Photo: “Yellow” Cast of SEUSSICAL the Musical (August 2022)
Photo credit: Kayla Ninneman Photography
YAA Principles // Conduct Policy
Upcoming Programs
YAA Classes 2024-2025
Our 2024-2025 Young Actors Academy season is here, featuring all-new “Play Track” classes culminating in a full-length play production in June! Online registrations are now available. Download our information packet for more details then register today!
Class Options
Acting Fundamentals: The Acting Fundamentals is our traditional, semester-based YAA acting classes, meeting every other week and intended for new students with no previous theater experience, but anyone is welcome to join the Fundamentals class.
*NEW* Play Track: Each weekly Play Track class of 10-20 students will be its own cast and will meet most weeks from September – May, working towards a full-length performance of E.B. White’s Stuart Little on the Open Window Theatre stage in June. Students in these “Play Track” classes will continue to develop their acting talents through skills-based games and activities in addition to the scene work for the play. This performance opportunity is offered in addition to our annual summer musical during the latter half of the summer, and YAA students receive first-priority registration for the summer musical!
Note About June Play Schedule: Each cast will have only one dress/tech rehearsal during the first week of June and two performances sometime between the dates of June 9 – 22. Exact dress rehearsal and performance dates will be announced by the end of September once we know exactly how many classes/casts we have to work with.
Multi-child Discounts: Automatic multi-child discounts are applied to siblings within the same family who are registered at the same time. If you wish to register additional children at a later date, you’ll need to contact our office to have the appropriate discount applied: 612-615-1515.
Prepay Discount: An additional 10% prepayment discount is offered for payment in full of our “Play Track” tuition fees at the time of registration. Add the coupon code prepay10 to your cart to receive the discount. If you later choose a payment plan option during checkout, the prepay discount will be disabled.
Scholarships: Limited financial aid scholarships are available upon request. To request a scholarship, email us at: youth@openwindowtheatre.org or call 612-615-1515.
Payment Plan: A 10-month payment plan is offered for our full-year play track classes. After proceeding to checkout, select the installment plan option during the checkout process.
Synopsis of YAA
Open Window Theatre’s Young Actors Academy (YAA) offers top-quality theater education and performance opportunities for youth ages 8-18. All skill levels are welcome! YAA students will gain confidence and develop creative talents as they participate in skills-based acting games & activities. Additionally, we offer students an opportunity to put what they’ve learned into practice through full-length play productions and musicals.
Our support of the Christian and homeschool communities, driven by our uniquely redemptive mission in the arts, is what makes our youth programming unique. Founders Jeremy and Sarah Stanbary are trained theater professionals with over 20-years experience producing redemptive theater inspired by their rich Catholic cultural heritage. All of our YAA instructors and directors are professionally trained and working theater artists, ensuring a high level of competency and education.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
- We believe creativity is a gift from the Divine Artist to be used in service of the common good.
- We believe creative training is a highly valuable tool for the mental, emotional, and spiritual growth of young people.
- We believe that artists, as ambassadors of empathy, should treat others as they themselves wish to be treated, with love and mutual respect.
About the Instructors
JEREMY STANBARY
OWT Founder & YAA Coordinator
Jeremy holds a BA in Fine & Performing Arts with 20-years of experience producing and performing theater professionally while advancing his uniquely redemptive vision for the arts. In 2003, Jeremy began touring full-time with his original one-man and small-cast dramas. For the next 8-years, he performed for tens of thousands of people both nationally and internationally, reaching countless others via cable television. In 2011, Jeremy & Sarah founded Open Window Theatre, which has become a mainstay of the Twin Cities arts scene. Jeremy also has over 10-years of active experience in theater education for youth, developing and growing the E-Rhapsody Youth Theater program between 2007-2016. The legacy of the E-Rhapsody program lives on now as the Young Actors Academy.
SARAH STANBARY
OWT Co-Founder & YAA Instructor
Sarah is the co-founder of Open Window Theatre and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with a dual degree in Theatre Performance and Arts Management. Sarah toured both nationally & internationally with husband Jeremy between 2007-2011 and also served as a youth theater instructor for their E-Rhapsody Youth Theater program from 2007-2016. Aside from her acting talents, Sarah is also an accomplished ballroom dancer and dance instructor.
JOSHUA ZAPATA-PALMER
Instructor (Open Window Theatre location)
Joshua Palmer is a Twin Cities, MN film and theater artist. He has a BA in Theater Arts from Bethel University and has worked as an actor, director, producer, writer, teacher, clown, host, dancer, musician, and mime in Minnesota, Florida, Arizona, California, Poland, and South Africa. His film work includes the upcoming fantasy web series Hidden Falls, and the award-winning short films Bear, The Paper Jam, Core Value Rangers, We Are Kickball, Rosebird, Kowalskis, and Dust & Ashes. In theater, he has collaborated as an actor or director with the National Theatre for Children, Children’s Theatre Company, MN Opera, Prairie Fire Children’s Theatre, Arts Garden, MN Renaissance Festival, Juggler and Mime, MONDO Juggling Fest, Lakeshore Players, and Valleyfair. He regularly performs with the children’s show Lalo’s Lunchbox. Whether he’s telling stories, teaching classes, or creating new works, Josh desires to spread joy and hope in everything he does.
JILLIAN EHLKE
Instructor (Open Window Theatre location)
A graduate of the University of Northwestern with a major in theater and a minor in dance, Jillian is a multi-talented performing artist who was seen on the Open Window Theatre stage three times in as many years, first in A Christmas Carol in 2021, followed by George Orwell’s 1984, and most recently in her critically acclaimed portrayal of Emily Webb in Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. In addition to other local professional theater credits, Jillian was also featured in the independent mini-series film project, Hidden Falls.
Jillian is just as passionate about education as she is about performing, and we’re blessed to have her join the YAA team as an instructor this season!
Questions?
Contact: youth@openwindowtheatre.org or Call: 612-615-1515
Personal Conduct Policy
All staff and contract workers at OWT are required to sign off on our Personal Conduct Policy. Download and review that policy by clicking below:
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About
Participants gain confidence, develop creativity, and learn theater fundamentals as they participate in skills-based acting games & activities during biweekly classes culminating in an end-of-semester showcase performance.
Guiding Principles
- We believe creativity is a gift from the Divine Artist to be used in service of the common good.
- We believe creative training is a highly valuable tool for the mental, emotional, and spiritual growth of young people.
- We believe that artists, as ambassadors of empathy, should treat others as they themselves wish to be treated, with love and mutual respect.