Thank you for partnering with
Performing Arts Programs.
We’re looking forward to a great season together!
The descriptions below are suggestions, written to be adapted. Trim, tighten, or rework them to fit your catalog format. Program materials, photos, and downloadable documents are being added to the resource folder below as they become available. If you need something specific in the meantime, just reach out.
We’re still updating our resources. If there’s anything you need in the meantime, please reach out directly at partner@joinperformingarts.org.
Acting Classes
Weekly group acting classes designed to build confidence, spark imagination, and develop real performing arts skills. Students explore theater games, improvisation, scene work, character development, voice and movement, and stage presence, all in a supportive, encouraging environment. Classes are grouped by age (typically K–4 and Grades 5–8) and run in weekly sessions across fall, winter, and spring. Every class is taught personally by Michael Lamb, founder of Performing Arts Programs, who has been developing young performers for nearly 30 years. Whether a student has never set foot on a stage or has performed for years, they leave every session more confident, more expressive, and more themselves.
Voice & Musical Theater
Students learn to sing musical theater repertoire with confidence and expression. Each class focuses on vocal technique, performance skills, and bringing songs to life through character and storytelling. Students work on breath, tone, and diction, but just as much on the acting inside the song: who is speaking, what they want, and why it matters. Classes are grouped by age (typically Grades 3–5 and Grades 6–8) and run in weekly sessions across fall, winter, and spring. A natural complement to acting classes, and a strong standalone experience for students who simply love to sing. Taught personally by Michael Lamb, a Carnegie Mellon trained musical theater performer with nearly 30 years of coaching experience.
Community Voices Youth Choir
A community choir program for children ages 7 to 12, open to every skill level with no audition or prior experience required. Weekly rehearsals build vocal technique, musical skill, and the confidence that comes from creating something as part of a group. Each session runs for several weeks and builds toward a live concert performance open to the whole community, with complimentary tickets for participating families. Community Voices has already brought neighboring towns together for meaningful shared performances, including an original piece written for a town's milestone anniversary celebration. It's designed to be as much about belonging and connection as it is about singing.
Summer Acting Workshop
A week-long acting intensive where students go deeper into the craft than a regular class session allows. Across five half-days, students explore scene work, improvisation, character development, voice and movement, and ensemble performance, with each day building on the last. The week closes with a performance share for families, an informal presentation where students show what they have created. Available as a half-day or full-day program and split by age group, typically ages 6–10 and 11–14. Parents are consistently surprised by how much their child grows in just five days. Taught personally by Michael Lamb.
Camp Acting Workshop
A one-day performing arts experience designed to bring theater directly into your existing summer camp programming. Students spend a half-day or full-day with Michael Lamb exploring theater games, ensemble activities, character work, and improvisation in a high-energy, creative environment. No preparation or experience required on the camp's part — Michael brings everything needed and works with whatever group size and age range you have. Camp Acting Workshop is a natural add-on for camps looking to offer something distinctive, expressive, and memorable. Students leave energized, more confident, and having created something together.
About the Instructor
Michael Lamb is the founder of Performing Arts Programs, which has partnered with recreation departments across Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island for nearly 30 years. Receiving his training from Carnegie Mellon University's musical theater program, Michael performed professionally in New York and on national tour before returning to Connecticut to build Performing Arts Programs. He has coached students who have gone on to Broadway, national tours, and top college theater and drama programs. Every class and rehearsal is taught personally by Michael, never subcontracted or handed off.