M&D Playhouse is excited to announce its Young Artists Lab for 2026. At the Young Artists Lab, we believe in learning by doing.
Each camp session will be led by an industry professional, guiding campers with hands-on experimentation in a variety of theatrical skills.
With camps focused on all aspects of theatre, from the creation stage to the technical aspects, each week provides a unique opportunity
to explore theater-making from a new angle. Each class week is $275.
Ready to join us in the Lab? REGISTER HERE!
WEEK FOUR: CoLABoration Stage with Caylee Sanders
August 3-7 – Campers in Kindergarten to Grade 5
REGISTER TODAY!
In this fun and engaging week-long camp, young artists will explore how stories come to life on stage through stage crafts, movement, and performance. Campers will discover how each element of theatre plays an important role in storytelling and how working together brings creativity to life! Rather than focusing only on acting, this camp encourages students to experiment with all parts of the theatre-making process—designing, constructing, performing, and collaborating as a team. The goal is to spark imagination, build confidence, and show students the joy of creating and sharing stories together through the magic of theatre!
Caylee Sanders is a professional actor from Goshen, AL. She obtained her MFA in Film & Theatre Acting from the University of New Orleans after receiving her BS in Communication Arts – Theatre from Troy University. For nine years, Caylee served as a counselor and teaching assistant for Troy University’s Summer Spotlight Intensives and Camps, working with students ranging from age six to incoming college freshmen. She held the role of lead counselor for two of those years. In New Orleans, she also worked as the Musical Theatre Dance Instructor at Le Petit Theatre’s Young Conservatory summer program for young artists ages 8-18. A lifelong performer, Caylee trained and competed in multiple dance disciplines, including musical theatre, tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary, modern, and hip-hop. She later choreographed two collaborative theatre and dance pieces at Troy University, the River Region Drama Guild’s youth production of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown in New Orleans, LA, and worked as a full-time instructor, summer intensive guest artist, and choreographer at Voltage Academy of Dance in Troy, AL. There, she specialized in acting, musical theatre dance, and tap, and continues to serve as the studio’s marketing, social media, and web graphic designer.
WEEK FIVE: Behind the Curtain: Technical Theatre Camp with Eric Jordan & Guests
August 10-14 – Campers Grade 6 to 12
REGISTER TODAY!
In this exciting one-week experience, campers will be exposed to each of the major design disciplines involved in mounting a stage production. Led by M&D’s Technical Director, Eric Jordan, campers will spend time with guest teaching artists working on everything from Scenic Design and Painting to Costume Construction and Specialty Props. The end of the week will culminate in campers exhibiting their own Master Design plans for a production of their choosing.
Eric Jordan has nearly 20 years of experience doing theatre in the valley, and he’s spent the last 16 working with M&D. Eric is a director, actor and designer whose work can be found on stages from Conway to Caribou. Eric has been serving as M&D’s Technical Director since 2021, where he builds sets, stretches budgets, and generally solves problems.
WHAT YOU MISSED!
WEEK ONE: Audition Boot Camp with Caylee Sanders
July 13-17 – Campers Grade 9 to Incoming College Freshmen
Designed for students entering high school through incoming college freshmen, Audition Boot Camp offers hands-on instruction from a professional actor in a supportive, workshop-style environment. By the end of the program, students will leave with the tools, materials, knowledge, and self-assurance to succeed in any audition, and an audition package to use for theatre, film, high school or college programs.
Caylee Sanders is a professional actor from Goshen, AL. She obtained her MFA in Film & Theatre Acting from the University of New Orleans after receiving her BS in Communication Arts – Theatre from Troy University. For nine years, Caylee served as a counselor and teaching assistant for Troy University’s Summer Spotlight Intensives and Camps, working with students ranging from age six to incoming college freshmen. She held the role of lead counselor for two of those years. In New Orleans, she also worked as the Musical Theatre Dance Instructor at Le Petit Theatre’s Young Conservatory summer program for young artists ages 8-18. A lifelong performer, Caylee trained and competed in multiple dance disciplines, including musical theatre, tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary, modern, and hip-hop. She later choreographed two collaborative theatre and dance pieces at Troy University, the River Region Drama Guild’s youth production of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown in New Orleans, LA, and worked as a full-time instructor, summer intensive guest artist, and choreographer at Voltage Academy of Dance in Troy, AL. There, she specialized in acting, musical theatre dance, and tap, and continues to serve as the studio’s marketing, social media, and web graphic designer.
WEEK TWO: Everest Combat Camp with Himshree Neupane
July 20-24 – Campers Grades 6 to 12
Join us for a one-week adventure in stage combat! Learn safety skills, Unarmed fighting techniques and Rapier & Dagger choreography. The week will end with a demonstration of new skills learned. Bring your energy and get ready to reach new heights of combat.
Himshree Neupane is a professional actor and teaching artist, originally from Nepal. She is a certified SAFD Actor Combatant with an MFA in Film and Theatre Performance from the University of New Orleans and a BA in Theatre Arts from McNeese State University. She has served as a stunt coordinator and fight choreographer for several student films and assisted in teaching stage and film combat at the University of New Orleans.She has also taught and directed with CYT Lake Charles and The Adderley School. Passionate about inspiring young performers, she loves working with kids and is excited to share the art of safe and creative stage combat at the camp.
WEEK THREE: From Page to Stage: Playwriting Camp with Brendan Bourque-Sheil
July 27-31 -Campers Grades 6 to 12
In this one-week intensive, students will be guided by a professional playwright in the writing of their own, original short play. We’ll also read a variety of plays and learn about different writing processes used by professionals. Recommended for creatives who want to expand their craft to the stage, actors interested in writing the role they’ve always wanted to play, or anyone who just wants to know more about how playwriting works.
Brendan Bourque-Sheil is a nationally recognized playwright of over twenty plays that have been produced in New York City, Chicago, Cincinnati, Ann Arbor, and Houston, where, for ten years, he has worked as a Teaching Artist for Alley Theatre and the Kinder High School of Performing and Visual Arts. He’s been a finalist for the National Playwrights’ Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, the Reva Shiner Comedy Award, and Southwest Theatre Productions “Plays With a Strong Female Lead” Competition. He’s been named a Fellow by the James Madison University New Works Lab and the Writer’s Colony at Dairy Hollow. He’s currently under commission by Alley Theatre to write a play for teens about the life and work of William Shakespeare, and by San Jacinto College to write a History play about Houston. He has appeared on PBS’s Stories From the Stage and CityCast Houston. He’s a member of the Dramatists Guild.
