Our Fall and Spring semesters are 18 weeks and follow the Albuquerque Public School calendar. Our summer intensive workshop is a 4-week session during the month of June.

Drama I: The schedule for Drama I remains the same throughout the semester. These classes meet once a week for two hours, usually on Wednesdays or Fridays. The class culminates with a public presentation of a scenes program on the final day of the term. Each student enrolled in Drama I will receive a role in the scenes program.

Advanced Drama: The schedule for Advanced Drama begins with two weeks of auditions for our play and musical, after which the shows are cast by the director. Every student will be cast in either the play or the musical. After casting, rehearsals for the shows begin. The musical generally rehearses 6 to 8 hours a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The play rehearses 3 to 4 hours a week on Mondays and Wednesdays.

After the productions, regular classes are held until the end of the semester on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. These classes feature further training in acting technique and are often taught by professional artists as guest instructors of NMYA.

NMYA tuition is $405/semester, plus a $20 registration fee. For our advanced drama classes, there is also a production fee of $50. The production fee covers part of the cost of make-up, scripts, scores, a production T-shirt, as well as other production expenses.

Productions at NMYA are performed at a large, local theater during the school day or are taken on tour directly to your school. Every semester we offer performances of our musical to over 3000 children from public, private, parochial, and home schools. Additionally, every semester our play is taken on tour to schools throughout the Albuquerque region. We have also taken our tour to Cuba, Grants, and other rural communities throughout the state. We invite you to bring your class to one of our productions or to book our performance troupe at your school. Please note: Our productions are very popular and frequently sell-out. It is advisable to book early!

Please call us directly at 505-821-8055 in order to book your school or class.

Below, find study guides for our upcoming shows in order to enhance your students’ experience and appreciation of the performance.

New Mexico Young Actors is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 charitable arts organization.  All donations are tax-deductible.

New Mexico Young Actors has provided theater arts training through drama classes and productions of plays and musicals for children by children in the Albuquerque, NM region since 1979.  In our history, we have touched hundreds of thousands of children with the power of drama, music, and dance.  Our students have found a creative outlet for their talents and a means of expressing themselves in a safe and supportive environment.  Our productions, featuring children and youth in all roles, continually garner praise from the community for their originality, creativity, and professionalism—many who attend our performances express a mild surprise that such quality can come from mere youth.

We at NMYA believe we are changing lives through our program and helping to shape a brighter future for the children in our community.  It is no secret that today’s youth face many challenges.  The arts provide encouragement and hope to young people when they need it the most.  Many of our students have gone on to careers on Broadway and in film.  Our students are found in the fine arts schools of universities and in dance and music studios and community theater organizations throughout the country.

This work could not continue without the generous support from individuals and foundations.  We ask you to please consider making NMYA a part of your charitable giving plans.

Special thanks to our following sponsors (2021–2022):