Why choose RMTK over another theater camp or program?
RMTK summer camps offer a unique combination of education, performance and community. You might also say process meets product meets fun and friends. After twenty two cumulative years of running summer camps, we have created a unique program that balances the best of quality performances with critical theatre education and community.

1. 8 to 1 staffing of theatre professionals to campers (directors, choreographers, music directors, stage managers, & more).


2. Professional performance venues and not just an outside shelter or gymnasium.


3. Extensive performing arts curriculum in voice, dance, acting, makeup, stage combat, and more.


4. Unique co-creative directing approach. We don’t merely tell students where to go but bring them into the creative process.

Who are the directors?
Every summer we bring on talented and experienced directors from the Denver area and beyond. Our artistic director and founder Michelle Romeo directs one of our Older Company four week sessions in Boulder every year. All of our other directors must have many years of theatre directing experience with kids and have at least a B.A., and often an M.F.A., in theatre. Unlike some local camps, we do not merely bring on directors or actors because they have Broadway or Disney experience (and yes, we have had the opportunity to hire such directors, and do actually have one on staff but don't exploit the namesake). Broadway or Disney experience alone does not signify that a director is best qualified to work with children. In our experience, many Broadway or Disney actors are not trained to direct or teach kids; an attempt to bestow legitimacy to our programs through the mere presence of such "big name" actors would be inauthentic. To learn more about our staff, check out current staff bios. All staff undergo comprehensive background checks to ensure the safety of your child.

What is a typical summer camp day like?
A typical day at summer camp can be seen in our daily schedule which is listed in our individual camp pages. Please visit the main summer camp page and select the camp you are interested in to learn more about what we do daily.

What kind of actors does RMTK's summer camp attract?
RMTK attracts all kinds of actors, beginning with actors who have never acted before, some with moderate experience, and even advanced actors. If we were to categorize our students, we’d say that they all have an interest or curiosity in performing, whether or not they’ve actually done it before. This alone unites students in the creative endeavor of the production.

What kind of actors does RMTK's Actors Conservatory attract?
Our Conservatory programs attract new and experienced actors alike. All actors have shown a commitment and maturity in the performing arts. Many of our new actors discovered a passion for acting through RMTK's summer camps. Many of our more experienced actors have been with us for years. Most of our young actors have had at least one intensive experience in the performing arts, be it a production at school or outside of school. What unites our Conservatory actors is a passion for the performing arts and desire to advance their training.

How will my child who has no experience acting survive in a summer camp with experienced actors?
More important than the child’s acting ability is the child’s enthusiasm, willingness to participate, and desire to work hard and grow. We have structured our programs so that we have a safe, non-competitive community. Actors in leads who attempt to assert superiority in values or reputation are not received well in our community and typically are aware of the egalitarian environment that we promote. In essence, all actors are equal on the stage at RMTK, meaning that we need everyone to make an amazing show happen.

What if my child has a small role? Will he/she be sitting around a lot?
At RMTK, we work really hard to keep students involved at all times. In all programs, this translates to working large numbers of students into our ensemble pieces so that students have many singing and dancing opportunities. Furthermore, for our 4 week Older Company programs, we have Extended Arts, which are classes specifically for students not involved during a specific rehearsal period, during which they can be involved in theatre activities of an interdisciplinary nature. If at any time your child is not feeling stimulated, we encourage you to let us know immediately.

Will my child be a star?
Oh, to be a star. If being on stage and enjoying the theatre stage experience is your definition of being a star, then yes, your child will be a star. But if being a star is about having the lead and being the best, then of course, your child might not be a star in that sense. To be honest, we’re not a company that’s about stars or seniority or creating future Broadway actors. We’re really about team-building, self esteem, and the hard work of theatre.

What does RMTK do to make new campers feel welcome?
Our first week of camp is always geared towards solidifying the camp community. We do this with group activities during the first week, such as group read thrus, ensemble work, and icebreakers, as well as really ensuring a sense of intimacy and comfort in our peer groups.

Describe the facilities.
In Boulder, we have 10,000 square feet of rehearsal space, including a 135 seat theatre, as well as a dance studio, makeup room, and general rehearsal space. In Denver, we rent clean, well-maintained, and air conditioned spaces that are large enough for full group rehearsals. In the Older Company programs in Denver, excluding our Shakespeare session, we rent out a local theatre (this summer, the impressive 300 seat, 3 tiered balcony Eugenia Rawls Theatre) for our entire last week of camp to give students the full experience of dress rehearsals, tech rehearsals, and final performances. All performances in Boulder and Denver take place on a stage with complete production elements such as stage lights, sets, props, costumes, and more.

What is tech rehearsal?
In our Older Company, we have tech rehearsals. In tech rehearsal, the director meets with the technical staff to set light and sound cues, ensure the set is working properly, and firm up all the technical production elements of the show. Students are often needed to stand in position while lights are set and mics are adjusted. Tech rehearsal is critical to the successful technical implementation of the show. During tech, we encourage kids to bring flashlights, quiet games, reading materials, sleeping bags, and blankets to encourage a fun and festive environment.

What makes our staff unique?
Our staff must not only be experienced theatre professionals but they must also be educators. Often, some of the best actors or directors are not the best teachers. And vice versa, often the best teachers are not the best directors. We really look for that perfect balance of creative theatre talent and educational experience. All staff are at the college undergraduate or graduate level. Lastly we do run criminal database background checks on all our staff, to ensure the safety of your child.

How are the 2 and 4 week summer camps different (Older Company)?
In our 4 week sessions, we have more time to get into creative process work and really workshop our productions. We are also able to work through 14 days of minors and approach a much more ambitious production. Our 4 week camp productions are typically one and a half to two hour full length musical productions, including musical classics. Our 2 week camps are an abbreviated version of our 4 week camps with 4 to 5 days of minors as well as twenty five to forty minute shorter musical revue productions (except for our Shakespeare session). In our musical revues, we give students the opportunity to participate in four to five large group song and dance numbers.

How is the Younger Company different than the Older Company?
Our Younger Company is an age-appropriate performing arts program, where a nurturing creative process is heavily emphasize while students have the opportunity to perform in a single final performance with props, costumes, and minimal production elements such as light and sound. Each Younger Company is staffed at a student-teacher ration of 8 to 1 and each session has a director, choreographer, and music director for a camp of twenty to twenty five students. Having the specialized skills of each individual, we are able to give kids instruction in voice, dance, and acting, all of which prepares students to approach the more intensive nature of the Older Company camps. Furthermore, the level of the production is more age-appropriate and typically shorter, as in a twenty five to forty minute production.

How many students do you take in a program?
In our Older Company sessions, we will take up to fifty students, breaking the group into two casts of twenty five students, in order to ensure more lead opportunities. In our Shakespeare session, we take up to twenty five students. In our Younger Company sessions, we take up to twenty five students. In our Theatre for Tots program, we take up to fifteen students. In our Conservatory programs, we take 15 to 22 students depending on the program.

How do you determine your pricing?
Ah, pricing. Looking at our fees some parents may get the impression that we are an expensive camp. But when comparing our rates weekly with other camps, as well as considering the quality of work we produce, it is evident that we are quite competitive with other children’s theatre programs in the area. Our pricing is based on the cost of producing high quality work and the market research we have done to stay competitive with other local area programs.

Do you offer scholarships or flexible payment plans?
Yes, we offer thousands of dollars of scholarships per year. In order to qualify, your family must make less than fifty thousand dollars per year. If you fall into this bracket, please contact our office at 303-245-8150 for a scholarship packet or download a scholarship packet now. The majority of our scholarships are 50% scholarships. For payment plans, just download the payment plan form and call 303-245-8150 or email us at info@theaterforkids.net if you have any questions.

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