For Youth
With classes in Acting, Dancing, Singing, and Improvisation, as well as Spring Break, Winter Break and Summer Theatre Camps, the FST School offers a wide range of opportunities for young artists year-round.
Welcome to the Florida Studio Theatre School. With classes in Acting, Dancing, Singing, Playwriting, and Improvisation, as well as Spring Break, Winter Break and Summer Theatre Camps, the FST School offers a wide range of opportunities year-round.
Whether your interest is to encourage personal creativity and confidence or serious theatrical training, we invite you to discover your child’s artistic home in the Florida Studio Theatre School.
FST’s classes for youth and teens are dedicated to nurturing individual creativity. We see young people not just as individuals, but as creative individuals.
Led by FST’s teaching staff of professional resident artists, students gain an understanding of theatre, acting method, stage technique, and literary skills. Students will also have access to performance opportunities throughout the year.
The skill and openness of the instructors, the creativity, and the charm of the theatre itself - we felt we had found the right place for our son at the FST School.
Ages 7-14
Payment Plan options are available.
Partial and full scholarships are available.
Have questions about our youth classes or camps?
My daughter has always had a knack for performing, but has had a hard time overcoming her shyness. Ever since she started taking classes at FST, I have noticed an immense improvement in her confidence. We are truly ecstatic to see the change in her demeanor and self-esteem. The FST School has made it possible.
Meet Your Instructors - Full-Time Faculty
Ava Podewitz
David Stein
Rachel Moulton
Dellan Short
Sydney Prater
Ava Podewitz (she/her) is in her second season at FST and serves as the Youth Education Associate for the Education Department. Her passion lies in bringing the creativity, discipline, and sense of community theatre provides to young lives to every class she teaches. Ava graduated from Florida State University with her BA in Theatre and Minor in Education. FSU Mainstage credits include Young Frankenstein (Dance Captain/Ensemble), Dragons Love Tacos (Leroy), and Something Rotten (Ensemble). In her free time, Ava loves doing yoga and Pilates, going on long walks, and reading her yearly goal of 40 books!
DAVID STEIN is so excited to join the team at Florida Studio Theatre. He’s been working professionally in theater since he first started acting as a child at First Stage in Milwaukee. With his BFA in Acting from UW-Milwaukee, some of David’s favorite acting roles include Barrel in URINETOWN (UW-Milwaukee), Mr. Harari in RUINED (UW-Milwaukee) Igor in YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (Theatre Tallahassee) and Duncan in THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT (Bay Area Children’s Theatre) After school, David went to work with The Bay Area Children’s Theater in San Francisco where he was an apprentice, teaching classes and acting in their shows. From California, David went back to Milwaukee to enter the world of radio and was the on air Morning Show producer for the award winning Elizabeth & Radar show at 99.1 The Mix! While working there he also was the theater correspondent, interviewing cast members of the touring Broadway shows. David and his partner Hannah wrote and produced an original farce NOT TODAY in Milwaukee, unfortunately COVID cut the run short (but you can watch the play on YouTube!). In his free time, David loves to bake and make funny videos, from food tastings to comedy sketches. Theater runs through his veins, and he is ecstatic to be a part of the team at FST.
RACHEL MOULTON is in her 7th Season as an Associate Artist and her 3rd Season FST’s Director of Education. Since 2012, she has performed in 17 productions (including 5 world premieres) at FST. NOTABLY: Birthday Candles, Ugly Lies the Bone, Grounded, Maytag Virgin, Paralyzed, Heisenberg, Honor Killing, Alabama Story, The Cancellation of Lauren Fein, and Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. SELECT REGIONAL: Pioneer Theatre Company, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Virginia Stage, and Florida Rep. OFF-BROADWAY: The Mint, Theatre 777, and Zelda Fitzgerald in the world premiere of This Side of Paradise (Theatre at St. Clement’s). TRAINING: Syracuse University, B.F.A., Graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, Shakespeare & Company (trained under Dennis Krausnick and Founding Artistic Director Tina Packer). Proud union member of AEA (20 yrs).
Dellan Short (he/him) has been a proud member of the FST team for 3 years now, starting as a Literary Intern, then transitioning into a Literary Fellowship, before ending his time with the Professional training Program as an Acting Fellow. He is thrilled to be stepping up as a Resident Artist and Teaching Artist. You may have seen Dellan in any number of FST’s productions and readings including Advice (Burdick Festival), The Lehman Trilogy, Off the Charts, Junie B. Jones, The Flying Penguin, and Deck the Halls.
Sydney is a recent graduate from Stephen F. Austin State University, where she earned her BFA in Acting & Directing and a minor in Marketing. Sydney was fortunate enough to stay very busy during her time at SFA, working diligently on the Denard Haden School of Theatre and Dance’s PR Team and acting in several shows. When not acting, Sydney stayed active in several clubs and organizations on campus such as Alpha Psi Omega, her improv troupe Room 4 Improvment, and more! Sydney worked as an acting counselor at SFA’s High School Theatre Workshop in 2025 and can’t wait to continue working with kiddos during her time at FST!
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Thanks To Our Sponsors
Florida Studio Theatre would like to thank the above Foundations along with our Individual Donors who have greatly contributed to the FST School Scholarship fund. Thanks to your support, deserving students, who wouldn’t otherwise be able to join us at the FST School, now have access to a creative outlet where they can explore and unlock their artistic potential through live theatre.
FST School programming is made possible in large part through an Endowment by The William James Foundation.