UP WITH KIDS! Musical Theatre Academy551

The winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the Best Artsy Class for Big Kids in Salt Lake City, UP WITH KIDS offers students weekly, one-hour classes and instruction in singing, dancing, and acting. Kids are encouraged to read books upon which the program's plays are based, then throughout the school year the children learn and rehearse songs, dances, and acting segments. Individual parts are cast in the latter part of the year and a show is performed, starring the children. Each child plays a named, speaking part in the show, and when the show is over, each child receives an Oscar statuette at the UP WITH KIDS Academy Awards.

Besides the school-year program, UP WITH KIDS also offers Summer Drama Camps, week-long camps during which students rehearse daily to perform a show at the end of the camp. The cost for the camps varies by county. Check the website for information on how to register.

UP WITH KIDS programs are offered at many locations up and down the Wasatch Front and Back (Weber County, Davis County, Summit County, Box Elder County, Salt Lake County, Tooele County, and Utah County). Check the website for a program in your community. Most of the groups meet during the afterschool hours, but a couple meet on Saturdays.

Additional children in a family receive a discount on materials fees.