Studio East is a 501(c)(3) non-profit performing arts training organization, dedicated to creating opportunities for children to discover and explore the performing arts. Studio East is located in Kirkland, Washington and serves the entire Seattle area. Studio East programs include mainstage shows, school break and summer camps, Young Actors Professional Intensive (YAPI), and Storybook Theater.
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Studio East was founded in 1992 by Lani Brockman. It specializes in children's theater. In 1993, Studio East merged with Kirkland Youth Theater, and it was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1994. In 2010, Studio East moved from its old space near downtown Kirkland to a new home in the Totem Lake area.
Studio East produces 5 mainstage productions per year. These are performed at Studio East's stage in Kirkland.
In 2004-2005, there were only 4 mainstage shows due to construction to expand the space.
From 2005-2007, Studio East produced a spring show in partnership with the Kirkland Performance Center. These included (in order): The Music Man, Fiddler on the Roof, and Gypsy. However, the spring 2008 KPC Musical, Oliver!, was not a partnership with Studio East, and KPC has not produced a spring musical since then.
Studio East offers school break camps for grades 2-6, as well as summer camps from age 4 to grade 10. Every summer a Teen Musical features students entering grades 7-12.
The summer camps include Little Players (ages 4-6), TaleSpinners (entering grades 1-2), Summer Stage (entering grades 3-6), and Teen Camps (entering grades 7-10). The camps are held at various schools and churches in the area.
Young Actors Professional Intensive is a six-week theater program for serious acting students. YAPI students pursue college-level classes including Audition Technique, Acting for the Camera, Scene Study, Shakespeare, Combat, Improvisation, Musical Theater, The Business and more. At the conclusion of the program, students have an opportunity to travel to New York to see Broadway shows.
StoryBook Theater presents interactive musical comedies aimed at ages three through nine, performed by adults. The plays are presented at a variety of venues including the Kirkland Performance Center, the Museum of History and Industry, IKEA Performing Arts Center, Highline Performing Arts Center, and the Everett PUD Auditorium.
Added in 2009, the Teen Ensemble is a program for teens (ages 13-19) to perform in more serious plays or musicals, with smaller casts, that would not normally be considered for the season. In 2010, the two plays, The Wrestling Season and Chamber Music, were performed independently of the season. In 2011, the Teen Ensemble was included in the season with A Midsummer Night's Dream and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Due to popular demand for Shakespeare, Macbeth was added later in the season, in May. The 2012 show will be Much Ado About Nothing, independent of the season and in the May timeslot.
In 2010 Studio East created a new program called The Young Performers Series. This program allows young performers (ages 8-14) to play leads in shows were the teenage group would normally play leads. The first show in this series was Cinderella, August 6 & 7. 2010. The second show of the 2010-2011 season will be A Thousand Cranes and Seagirl, a pair of two one-acts, February 4-6, 2011. In the summer of 2011, the Young Performers Series show will be The Wizard of Oz, and will be performed with the older age group, with the 10-14 age group being limited to playing munchkins. The 2012 spring show will be Monkey Magic, and the summer show will be Godspell.