YOUTH THEATRE
Are you aged 10–18? Have you ever considered acting in or designing for a stage play? Do you want to explore great scripts and make great theatre?
Each year, the Endangered Species theatre Project stages one or more youth performances for young people excited to work with high-quality texts. Led by experienced, professional actors, directors and designers, members of these plays get the unique chance to stage performances for the general public with all-youth actors, designers and stage-managers.
Each summer, a youth play is produced in association with the Frederick Shakespeare Festival. These plays are typically selected from Shakespeare’s canon, and allow young people to dig into the meat that is Elizabethan drama for a summer rehearsal period.
Summer 2026 youth season
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
A shipwreck sparks a free-for-all battle for love. Orsino loves Olivia, who doesn’t requite his feelings while she falls in love with Cesario (who is actually Viola disguised as a boy), who is in love with Orsino.
Meanwhile, in Olivia’s distracted household, Malvolio’s convinced Olivia loves him, and none of this is to mention Viola's twin brother Sebastian.
Set in a fun-loving world of wit and passion, where love is overpowering and to go to bed past midnight is early, Twelfth Night combines heartache, high farce and the sharp and abiding joy of human connection.
Directed by Daniel and Rebecca Summerstay.
Performance Dates: 7–8 August, 2026
DETAILS
All ESP plays are pay-what-you-can.
Running time 1 hour 30 minutes
Youth technical theatre
ESP Youth Theatre empowers youth to join our design and tech team, collaborate with directors and have a voice on all aspects of the production.
Designers:
You dream it. You work at it. Then you execute it. Then the lights rise and the world you imagined breathes for the first time onstage. Youth in design positions take ownership of a single, essential element of the performance—costumes, props, set, or sound. Guided by a working designer, you'll move through the full creative arc: from the first development of a concept, to the precision of documentation, to the thrill of execution. And when the audience leans forward and the actor touches what your hands made, you'll watch your vision step out of your head and into the story.
Stage managers:
Every great performance begins long before the lights go up. Behind the curtain, beneath the cue sheets, between every handoff and heartbeat, there is a stage manager—calm, clear, and holding it all together. Youth in stage management positions step into that quiet center. You'll oversee the rehearsal process from first read to final bow, weaving communication between directors, production team and actors. You'll build the schedules, track the details, solve the problems no one else sees coming. In short: you'll make the chaos beautiful. By the end, you won't just understand what it takes to mount a production—you'll have lived it, one perfectly logged cue at a time.
We’re calling theatre-makers ages 10–18 to join our team for Twelfth Night. If this opportunity feels like it's been waiting for you (or someone you know), fill out the form below, and we'll be in touch.