Broadway Academy

Date:

July 13-18, 2026 - One SIX-day session of BROADWAY ACADEMY will be offered.

Hours:

• Camp begins at 9 AM and ends at 4 PM (Monday-Friday) and from 9 AM until approximately 5:00 PM on Saturday.

• Students may be dropped off in the morning between 8:45-9 AM.  The doors open promptly at 8:45 AM each morning.

• Students will be dismissed from the building between 4 PM and 4:10 PM (M-F).

Final showcase: 

SATURDAY at 3:00 PM.  (Details for attending/viewing the showcase will be provided later.)

Location:

Des Moines Civic Center, 221 Walnut Street, Des Moines, with some instructional activities potentially held at nearby locations.

• Fee for the six-day BROADWAY ACADEMY is $465, which includes a daily snack.
• Participants are asked to bring a sack lunch each day.
• Pay in full at time of registration or in four equal installments. Payment plans are only available for registrations received prior to March 10, 2026.

Music Required

Each participant is also expected to prepare a musical theater song for the week to use in coaching sessions. See the link for more details.

Attendance Policy for Camp Days and Showcase

To ensure that your student is prepared for the camp week, please clear your student's schedule of any appointments or conflicts for the six days of camp.

Due to the intense rehearsal schedule, participation in the showcase performance is dependent on full attendance throughout the week. 

Participation in camp activities and rehearsals is based on the understanding that the student is present during the camp day and intends to perform at the end of the week.

• Weekday Absences:  Missed rehearsals may necessitate that a participant give up part or all of their role(s) for the success of the overall performance.  Roles may be reduced or adjusted based on the amount of rehearsal material missed.

• Showcase Day Absences:

• • If you know you are unable to commit to the full day on Saturday, please contact Maddie, the Broadway Camp Coordinator, at 515-246-2359 to discuss the specifics or email her at MaddieN@DMPA.org. 

  • Please be advised that camp staff may determine that the student should drop from the overall camp, depending on the timing of the absence, out of respect for their overall camp experience.  See the Cancellation Policy on this webpage. 

• Illness:  A student with a fever (usually 100.4°F or higher) should stay home and should not return to camp until they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication. This rule ensures the student is well enough to attend and prevents the spread of illness to other students and staff. 

Be sure to communicate with camp staff immediately if an emergency arises.

IMPORTANT: Please submit a scholarship application NO LATER THAN JANUARY 23, 2026 - the week before registration opens. 

Scholarships to DMPA camps are provided to make sure that our camps are accessible to all. 

• Submitting this application does not guarantee a scholarship or a spot in any camp.

• If you register BY THE DEADLINE, a spot will be held for you until the scholarship committee can review applications. 

• If you register AFTER public registration opens, your application will be reviewed only if a spot becomes available.

• Scholarship funding is based on need and time of request and is awarded on a case-by-case basis.

Please complete the online SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION if financial assistance is needed to allow your student to participate. 

You will need the following information to complete the application form: 

• Your contact information

• Your average monthly household income

• A Statement of Interest (preferably written by the student, and then UPLOADED as a PDF or Word document, OR, TYPED directly into the form). 

Questions: Contact Lynnae Lathrop at LynnaeL@DMPA.org.

NOTE: If you attended camp last summer on a School-to-Stage scholarship after being nominated by your school, please contact Lynnae at LynnaeL@DMPA.org no later than the week before registration begins.

Your student's participation is very important to their overall success in their selected camp, but we understand that summer plans sometimes change. 

If you are no longer able to participate, please submit written notice of your camp cancellation to LynnaeL@DMPA.org.

• All refunds are subject to a $50 cancellation fee.

• Written notice of cancellation must be received four weeks prior to the first date of the camp for a refund (minus the cancellation fee) to be issued.

• A refund cannot be guaranteed if a cancellation request is submitted less than four weeks prior to the camp start date.

  • Any refund will only be issued if we are able to secure a new registration to fill the vacated spot. 

  • Efforts to fill vacated spots are at the full discretion of program staff based on timing of the cancellation as it relates to staff capacity and camp preparations.   

  • As soon as you are aware of conflicts, please contact Maddie, the Broadway Camp Coordinator, at 515-246-2359 to discuss the specifics or email her at MaddieN@DMPA.org. Please be advised that camp staff may determine that the student should drop from the overall camp, depending on the timing of the absence, out of respect for their overall camp experience.

• Should camp be cancelled by DMPA, a full refund will be given.

Questions? Please contact our camp manager Lynnae at LynnaeL@DMPA.org or leave a message at 515-246-2360.

Before and After Camp Care 

• Before and After Camp Care sessions are offered for an additional $10.00 fee per session, (or $20 per day), which may be added during the registration payment process.

• Before care opens at 7:30 AM (Monday through Friday - no before care on Saturday morning).

• After care ends promptly at 5:30 PM (Monday through Friday).

Already registered and need to add before and after camp care? Contact ToniD@DMPA.org

More detailed information about THE BROADWAY ACADEMY will be emailed 3-4 weeks prior to the opening day of camp.

The BROADWAY ACADEMY is a different camp model than our Musical Theater Camp.  It is an age-adjusted version of the Broadway Intensive. Every day for six days the schedule is filled with rehearsals and coaching sessions, culminating in a showcase of what was learned and rehearsed to be performed on the Civic Center stage. This is not a “kid’s camp” with art and games; it is a camp that teaches and helps students grow and develop confidence as performers through workshops and coaching.

The biggest factor for a successful BROADWAY ACADEMY experience is the willingness to give everything a try. 

What do students do at camp?

• Students will be asked to bring a prepared short solo for camp. The instructors coach students on everything from tips on how to talk to the accompanist and how to stand to how to tell the story of their song. Some confidently approach the solo coaching with songs they have auditioned with before; others have just learned their songs for camp and nervously await their moment.

• Other focus areas include auditioning basics, ensemble performance, beginning dance/movement, introductory scene acting technique, and beginning acting technique applied to song.

• The week ends with a showcase on Saturday where students are featured in either an acting scene, a dance demonstration, or a musical number, and all participate in a fully-choreographed number.

The DMPA staff answers questions and gets students where they need to be, offering tips and suggestions along the way. Fellow campers offer support, cheering each other on and celebrating each new step. It is an emotional, wonderful week, where students learn about the realities of musical theater and bond in ways that can be experienced more than described.  Many students return year after year just to see their Broadway camp friends.

The Broadway Academy is an exciting, challenging experience where students can live out some of their performance dreams and ALL learn something about themselves as performers and as people. 

Session full?  Get on the Wait List!

If your preferred session is full, please add your name to our wait list by clicking HERE and indicate your student's age and which session(s) you are interested in attending.

We will contact you if a space becomes available.