Summer Intensives & Pro Series
Unique theater-making educational experiences including Summer Intensives and Pro Series!
Summer theater done DIFFERENTLY!
Welcome to Two River Theater’s Summer Classes, where students explore their creativity and learn new skills in a supportive environment at our professional, producing theater. We offer two different programs: Summer Intensives (for ages 12-17) and Pro Series (for ages 14-18). Keep scrolling for more info!
Summer Intensives
Each Monday, we start with a theme, a few songs and some platforms, materials, and lights in an empty theater. Then each Friday, we have a show – written, performed and built entirely by our students. This isn’t your typical summer theater camp!
How do we do it?
Two River Theater Summer Intensives attracts young people (ages 12–17) who want to make theater – to be in the rehearsal room or the scene shop to brainstorm ideas. They learn tangible theater skills from top-notch teaching artists who challenge and bring out the best in them. Add in the fun of meeting new creative friends who are accepting, brave, serious, as well as incredibly silly, and together they create new stories to share with audiences. Each week’s performance is unique as it features the specific talents of the people in the room. You won’t find another theater program like it!
Full and partial scholarships are available.
Pro Series
Pro series classes are for students (ages 14-18) who are eager for more focused professional theater skills. Class sizes are limited for more individual attention. Two River’s Pro Series includes weekday evening and Saturday classes.
Options include:
- Vocal Audition!
- Costume Design
- Stage Combat
- Audition Monologues
- Lighting Design
- Puppetry
Full and partial scholarships are available.
Questions? Email summercamp@trtc.org.
MEET THE TEACHING ARTISTS
Samantha Amaral
Samantha Amaral (Choreographer) is a tri-state area based dancer, choreographer, and instructor. She has choreographed over 80 musicals, dance performances, music videos, flashmobs, and wedding dances. Samantha was nominated for a Papermill Playhouse Rising Star Award for her Addams Family choreography, as well as a NJTA Perry Award for Seussical and Cabaret. She has won two “Outstanding Choreography” Basie Awards for All Shook Up and Drowsy Chaperone. She has assisted classes at Broadway Dance Center in NYC for Debbie Wilson, Heather Rigg and Lane Napper. Samantha was last seen performing in the Off-Broadway immersive play Play/Date and dancing on the national tour of Sesame Street Live! She most recently choreographed the Applebees “Sauceroroity’ TikTok boneless wings campaign. She is the proud owner of Saucy Studios, a dance studio for adults based in Toms River, NJ.
Olivia M Buonsante
Olivia M Buonsante is a native New Yorker who grew up in Musical Theatre, performing with “the most talented youth of Long Island,” as well as The Broadway Workshop and The Broadway Artists Alliance in NYC. After attending AMDA’s Conservatory program, she chose to pursue a career behind the scenes and completed her degree at Montclair State University studying various areas of production including stage management, lighting design, set decoration, and prop building. Currently, Olivia is working with Reveal Design Group in Manhattan, “an award-winning team of lighting artists passionate about revealing the unique stories inherent in each space through artful yet precise illumination.” Her favorite credits include working at The Creature Shop with The Jim Henson Company and teaching here, at Two River Theater! She dedicates all her work to those who inspired her to become an artist, her grandparents, Susan and Joe. www.oliviambuonsante.com
Rakesh Palisetty
RAKESH PALISETTY (he/him) is a writer-director for theater, film, and opera based in New York. Originally from New Delhi, he completed his MFA in Theatre Directing at Columbia University in 2022. Prior to moving to the US, his productions toured extensively across India, including his hit theatrical adaptation of Twelve Angry Men, which has garnered a cult following. His eclectic portfolio of work draws heavily from post-modernist plays, and seeks to challenge our understanding of classic texts. Since the very beginning of his theater career, he has possessed a deep connection to work that challenges the status quo, and focuses on reimagining classics. His recent directing credits include Hedda Gabler (Lenfest Center for the Arts), Much Ado About Nothing (Two River Theater, A Little Shakespeare program), Sky of Darkness (Theatrelab), Thirty Six Questions (Columbia Stages), and Bedtime Plays (The Tank). His Assistant Directing credits include Misty (Dir: Omar Elerian,The Shed), Galileo (Dir: Michael Mayer, Workshop Production) Kimberly Akimbo (Directing Fellow, Atlantic Theater Company). He has also worked with directors like Ivo van Hove and Thomas Ostermeier.
Lucas Pinner
LUCAS PINNER is an actor, fight choreographer and teaching artist who graduated from Kean University with a BFA in Theatre Performance. He has worked with many theatres and schools across New Jersey; devising original work, directing, teaching improvisation, stage combat and acting techniques. For many years, Lucas taught as a STEM Teaching Artist, working with students to combine science, technology, engineering and math with the arts in order to create original costumes, sets, sound effects and props for their performances. He is thrilled to be working with Two River Theater this summer!
Elliot Roth
Elliot Roth is a NYC based singer/pianist/actor, composer and instructor. Hailed by the New York Times for his “silky smooth voice”, he is a masters graduate of the prestigious Manhattan School of Music jazz arts program. Broadway: Our Sinatra and A Christmas Carol, Off-Broadway credits include Village Voice lauded role as ‘Jesus’ in Jesus Christ Superstar in Concert at the Living Room. He has appeared in Downbeat Magazine as one of the area’s “Top 20 Performers to Watch” and is one of the most versatile performers in the tri-state area. Elliot also currently teaches voice, rock/pop audition technique and jazz/soul recording arts in Manhattan and Brooklyn, NY. Elliot currently serves on the voice faculty at Marymount Manhattan College’s Theatre Arts Department. www.theElliotRoth.com
REGISTER NOW: SUMMER INTENSIVES 2025
Week One: July 7 – 11 | Week Two: July 14 – 18
Save 10% when you register for both weeks! Book below.
REGISTER NOW: PRO SERIES
Pro Series: Vocal Audition!
In this class, we will find a song custom fit for YOU. We will help you with the ins and outs of auditioning; from the moment you walk in the room, how to communicate with your pianist/accompanist, vocal technique and style, story/lyrics and more!
Pro Series: Costume Design
This in-depth class explores the art and practice of costumes. Students will have hands-on experience bringing characters to life through what they wear, creating their own drawings, as well as pulling from Two Rivers' costume stock based on the design techniques learned.
Pro Series: Stage Combat
In this class, participants will be introduced to basic techniques of unarmed, hand-to-hand stage combat. By the end, everyone will be able to convincingly engage in a fight, keeping the actor safe while throwing their character into danger.
Pro Series: Audition Monologues
This class is designed to help actors refine their monologue performances for auditions. Students will select a compelling monologue that suits their casting type and learn techniques to enhance delivery, emotional connection, and stage presence.
Pro Series: Lighting Design
This in-depth class explores the art and practice of lighting design for theatre. Students will work hands-on with lighting equipment as well as learn design techniques to produce their own compositions.
Pro Series: Puppetry
In this class, participants will learn the basics of puppetry, ranging from using their hands as puppets, to using found objects as puppets, and finally, to building their own!
SCHOLARSHIPS
Scholarships are now open for Summer Intensives and Pro Series!
PHOTOS & VIDEOS
A Look Back at Summer Intensives!
PARENT & GUARDIAN STORIES
“I was just blown away by how amazing the show was overall. And my daughter completely loved every hour of this camp and it’s hard to keep her attention that long. We just loved this program and will shout about it from the rooftops. Thank you to all of those who supported and guided their kids!”
The opportunity for the students to work together in creating a production of their own work was beyond impressive and well done. The creative, collaborative and supportive environment really was like nothing my daughter has ever been involved in. She loved every minute of every day!
Wonderful staff. The camp is brilliantly organized so that the kids can take ownership of the entire creative process from writing the script, to performing it at the end of the week!
There is something about Two River that makes the program so inviting and enjoyable compared to others. It allows you to step outside you comfort zone and make new friends along the way.
It’s a great way to learn about the theater on an actual stage with actual professionals.
The most supportive staff and students anywhere! The children are all happy experimenting with different ways of creating art. Very nice group of students sign-up, so you can take risks.
The overall quality of the staff and the opportunity to create a production from start to finish in one week.
It is truly a safe space and goes above and beyond a typical theatre camp experience by creating memories and bonds that last forever.
Everyone is accepted for who they are. All kids are always hanging out together rather than cliques like at school.
We don’t have enough superlatives to express the extent of how wonderful the entire experience was.
The people involved are the GAME CHANGER! Amazing people!!!