Led by Kat Bailey Erath and Dana Keane, YAASenior is a conservatory-quality musical theatre training program based in the Washington, DC area that provides 9th graders in high school a bridge between middle school and high school theatre. Curated specifically for singers, actors and dancers in the 9th grade, students have the opportunity to participate, rehearse, and perform as Ensemble members in large-scale works of music theatre in major venues with full symphonic orchestra. Auditions are required.

YAASenior strives to strengthen students' skills in singing, acting and dancing through a fun yet rigorous rehearsal process, as they engage in various musical theater-related classes, audition workshops, and participate in a Winter Showcase curated for the students. They will also prepare for major productions of staged symphonic theatrical productions, traditionally performed in major venues around the Washington, DC area, including Strathmore, Capital One Hall, The Fillmore, The Kennedy Center, Maryland Public Television, and The Clarice. 

Our primary focus is always on healthy, authentic, and communicative storytelling, singing, acting, and movement, working towards the goal of a professional caliber final production.

Many of our alumni have gone on to study at prestigious universities including Carnegie Mellon, University of Michigan, Penn State, CCM (Cincinnati), NYU, Oberlin, Baldwin Wallace, Northwestern, Rice, Indiana, and UMD, and later to perform on professional stages across the country, including National Tours and Broadway. These students and their families often credit YAA for preparing them for college and their musical careers beyond.

YAA also provides additional Classes, Workshops, and Masterclasses for students to further advance and refine their skills.

YAASenior is a full-year program divided into 3 trimesters:

• Fall (September thru November)

  • Thursdays from 7:00-9:00pm

  • Saturdays from 11:00am-2:00pm

    • Skill building workshops

    • Participation in the Fall Mainstage Production in November as Ensemble alongside YAACompany & YAAOrchestra

• Winter (November thru February)

  • Switching to Mondays from 7:00-9:00pm

  • Saturdays from 11:00am-2:00pm

    • YAASenior Winter Showcase

• Spring (February thru April)

  • Continuing on Mondays from 7:00-9:00pm

  • Saturdays from 11:00am-2:00pm

    • Skill building workshops

    • Participation in the Spring Mainstage Production in April as Ensemble

Scroll to the bottom of this page to see the Rehearsal Calendar.

YAAStudents students are permitted TWO conflicts per trimester.

Conflict requests must be submitted in advance for approval by staff before they are accepted. This is to ensure the full commitment of all participants and the efficiency of the rehearsal process.

In 2026-2027, regular YAASenior rehearsals and classes will take place at the Loiederman MS in Silver Spring, MD. Learn more here.

Alternate rehearsal venues include

• Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church in Bethesda, MD

• Saint Mark’s Presbyterian Church in North Bethesda, MD

• Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, MD.

Our performances take place at various major professional venues in the Metro DC area.

Learn more about our rehearsal and performance venues here.

Visit our Current Season page for current productions.

All YAASenior students must audition to be accepted into the program.

Auditions for the 2026-2027 YAASenior will be video auditions submitted via Acceptd.

Auditions for material presented in the YAASenior Showcase occur within the program in December.

Learn more about how to audition below.

YAA students have the unique opportunity to work closely alongside leading professional mentors both in rehearsal and performance.

Recent mentors have included: Alan Menken (Beauty & the Beast, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid), Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell, Pippin), Kristin Chenoweth (Wicked, On the Twentieth Century), Jason Robert Brown (Parade, Bridges of Madison County, Songs for a New World), Michael Feinstein (Curator of the Great American Songbook), Steven Lutvak (A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder), Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home, Violet, Shrek the Musical), Andrew Lippa (Big Fish, The Addams Family, The Wild Party), and many more.

Learn more about recent Mentors and upcoming opportunities to work with Guest Mentors here.

Unique to YAASenior, 9th grade students will participate in a Showcase in February featuring skills and repertoire learned in the fall and winter periods.

Each season, our students are exposed to a vast repertoire, which can include classic and contemporary musical theatre, and more.

Recent innovative programming has included staged theatrical concerts of large-scale musical theatre as well as unique productions that have been devised for and have received their world premiere with Young Artists of America.

Our world premiere of Young Artists of America: The Songs of Tim Rice filmed for PBS (Maryland Public Television) was nominated for three regional EMMY® awards and won an EMMY® in 2018.

YAACompany members are also often called upon to participate in exciting professional performances through our partnerships with various venues in the region. Recent and upcoming professional opportunities for students have included performing in:

• Grammy Winner Aoife O’Donovan & the National Symphony Orchestra (Kennedy Center)

• Grammy Winner Billy Strings: Halloween 2024: O Billy, Where Art Thou? (CFG Bank Arena)

• Matthew Morrison & Shoshana Bean: Gala Performance (Strathmore)

• World Premiere of Iron & Coal by Jeremy Schonfeld (Beth Morrison Projects/Strathmore)

• Kristin Chenoweth: Coming Home Tour (Strathmore)

• Michael Feinstein: Gala Performance (Strathmore)

• Julie Andrews: Gala Performance (Strathmore)

• Patina Miller: Gala Performance (Strathmore)

Full Season (September-April) - $3,495

• Includes 3 Productions (Fall + Spring Mainstage Productions) plus our Winter Showcase)

Winter/Spring Semester Only (December-April) - $2,595

• **Only if space allows.

• Includes 1 Production (Spring Mainstage Production plus 1 Winter Showcase.)

Learn more about available Scholarships and Awards here