When my children were younger and looking for acting classes we applied for Children’s Theater Company’s ACT Pass scholarship program. Although money will always be a concern for us and acting classes would put a stress on our budget, we live well above the poverty line. I have a job, own a home, and I manage to feed my children healthy foods, so I applied for the program assuming it was a long shot. However, as it turned out, we received an answer quickly and we did qualify. It was a relatively simple process!  Here is how it works:
The Children’s Theatre Company’s ACTPass Program is part of their plan for making theatre accessible to all families. If you qualify, besides receiving discounted scholarships to camps and classes, tickets are made available to the family at steeply discounted prices. For us, it meant we could afford to take our whole family of six to each production of the season.
How to Apply for CTC’s ACT Pass Scholarship
It took me less than 15 minutes to fill out the online application. The questions were very simple. They needed to know the size of our family and ages of the children, our annual income, and any special needs our family may have. After submitting the application, I was immediately sent an email letting me know it was received and that CTC would let me know within a week whether my family qualified.
True to their word, I was notified within a week that we had qualified.
Benefits of an ACT Pass Scholarship
There are two basic benefits to the Act Pass Program: The greatly-reduced ticket price to the shows and the income-based scholarships to classes and camps.
Tickets
The tickets were well below rush ticket rate, which was still out of our budget for our family of six, and the year we had our ACT Pass scholarship, we went took the whole family to every production.
The ACT Pass tickets are only available online. Members receive an email letting them know when tickets become available. Tickets remain available until they are claimed, but but do go fast. For instance, tickets for The Cat in the Hat went up while I was on a weekend camping trip. By the time I got home and attempted to order some, I was only able to secure 2 tickets seated together, the rest of us had to sit separately for that show.
There is a limit of 6 tickets per family per production, so once you have more than four kids, you’ll need to choose your favorite family members for any given production. I say that jokingly, but by the time you have more than four kids, their ages tend to be spread out, and you can pick age-appropriate shows for some one-on-one time. So, in most cases, six tickets will be plenty. You also have the option of purchasing lap passes at the door for any children under 3.
Find upcoming Shows on our Performing Arts Calendar.
Camps and Classes
The other perk of participating in the ACT Pass Program is the scholarships to camps and classes. Summer camps range from one to two weeks and offer full and half day programs. Tuition varies depending on the length and duration. Participants in ACT Pass can receive partial scholarships to these camps depending on income. For us it was still a stretch, but one we could conceivably do.
Apply as early as you can for the ACT Pass. We signed up and qualified after all the scholarships were given out, but we were able to get on a waiting list and were offered a spot in a camp a couple weeks before it started.
My kids loved the TATs experience, where, among other things, they worked on singing exercises and warmups, listened to stories, participated in games, and planned and wrote their own play and performed it for parents on the last day.
Through the years, I found the Theatre Arts Training program at Children’s Theatre to be a better deal than some of the smaller, seemingly less expensive programs.
- With CTC, you’ll know what you are paying up front.
- They’ll be no expectation that you work at a production or sell tickets because your child is participating.
- Classes and camps are offered at a variety of times and weekdays, so you can find something to fit your schedule, rather than working around a class time.
- There is a nice waiting area with toys for siblings or you can visit Mia during class times if you schedule your classes during museum hours.
When you add in the ACT Pass scholarship, it is simply the best, cheapest and easiest option available.
Learn More about Theatre Arts Training (TATS) at Children’s Theatre Here.
Final Thoughts
I am really glad I took a chance and applied for this program. It was easy to do and it got my kids involved in a program that we would otherwise not have been able to do. If cost is an obstacle for you, I would highly recommend applying. You will either be admitted to the program or not based on preset guidelines and availability. If you are not admitted, then you will be put on a mailing list for other offers and discounts throughout the year. To me, it was a win-win situation.
Originally Published June 26, 2014
Updated periodically
Note: This post was based on personal experience and may not reflect every experience. I was not compensated for this post, but we do sometimes work with Children’s Theatre Company and often receive free tickets in exchange for reviews.
Till what time?
Avery, once you have been approved, your ACT Pass membership lasts 2 years.