‘It’s like a one-stop-shop.’ Youth program in Rexburg teaches theater, music and dance
Published at | Updated at
REXBURG — An after-school youth theater program in Rexburg is helping young artists succeed.
The Palace Theatre, a community theatre in Chubbuck, launched The Palace Theatre Rexburg Conservatory in February 2024. The program is open to those ages 8 to 18 interested in learning acting, singing and dancing skills.
Emily Capson, conservatory coordinator, said the program originally started in Chubbuck in 2019 after founder and director Jenna Davies bought the former Palace Playhouse and rebranded it to The Palace Theatre.
“This has been … her dream to create this conservatory program to give kids in the area something she really didn’t have growing up,” Capson said of Davies. “We have dance, music and opportunities for theater, but this is somewhere they can get all of that from people who have training, experience and degrees in that field. It’s like a one-stop-shop.”
Capson said they had “a lot of demand” from parents wanting this type of program in the upper valley.
“They were pretty excited about us being able to open that second location,” she mentioned.
For the program’s first year in Rexburg, participants had about four months to put together their first production, “The Little Mermaid Jr.” This year, students will have from September until the end of April to prepare for their end-of-program show, “Frozen Jr.”
“(This program is) an opportunity to participate in something that’s age-appropriate, that’s reasonably priced and really open to anybody,” Capson said. “There’s no auditions or any special requirements that we ask. We just want them to come and see, have fun and try it out.”
The ensemble class is $60 per month. In this class students will learn acting techniques that they transfer into the company class, which is $65 per month. The company class puts on the production at the end of the year. They require students in the company class also enroll in the ensemble class but the ensemble class can be taken on its own.
Capson said their hope with this program is to give the youth the confidence and foundational skills they need to “pursue their dreams.”
“We definitely would invite (parents) to come check it out. Come try a class for free to see what we’re all about,” Capson said. “We’re always excited to grow our program and to give (parents) any information that can help them make the best decision for their kids.”
Classes for the Rexburg program are held Mondays and Wednesdays from 4 to 6 p.m. at 84 Professional Plaza Way.
Registration is open now through mid-October. There is a $30 nonrefundable registration fee.
Click here for more information on the program and to register.