The Academy

Theatre Education for All Levels

Learn to act from expert instructors with extensive performing arts industry experience. Whether you’re looking to improve your theatre skills or preparing for a college theatre program, you’ll love the guidance you get from the UP Academy team. Through weekly classes, we aim to inspire self-expression, cultivate discipline, and build a lifelong love for the arts.

The Academy offers students the opportunity for a more intensive course of study in theatre arts. Our inaugural year focuses on acting and important theatrical fundamentals, with classes that provide training to support varied levels of skills and experience.
Students ages 13-18 are invited to apply for Year One, which runs from September 2025-June 2026.

​Applicants will be placed in the level that best supports their continuous growth, with consideration given to prior experience and past performances, and with reflection on the engagement & involvement with UP and the directorial & education teams.

Theatre Training for the Next Stage. And the One After That.

Our Academy program is designed for students who are ready to explore more in depth theatrical training—whether to prepare for college, the professional stage, or just to hone their skills to be the best performer they can be.

What to expect

• Courses that build year over year to provide a full curriculum of knowledge and prepare students to be proficient in theatre skills
• Trimester Class Schedules - no summer academy 
• Acting classes in each trimester focusing on different techniques and stronger connections
• Audition prep & character work
• Script analysis & theatre history
• Showcases and performance opportunities
• Feedback & mentorship from professional artists
• NOTE: The Academy does not spend significant time on the musical portion of musical theatre at this time



UP Academy for Young Actors

Young actors focus on choosing and preparing monologues, improvisation skills, cold readings and audition technique. Actors learn to behave logically and naturally. Relaxation, concentration, and focus are stressed. Students are exposed to various techniques including: Spolin, Stanislavski, Hagen, Meisner, and Alexander techniques. During every class meeting, we work on speech and diction.

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​Instructor: Andrew Lidestri - andrew@theatreupnh.org

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​Mondays & Fridays 6:30-8:00PM

Session 1: September 15 - December 12, 2025

Session 2: January 5 - March 20, 2026

Session 3: April 6 - June 19, 2026