Next Steps - Summer Theatre Intensive

June 22nd to June 27th, 2026

(Check-In: June 21st, 2026)

6-Day Intensive

The School of Theatre and Dance at James Madison University is proud to present, Next Steps - Summer Theatre Intensive. This intensive offers students one week of exciting, informative, and rigorous theatre training.

We invite you to participate in Next Steps Summer Theatre Intensive for high school students entering grades 10-12. Participants will spend one week studying with guest artists Amelia Workman and Shannon Tyo and JMU theatre faculty. Students may choose to stay on campus in JMU dorms or commute during the week. All of these experiences combined will allow Next Steps Participants to get the full JMU ARTS experience!

 Amelia Workman is an actress, singer and writer. She's originated many groundbreaking roles in the American theatre, and helped reimagine several rarely seen theatrical masterpieces with award winning playwrights and Tony winning directors. She has worked with Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins, David Cromer, Kenny Leon, Liesl Tommy, Suzan-Lori Parks, Young Jean Lee, Leslye Headland, Dave Malloy, Annie Kauffman, Neil Pepe, Leigh Silverman, David Adjmi, and Eisa Davis (selected). She's worked at Second Stage, The Public, Lincoln Center, Soho Rep, Yale Rep, Playwrights Horizons, The Atlantic, Signature Theatre, Ars Nova, Clubbed Thumb, The Goodman, Julliard and Theatre for a New Audience (selected). Her Broadway debut was as Kerry Washington’s understudy in American Son. Amelia was a recurring cast member on American Rust (Amazon) and can be seen in Sundance winner A Thousand and One. For more information visit ameliaworkman.com

 Shannon Tyo is an award-winning actor, writer, and director based in New York City.
Broadway: Yellow Face. Off-Broadway: The Comeuppance (Signature Theatre), Regretfully, So the Birds Are (Playwrights Horizons), The Far Country (Atlantic Theater, Pulitzer finalist), peerless (Primary Stages), The Chinese Lady (Ma-Yi Theater at The Public), Kentucky (Ensemble Studio Theater), and Bikeman (Tribeca PAC). Select regional credits include The Good Book (Berkeley Rep), Fun Home (Baltimore Center Stage), The White Snake (The Old Globe), Broadway Bounty Hunter (Barrington Stage), Smart People (Geva Theatre), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Northern Stage, Tuacahn Center), and Miss Saigon (Pioneer Theatre, MT Wichita). She specializes in new works and has helped develop countless new plays and musicals in New York and around the country. Shannon has received two Obie Awards (Sustained Achievement in Performance, and a Special Citation for the cast of The Comeuppance), a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play (for The Chinese Lady), a Theater World Award, the Connecticut Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play, a Bessie nomination, and a Drama Desk nomination.

As an audiobook narrator, Shannon has narrated dozens of books and is an Earphones and SOVAS Award winner, and an Audie finalist. She has directed for the Adirondack Theatre Festival, Ma-Yi Theater Company, the American Playwriting Foundation, and Theater J in DC. Her one-act play, Younger Battles the Possible Ghost, was produced at Ensemble Studio Theatre and is published in the 2023/2024 TRW Short Plays collection.

• Daily studio classes working hands-on with each participant's material, including the fundamentals of acting.
• Training with professional guest artists and JMU Theatre faculty.

• Professional development seminars including audition preparation. 

• College audition question and answer sessions. 

• Final Performance Showcase. 

2026 Summer Intensive Schedule Coming Soon!

Cost breakdown with on-campus housing and food:

* Tuition cost, double room in the dorm, and 3 meals a day in the dining hall. 

** Tuition cost, lunch and dinner in the dining hall. 

ACTIVITIES: All prices include group activities on and off campus. 

*** All payments are 100% refundable up until May 22nd, 2026. ***

Important Deadlines: 

1. Scholarship Deadline: May 8th, 2026

2. a. Award emails will be sent out on or before May 15th, 2026. All schoalrship applicants will be notified either way.

3. Registration withdraw deadline for a 100% refund: May 22nd, 2026

On Campus Housing and Food:

Next Steps participants have the option to stay in JMU dorms while in the program. This exciting opportunity allows the students to get the full JMU student experience. Participants are supervised in the dorms by JMU School of Theatre and Dance student counselors. 

Dorm Information:

• Double Dorm rooms are available. The price above is for double rooms 

• Double rooms will be assigned randomly unless there is a specific request sent by both roommates.

• Linen service is included in every room:

  • Linens include: 2 sheets, 1 pillowcase, 2 towels, and 1 washcloth.

  • Double towels will be provided

  • Linens are provided folded in each room (beds are not pre-made).

  • Pillows are provided (free of charge) for each bed; blankets for air-conditioned dorms. 

Campus Dining Information:

• For participants who are staying in campus housing, you will receive 3 meals per day in JMU’s award-winning dining halls.  If you are staying in the dorm, the meal plan is required. 

• For those participants who are not staying in the dorm, lunch and dinner in the campus dining hall is included in your tuition cost.

Hotel and Harrisonburg Information:

Next Steps participants who are not local, can utilize campus housing/food but are also welcome to stay in hotels in the Harrisonburg area. If you choose to stay at a hotel, evening supervision is not provided. Please reach out to Ingrid De Sanctis (desancie@jmu.edu) with any specific questions.

For more information on Harrisonburg, please visit the Visit Harrisonburg VA website.

Here are some local hotels that are near the beautiful Forbes Center for the Performing Arts, which will be the base of all Next Steps Summer programs:

1. Hotel Madison - on campus, across the street from the Forbes Center

2. Hyatt Place Harrisonburg - 2.4 miles away

3. Joshua Wilton House - 0.8 miles away

4. Spark by Hilton Harrisonburg University Area — 1.3 miles away

5. Friendly City Inn — 1.6 miles away

6. Double Tree by Hilton Harrisonburg - 2.4 miles away

7. Clarion Pointe Harrisonburg - 2.4 miles away

8. Courtyard by Marriot Harrisonburg - 2.4 miles away

Next Steps will offer a limited number of needs-based scholarships for the 2026 Summer Intensive. Scholarships are awarded by filling out the Next Steps Scholarship Form before the deadline of May 8th, 2026. You must register for the intensive first and pay in-full before your scholarship application can be processed. The award notifications will be sent out via email on or before May 15th, 2026, and the award recipients will receive a refund for their awarded amount via reimbursement in the payment mode in which you paid. All payments are 100% refundable up until May 22nd, 2026.