Create • Perform • Inspire

At Michigan Academy of Dance + Arts, we believe every student deserves the opportunity to discover their creative voice. Our Theatre Program provides a welcoming and supportive environment where young artists can build confidence, develop performance skills, and express themselves through the art of storytelling.

Designed for students of all experience levels—not just dancers—our theatre classes cultivate imagination, collaboration, and personal growth. Through acting, movement, voice, character development, and stage presence, students gain valuable skills that extend far beyond the stage, fostering confidence, communication, creativity, and self-expression that will serve them throughout their lives.

CURRENT THEATRE OFFERINGS:

Actor’s Tool School: Ages 7–11

Ages: 7–11
Date: Tuesdays | September 15 – November 3, 2026 (8-week session)
Time: 6:30–7:30 PM
Tuition: $130
Instructor: Lori Thompson

The best kind of "school" is ACTOR'S TOOL SCHOOL!

Perfect for young performers with big imaginations, this fun and interactive class introduces the fundamentals of acting through games, movement, storytelling, and creative play. Students will build confidence while developing important performance skills in a supportive and encouraging environment.

Throughout the session, students will explore:

  • Character creation

  • Improvisation

  • Pantomime

  • Story drama

  • Voice and movement

  • Script reading

  • Role-playing

  • Creative teamwork

Students will work independently, with partners, and in small groups as they bring stories and characters to life. Whether they're brand new to acting or already love the stage, this class is a wonderful way to build creativity, confidence, and communication skills while having fun.

Actor’s Tool School: Ages 12–15

Ages: 12-15
Date: Tuesdays | September 15 – November 3, 2026 (8-week session)
Time: 6:30–7:30 PM
Tuition: $130
Instructor: Lori Thompson

Ready to take your acting to the next level?

Designed for aspiring teen actors, this class focuses on developing authentic performances through scene work, character analysis, improvisation, and acting techniques used on stage. Students will strengthen their confidence, stage presence, and storytelling abilities while collaborating with fellow performers.

Students will explore:

  • Character development and motivation

  • Scene study

  • Script analysis

  • Improvisation

  • Vocal projection and expression

  • Stage movement

  • Ensemble work

  • Audition techniques

Through partner work, small-group scenes, and performance exercises, students will challenge themselves creatively while learning the tools needed to become stronger, more confident performers both on and off the stage.

THEATRE PROGRAM

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MALEN TAYLOR

Malen Taylor is the Artistic Director of OLOH Players in Sterling Heights and a Resident Company Cast Member at Go Comedy in Ferndale. In addition to performing improv professionally, she is also a musical theatre performer, puppeteer, director, choreographer, and teaching artist.

Malen has toured throughout the Midwest with The Brainstormers Inspiration Factory, performing interactive improv shows for children. She also performs with The Dinner Detective Troy Company and has trained at prestigious programs including Second City Chicago and Improv Utopia East.

She has directed plays, choreographed musicals, and taught improv, puppetry, and stage combat to students ranging from children to young adults.

Malen loves helping students discover their creativity and confidence through theatre. She believes improvisation and storytelling have the power to change lives — because they changed hers.

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LORI THOMPSON

Lori Thompson received her BA in Secondary Education from the University of Michigan Flint, Majoring in Theatre and Speech.

Lori began her teaching career in Theatre Education at Flint Youth Theater before accepting a full time position with Powers Catholic High School where she was the head of the Theater Department for seven years. Her work in teaching and directing led her to Fenton High School where she taught and directed theater for twenty years.

Lori has directed productions for Flint Community Players, Fenton Village Players, and Swartz Creek Center Stage.

Theater and Social Justice has always been a passion and platform for Lori. She brought the topic of Bullycide, Suicide due to Bullying, to the forefront with her orignal play The Bullycide Project, based on the book Bullycide in America written by Brenda High and mothers who had lost a son/daughter to Bullycide.

The Bullycide Project toured for eight years performing for various middle and high school audiences throughout the United States and Canada. The Bullycide Project performed at The Bullying Prevention Summit in Washington DC, was a Keynote Presentation at The Girls and Bullying Conferences in Atlanta, Georgia, was featured on CNN: Impact Your World and on CBS 48 Hours: If Words Could Kill.

Currently Lori is working as a Facilitator at Eli’s Place in Lansing. Eli’s Place is a healing center for grieving young adults, teens, and their families who have experienced sudden loss. Lori will guide peer to peer bereavement support groups using theater as a vehicle for healing.

She is excited to become part of the Ann Parsley School of Dance staff and in bringing the art of Theater to the APSD curriculum.

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Two young girls are in a dance studio practicing ballet, with one girl in a black shirt and purple skirt and the other in a magenta top and beige leggings. They are standing barefoot facing each other with their palms touching, engaging in a dance ac
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Two young girls holding hands in a dance studio, one with a gray shirt and navy pants, the other with a black shirt and purple tutu, both smiling, with ballet barres and gym equipment in the background.
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A ballet dance class with young girls sitting on the floor and a girl standing and speaking to them. The studio has ballet barres, a large mirror, and framed ballet photos on the wall.
A young girl in a black shirt and purple tutu is smiling and raising her arms in a dance studio, assisted by an adult woman dressed in black and a light pink skirt, who is in a dance pose with her back arched and arms extended.
A ballet class in progress with a young girl and an instructor performing a stretch at the barre. The girl is wearing a purple skirt and striped leg warmers, while the instructor is dressed in black tights and a light pink leotard. Other young studen
Two young ballet dancers practicing in a dance studio, with posters of dancers on the wall behind them, wooden ballet barres, and a wooden door.
Two young girls practicing ballet in a dance studio, smiling and holding hands while balancing on one leg.
Two young girls in ballet attire practicing ballet in a dance studio. One girl in turquoise leotard standing over another girl in a purple dress lying on the floor. The studio has black flooring, white walls, and ballet posters on the walls.
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