middle and high school students with and without disabilities. Registered students will work on contemporary acting scenes with teaching artists trained in working with diverse students. Each actor is challenged to bring their character to life using their own unique talents and abilities. The class culminates in a showcase for friends and family. 

This class is offered free of charge, thanks to a generous grant from the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation.

Your camper can arrive at Shakes as early as 8:30 am and stay until 5:30 pm. Extended Day may include outside play, crafts, games, and movies in a safe, supervised environment. 

$50 per week

ADD ON ONLY to Week-Long Summer Camps

Your camper can arrive at Shakes as early as 8:30 am and stay until 5:30 pm. Extended Day may include outside play, crafts, games, and movies in a safe, supervised environment. 

$50 per week

ADD ON ONLY to Grades 6-12 Summer Camps

Our two-week Production Camps are taught by theater professionals and are designed to teach theater skills of performance and collaboration. Each camp will culminate with a LIVE performance for friends and family. Camps are limited to  25 students and should be selected by the grade your child will enter in August 2026.

June 1 - 12. Performance: June 12 at 3-4 pm 
It's our show now, kid. The ghost with the most comes to the stage in Beetlejuice JR., the frightfully funny musical based on the beloved motion picture turned Broadway phenomenon. Lydia Deetz is a strange and unusual teenager, still grieving the loss of her mother and obsessed with the whole “being dead thing.” Lucky for Lydia, she and her father move to a new house haunted by a recently deceased couple and Beetlejuice, a delightful demon with a real zest for life. When Lydia calls on Beetlejuice to scare away anyone with a pulse, this double-crossing specter shows his true stripes, unleashing a (Nether)world of pandemonium.

Our one-week camps are taught by theater professionals and are designed to ignite the imagination and inspire creativity in students from grades 2-5 while teaching life skills. Each camp will culminate with a video-recorded “shareformance” for friends and family. Camps are limited to 20 students and should be selected by the grade your child will enter in August 2026.

Lights, choreography, and secret identities! Students step into the world of pop idols who balance chart-topping performances with epic demon-hunting missions. Campers explore character creation, movement, and ensemble storytelling, culminating in a bold, heroic shareformance.

Our one-week camps are taught by theater professionals and are designed to ignite the imagination and inspire creativity in students from grades 2-5 while teaching life skills. Each camp will culminate with a video-recorded “shareformance” for friends and family. Camps are limited to 20 students and should be selected by the grade your child will enter in August 2026.

Inspired by a playful pup, this camp celebrates imagination and creativity. Students explore storytelling through improvisation, movement, and character work, bringing everyday moments to theatrical life.

Step off the stage and into the spotlight of the camera! In this one-week intensive, students learn how to act for film and television, exploring scene work, character development, and on-camera techniques. Campers will practice monologues, duets, and short scenes, discovering how to connect with the lens and captivate an audience. 

The week ends with a recorded showcase of their scenes—giving each student a reel-worthy moment to share with friends, family, and future casting opportunities. Limited to 15 students for personalized coaching and on-camera focus.