Barbecue isn’t the only thing that Kansas City, Missouri, has cookin’. Alongside its famed brisket and rich jazz history, the city also offers a variety of classes for actors looking to hone their craft. Whether you’re dreaming of starring in the next big production or just looking for a fun new hobby, K.C. has an impressive lineup of acting schools and classes that cater to every level, with a particularly robust youth performing arts scene. We’ve rounded up the best spots to get you or your child’s acting career off the ground.
When it comes to drama classes for young actors, few places in Kansas City compare to the Coterie Theatre School. It’s well-known for its top-tier youth programs that create opportunities for kids as young as kindergarten all the way up through high school. For the faculty at the Coterie, it’s not just about putting on a play—it’s about confidence, collaboration, and creativity. While the school offers traditional courses such as scene study and audition lab, it also has a series of courses to inspire the youngest performers, including classes such as “Bluey, Bingo, and You,” where children do structured make-believe inspired by beloved cartoon characters.
KCYA is a Kansas City staple in arts education, and its acting classes are no exception. Its mission is rooted in the belief that the arts are essential to human development, making KCYA a nurturing and supportive environment for students. It has a truly impressive catalog of offerings in theater, dance, music, and fine arts, with a database that allows you to filter by age so that you can find something appropriate for your child.
Offering a variety of classes for children and teens, the Culture House is another top option for young Kansas City actors. Its acting curriculum covers basic acting techniques and more advanced skills, offering a variety of training levels. From progressive acting classes to Jazz for Musical Theater, Shakespeare to Audition Fundamentals, this school provides a fantastic foundation. It’s also well-regarded for its musical theater program, making it a great choice for performers who want to develop skills in singing, acting, and dancing.
At the Actor Training Studio in Overland Park, Kansas, just 20 minutes outside of K.C., you can cultivate your own unique process as a performer and continue to explore the limits of that process week by week. Offering seminar-style ongoing workshops for both seasoned and inexperienced actors, the studio’s courses are partner-focused and objective-based, mixing elements of monologue, improv, and scene study.
Take a short drive over to Leawood, Kansas, to study at the Commercial Actors Studio if you’re interested in commercial and voiceover work. The studio boasts a comprehensive practicum with on-camera classes at the core of its curriculum. Its safe and professional environment allows aspiring performers to learn the nuances of working in the industry on a practical level, whether you aspire to be the star of a long-running ad or you want to brush up before a public speaking engagement. It also offers youth classes and private coaching to fit a variety of needs.
Headed by casting director Heather Laird, Wright/Laird Casting has helped cast actors in Kansas City since the early ’90s. Beyond casting, the studio is also a valuable resource for KC actors, with an array of classes for performers of various skill levels. These include fundamentals of acting and scene studies, on-camera audition workshops, and a two-week self-tape workshop series.
The KC Improv Company produces hundreds of shows each year, but that’s not all it does—the company also offers workshops, classes, and private coaching. Its training center gives improv enthusiasts an opportunity to become a vital part of the community by building skills that are not only relevant to performance but to life in general. Sessions are eight weeks long, but if that’s too big of a commitment, it has weekend drop-in classes as well. An added bonus? Every student gets to perform in a live improv show at the end of their course and gets to see most KC Improv Company shows for free.