Junior Academy of the Performing Arts

Curtains up! Discover the magic of theater this season with JAPA

Since 2016, the Junior Academy of the Performing Arts (JAPA) has provided semi-professional level performing arts experiences for youth and teens in Prince George’s County and the greater Washington, D.C., area. JAPA introduces theater to students who have a talent and curiosity for the performing arts and strengthens the knowledge and skill level of students already interested in performance. Students discover the magic of theater through the process of auditioning, rehearsing, and performing a Broadway-style musical theater production presented on the stages at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland. 

JAPA presents a fall and spring musical production and offers summer camps for ages eight to twelve. The program rehearses at the Prince George’s County Suite at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.   

Junior Academy of the Performing Arts

The Junior Academy of the Performing Arts has exciting performance and training opportunities occurring year-round. We run twelve-week sessions in the fall and spring and run two-week day camp sessions in the summer season. In the fall, class is held on Sundays, 10 am-3 pm, and in the spring, class is held on Saturdays, 10 am-3 pm. All sessions will be held at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center within the PG Suite classroom and dance studio. Check out the photos from our past shows below! In the past year, we have produced a diverse range of musicals: Cinderella, 101 Dalmatians, Madagascar, High School Musical 1 & 2, Frozen, The Lion King, Alice in Wonderland, and Annie! Stay tuned for more information about the next JAPA production. Activity codes for our upcoming sessions are listed below:

Please Note: All of our day camps for the 2026 summer camp season are completely filled! Join us this fall for class! Register online at PGParksDirect.com starting August 12 for Residents, and August 19 for Non-Residents.  

Fall Sessions & Activity Codes:  

JAPA Musical Production – 23643 – 502A

Sunday’s, September 13 – December 13, 2026, 10am –3pm 

Join us for our Junior Academy of Performing Arts fall production of the holiday classic, Elf, the Musical!  

Classes will be held on Sunday mornings (10am – 3pm), including instruction in dance, music/singing, and drama/acting. No class will be held on November 29th due to holiday break. Show date is scheduled for Sunday, December 13th! 

JAPA Dance Intensive – 23643 – 502B

Thursdays, October 8 – November 12, 6:30-8pm 

Join us for our newest class series of the Junior Academy of the Performing Arts program! 

This 6-week intensive class is focused solely on building and developing skills while fine-tuning talent within the musical theatre realm of dance. Dance instruction will involve genres ranging from ballet, jazz, hip-hop, tap, African, and musical theatre to introduce a diverse set of dance training. Open to beginners who have a deep interest in the arts as well as pre-professional youth. Please note that this class will not have a musical production to conclude the session 

JAPA Drama & Acting Intensive – 23643 – 502C

Tuesday’s, October 6 – November 10, 6:30-8pm 

Join us for our newest class series of the Junior Academy of the Performing Arts program! 

This 6-week intensive class is focused solely on building and developing skills while fine-tuning talent within the musical theatre realm of drama and acting. Instruction will revolve around improvisation, script studying skills, stage presence, and character development. Open to beginners who have a deep interest in the arts as well as pre-professional youth. Please note that this class will not have a musical production to conclude the session. 

JAPA Vocal Music Intensive – 23643-502D

Monday’s, October 5 – November 9, 6:30-8pm 

Join us for our newest class series of the Junior Academy of the Performing Arts program! 

This 6-week intensive class is focused solely on building and developing skills while fine-tuning talent within the musical theatre realm of singing, music, and choral arts. Open to beginners who have a deep interest in the arts as well as pre-professional youth. Please note that this class will not have a musical production to conclude the session. 

Young performers in costumes performing on a stage.
Two smiling young performers in costumes performing onstage.
A smiling young performer in a lion costume performing on a stage.
Four children performing onstage in costumes.
Onstage, a young actor dressed in a gown is escorted in a carriage by three young actors dressed as footmen with stick horses.
Six young actors in costumes performing on a stage.
Five young performers in costumes on a stage. Several are singing into handheld microphones.
Two young performers in pink dancing on a stage.
Ten young performers performing on stage with a projected backdrop of a cafeteria. They wear costumes including red letterman jackets.
Eighteen young performers in costumes performing on stage.
Two young performers dance on a stage, one wearing a gown and one in a black suit.
About 25 young actors performing on a stage. Half of them do a choreographed dance while others stand on bleachers, cheering.

Additional Information

For additional details and questions, please email Shaiday Dancy at shaiday.dancy@pgparks.com