The Portsmouth Academy of Performing Arts provides elite theatre education in the form of classes, camps, workshops, and Teen and Youth Productions, taught by Broadway and Regional Theatre professionals, including Seacoast Rep's own Resident Artists & Company members.
Our mission is to create a supportive, all-inclusive environment, where students with diverse talents, interests and backgrounds can collaborate to create and perform theater. To instill in them the skills they will need to develop into the best performers they can be. To challenge, engage and inspire students to celebrate the power of the performing arts by finding the beauty in our own uniqueness and the strength in our differences to build a more conscious and compassionate society.
CLASSES & WORKSHOPS
The Portsmouth Academy of Performing Arts offers classes in musical theater, dance, acting and voice. Classes are taught by Regional Theatre professionals, including Seacoast Rep's own Resident Artists & Company members. Classes are open to students from ages 10 and up.
PRODUCTIONS
Teen Mainstage productions are for students ages 13 – 18 and give teens an opportunity to perform full length musicals on the Seacoast Rep stage that are produced exactly like Seacoast Rep's professional productions with the same Directors, Musical Directors, Choreographers, Stage Managers, Costumer Designers, Props Masters, Lighting and Sound Artists. Teen Mainstage productions typically occur in January and August.
PAPA JR productions are designed for students ages 9-14 and puts on 2 Musicals a year, in the Spring and in the Fall. Students will perform condensed versions of classic Broadway musicals, Disney favorites and modern works that are custom-tailored to the needs of young people with music written in keys that are appropriate for developing voices. The shows are performed on The Seacoast Rep stage in the Spring and Fall.
PAPA CAMPS
PAPA Summer Day Camp is a 2 week camp designed for campers from ages 8 to 13. Campers will use their creativity and imagination to strengthen their performance skills, meet new friends with diverse talents, interests and backgrounds and increase their self-confidence while having an amazing time in a supportive and all-inclusive environment.
Teen Boot Camp is designed for teens ages 13 through 18. In just 2 weeks teens will audition for, rehearse and perform a Junior version of a Broadway show.
The Pre-College Teen Intensive Program is a 2 week program for the serious teen performer ages 14-19. This teen musical theatre intensive is focused on zeroing in on the unique qualities of each student to help them shine in the audition room, the rehearsal room, and on the stage. Each day’s rigorous schedule is packed with performance based courses taught by musical theatre professionals, workshops and masterclasses by Broadway performers and Seacoast Rep’s Resident Artists and Company members.
PAPA Vacation Camps are open to campers ages 8 – 13, and are an amazing introduction to musical theater and the perfect way to spend February and April vacation! Campers will use their creativity and imagination to strengthen their performance skills, meet new friends, and increase their self-confidence, all while having fun! Students will be singing, dancing, playing theater games, learning Improv and so much more and will present a showcase for parents on the final Friday of camp!
PAPA History
The Portsmouth Academy of Performing Arts was founded in 1985 by Eileen and Roy Rogosin of Los Angeles, who moved to the Seacoast to start a performance school and company. They established PAPA in the Button factory on Islington street. In 1986 they took up residency in a late 19th century brewery warehouse on Portsmouth’s historic Bow Street that housed the Theatre by the Sea, converted into theatre space by Joseph Sawtelle and the Bow Street Theatre Trust in an effort to improve the culture and economy of Portsmouth. In 1988 it became the Seacoast Repertory Theatre.