Santa Monica Playhouse Actors' Workshop was established in 1960.
​The Education Conservatory for Youth was established in 1969.​

"Imagination has brought mankind through the Dark Ages to its present state of civilization. Imagination has given us the steam engine, the telephone, and the automobile, for these things had to be dreamed of before they became realities. So, I believe that dreams—day dreams, you know, with your eyes wide open and your brain-machinery whizzing—are likely to lead to the betterment of the world. The imaginative child will become the imaginative man or woman most apt to create, to invent, and therefore to foster civilization." L. Frank Baum, 1917

​Today, over a century later, with new dreams at a premium, and avenues in which to explore them harder than ever to find, Santa Monica Playhouse offers a challenging, entertaining and educational series of productions and programs for youth 52 weeks out of the year. Artistic Directors Chris DeCarlo and Evelyn Rudie, founders of the Santa Monica Playhouse Theatre for Youth, and Associate Director Serena Dolinsky, have made it part of their lifelong artistic goal to awaken our young people to the wonder and vision of a live theatre experience they can truly call their own, and to foster the awareness and appreciation of live theatre in children both as play-goers and play-makers.  

​By encouraging the use of the creative imagination in approaching and interpreting the experiences of today's world, by offering alternate choices and solutions, the Santa Monica Playhouse Education Conservatory Programs promote the awareness of the power of theatre as a tool and a means of giving each generation creative influence over the direction of their lives and of the community at large. In addition, these programs are dedicated to awakening an awareness of and an appreciation for the diversity of cultures in our city and in our world. 

The Santa Monica Playhouse Education Conservatory is one of only ten City arts organizations recognized through the SMARTS Arts in Schools and Demonstration Project for California Arts Council as qualified and selected by a peer review process to teach arts in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and proud to be listed as an approved program on www.LAArtsEd.org, Los Angeles County's one-stop-shop for quality arts education programs

The Theatre Conservatory

The Theatre Workshops for Youth offer students between the ages of 4 and 17 the opportunity to work with professional artists and playwrights to create astonishing plays that reflect the issues in their lives. More than 100 plays have been created by and for members of these workshops, many of which have gone on to become Main Stage and Touring productions. In this one-of-a-kind workshop environment, young people study with a group of working professionals who have devoted their lives to sharing the magic of live theatre in an atmosphere of warmth and commitment, learning to share feelings and responsibilities with a group of peers, participating in activities which improve communication skills, and awakening creative expression and inspire self-confidence. 

The Diversity-in-Education Project offers opportunities for underserved students Pre-School through 12th grade to participate in all Santa Monica Playhouse Theatre-in-Education programs. Through intensive fund-raising and a dedicated commitment on the part of the Playhouse Parent Volunteer Committee, 25% of the student population at the Playhouse receive full or partial scholarships. 

The Young Professional’s Company, for students with serious career intent, is a highly intensive look at theatre as a total activity, emphasizing personal responsibility and commitment, team spirit and the togetherness that comes from sharing in the creative process. Members of this group perform regularly in the Family Theatre and Main Stage productions, as well as participating in national and international tours. Productions originated by the YPC include the long-running (15 years) dramedy Dear Gabby—the confessions of an over-achiever, the environmental musical 2004—a telling of tomorrow, and dreamward, which made its UK debut in Stratford-upon-Avon. Members of the YPC also teach, direct and intern in theatre management. Graduates include journalist Gadi Dechter, casting director Liz Dean (Nip ’n’ Tuck), producer/writer Rina Mimoun (Gilmore Girls, Pushing Daisies), Obi Ndefo (Star Trek, Stargate SG-1) and educator Cami Anderson (New York City Superintendent of Alternative Schools and Programs).

The American Cultural Youth Ambassadors, the umbrella organization which Playhouse tours, is on the cutting edge of cultural exchange. In many cases, the Playhouse is the first touring company to bring a theatrical production to villages and towns on foreign soil. Actors’ Repertory Theatre has created several original bilingual productions which it has produced and performed with student companies in Japan, and has performed on such historical sites as the ruins of the Kenilworth Castle in England, the first time a theatrical production was given permission by the English Heritage Foundation. Since its inception in 1989, company members (some as young as nine years old) have participated in more than fifty international tours to England, Ireland, the Netherlands, Canada and Japan, as well as national tours all the way from New York to Alaska, and have hosted over two dozen exchanges with sister companies at the Santa Monica Playhouse.

The adult Actors' Workshop and ShortBurst® Theatre Project, created by Mr. DeCarlo and co-artistic director Evelyn Rudie, and enhanced by current Associate Director Serena Dolinsky, offers participants the chance to collaborate with professional playwrights and directors, to create intense, intimate, original theatre productions performed for the public as the culmination of each session. Over the past 30 years, ShortBurst® has created more than 4 dozen productions locally, nationally and with companies from 11 countries, many that have later become main stage and touring productions.

outreach in schools 

Through the Playhouse OutReach Program, Playhouse staff members teach drama and performance art workshops throughout the school system with a series of workshops designed to foster self-confidence and enhance communication and problem-solving skills, especially for students in the inner city, and to fill a much needed vacuum in schools where cut-backs have severely curtailed many arts programs. For over ten years, Playhouse staff members have been teaching workshops and guiding students through play-building in primary and secondary schools in the greater Los Angeles area, as well as in New York, Idaho, Ohio, Holland, England and Japan.

The Schools Theatre Excursion Project  (aka Theatre Field Trips) now in its 39th year, brings students in grades K through 12 to the Santa Monica Playhouse Arts Complex for a complete theatre-in-education program which includes a professional musical production that addresses the needs and curricula of both students and school districts. In addition to classic fairy tales, special shows are written especially to address the questions and challenges which face students today, and examine such subjects as peer pressure, cheating, friends, dating, and the experiences of growing up, as well as drugs, divorce, separation anxiety and first love. The program offers study guides, pre- and post-show discussions, and workshops to help students explore their artistic vision and develop their own productions.

FAMily Theatre

The Family Theatre Musical Matinee Series for Kids 2 to 102 provides year-round entertainment for the entire family, allowing parents and children to share the magic as it cuts across the imaginary generation gap, presenting newly fashioned versions of classic stories in a host of musical genres, and each one sheds a new and contemporary light upon old themes: heroines are more liberated, issues like prejudice and greed and even health are explored in ways that allow children to integrate the lessons learned into their own lives. Family Theatre provides shows where children have fun and learn while their elders have just as much fun reliving and relearning. Currently, twenty critically acclaimed musicals are part of the Family Theatre repertoire.

We offer theatre education programs for individuals, schools, clubs/organizations, and international companies. We offer in-house teaching programs and Theatre Field Trips (for Elementary to University students.) Interested in working with us? Please email us.