A Week of Real Growth and Change: Acting Summer Workshop Returns to the Farmington Valley

The Farmington Valley has always been a special place for Michael Lamb. It's where he started, back in 1997, directing youth productions and teaching acting, musical theater, and performing arts programs for towns across the region. Nearly three decades later, after building Performing Arts Programs into a company that has partnered with communities across Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, he is back where it began.

"It feels great to be working here again," Lamb says. And the return has already produced something memorable. This past season, Lamb wrote an original song for the Avon and Farmington 250th Anniversary Celebration, performed by 35 children ages 7 to 12 from both towns as the Community Voices Youth Choir. It is exactly the kind of moment that has kept him doing this work for nearly thirty years: local kids, on a stage, discovering what they are capable of.

This summer, he is bringing back one of the programs families ask for most.

Five days. Real skills. One unforgettable week.

The Acting Summer Workshop is one of the most popular programs Performing Arts Programs offers every year, and for good reason. In just five half-days, students are immersed in the craft of acting in a way that school programs simply don't have time to do.

Every day builds on the last. Students work on scene work, improvisation, character development, voice, movement, and ensemble performance with Michael Lamb personally, the same instructor who has trained students who have gone on to Broadway, NBC television, and regional theaters across Connecticut.

But if you ask Lamb what the week is really about, he does not start with theater.

He tells a story instead. This past season, a very shy eight-year-old came into one of his programs. On the first day, he asked her the simple things. What's your name? Where are you from? What do you like to do for fun? Not a peep. By the end of the program, that same child was up in front of the group, sharing, expressing herself, confident and self-assured. The change was startling, and it happened in a remarkably short time.

"That's what acting classes do," Lamb says. "The work is to build creativity, to build confidence, to show these young people that they have a voice, and that what they have to say matters. Of course it's theater training. It just so happens that performing arts training accomplishes these goals."



What students work on during the week

Scene Work. Students work on scenes from plays and scripts, learning to bring a character to life with truth and specificity.

Improvisation. Fast-paced, fun, and foundational. Improv builds quick thinking, presence, and the confidence to take creative risks.

Voice and Movement. How to use your voice to be heard, and your body to tell a story. Every great performance starts here.

Character Development. Who is this person? What do they want? How do they move and speak? Students learn to build a character from the inside out.

Ensemble Work. Theater is a team sport. Students learn to collaborate, support each other, and create something together.

The week ends with a performance share for families, an informal presentation where students showcase what they've created. Not a polished production, but a genuine glimpse into a week of real work. Parents are consistently surprised by how much their child grew in just five days.

One parent put it simply: their child had a great time and brought so much home, now taking "roles" in books and reading them aloud together like a scene. Another called it a wonderful experience and said they were already looking forward to the next one. A third shared that her daughter especially loved creating improvisations in small groups, and would sign up again the moment another session opened.

The details

Ages 7 to 10, Morning Session Monday to Friday, July 27 to 31, 2026, 9:30 to 11:30 am Avon Middle School, Avon CT No experience required, beginners welcome Performance share for families at the end of the week

Ages 11 to 14, Afternoon Session Monday to Friday, July 27 to 31, 2026, 1:00 to 3:00 pm Avon Middle School, Avon CT All skill levels welcome, from beginner to experienced Performance share for families at the end of the week

Spots are limited, and registration is open now.

Learn more at joinperformingarts.org/summer-programs. Registration is through Avon Recreation and Parks at avonct.myrec.com.

And keep an eye out. This fall, Lamb returns to the Valley with more, including a new season of the Community Voices Youth Choir, acting classes, and musical theater programming, with more to be announced soon. He also coaches students privately online at lambstudios.online.

For now, though, it starts with one week. Five half-days that, for a lot of kids, turn into something they remember far longer than a summer.