Master teachers, who are conservatory trained and have performed on Broadway, TV or Film, ensure your child is learning sound techniques. Teachers at PTW are chosen for their success in the arts and their ability to train students to reach their full potential in a patient and caring environment.
Why that’s important for your child:
- Quality of instruction really does matter; mediocre instruction often leads a child to bad habits that get in the way of your child reaching their potential and their performing arts goals.
- Your child will learn accurate techniques from someone who has worked in the highest professional settings. Thorough knowledge of the subject and knowing how to teach it effectively means the straightest route to growth and progress.
- Students feel lucky that they can learn acting from a teacher who starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, study musical theatre from the star of Mary Poppins on Broadway, or master tap from a dancer who danced with Savion Glover & Gregory Hines.
“They’re always there to help you. They’re always so supportive.They’re trying to bring out the best in you and they’re always there, and always caring.”
Molly S., age 16, South Orange
As a parent, you can be confident that PTW is a long-lasting support system to help your child succeed on and off the stage. It’s not only in the professional arts that students succeed. We can help your child get into their dream college, build a strong work ethic, and foster relationships that will bring them joy for a lifetime.
“Past students have gone onto great things, which gives us a lot of confidence in the teachers and the philosophy. I don’t come here to say I hope my daughter’s famous; I think that the education she receives here will do her good in any field or in any path she chooses in life.”
Holly Palker, PTW Parent
PTW Students Have Graduated From:
PTW Students Have Performed in the Following Broadways Shows, Films & TV Shows:
Your child is joining their very own ‘theatre family’.
It’s easy for new students (even shy ones) to make friends quickly and connect with others. Older students take on the role of mentor to new and younger students, sharing with them the kindness and encouragement they had bestowed upon them. The result is an environment where students make life-long friends, flourish and feel comfortable at every stage of their creative journey.
“When my son first got here; he didn’t have the confidence to be onstage or to even speak publicly. And within I say, two or three years, he was unstoppable.”
Diane Lilli, Writer and PTW Parent
Learning and joy in every lesson.
We have a high return rate of students, with many continuing until they graduate high school. It’s not just because PTW is fun, but because students are constantly stretching, learning and moving closer to their performance goals.
Each class follows a specific curriculum which not only teaches the ‘how’ of techniques, but also the ‘why’. With a deeper understanding of their chosen craft, students become self-reliant and smart performers.
This is driven by Executive Artistic Director, Dean Kravitz, who is passionate about education in the arts. Dean has a BA in Music from Yale, a Masters in Education, studied extensively at Eastman School of Music, Westminster Choir College, University of the Arts, and is a certified NJ teacher. Using the educational principles of instructional scaffolding, brain-based learning, and Madeline Hunter’s principles, makes PTW different from other performing arts schools.
“To me, there’s no other school that compares to PTW because of the entire universal approach they have to the whole child.”
Diane Lilli, Writer & PTW Parent
Optimum environment for learning and significant growth.
A small class size (typically 5-12 students) means teachers get to know the strengths of your child and their specific opportunities for growth. Within the group setting, the curriculum is designed so that your child also gets one-on-one mentoring for their personal goals. For example, a voice teacher may be working with one student on intonation, another on projection, and another on diction while the entire class works together on the same song. All students have a chance to perform solo work when classes perform at PTW shows, and most importantly, in all PTW classes each child is celebrated.
“It’s incredible how whether you’re at the beginning of your career as a child here or whether you’ve been here 10 years, they treat you the same. And they give everybody a lot of really phenomenal individual attention.”
Elaine Schwartz, Occupational Therapist & PTW Parent
Your child will join the group where they can grow the most.
PTW works hard to build an environment where students are challenged, but also feel comfortable and happy. With 12 different class tracks, students are placed within their age group, but since age groups have multiple level classes for each discipline, students are placed with their age group AND at the best level for their learning. For example, a 9-year-old advanced student would be placed with advanced students in the same age-range. A 16-year-old beginner would be placed within a class with other beginner teenagers rather than beginners who are much younger. This helps students experience optimum learning and a positive experience without feeling uncomfortable or out-of-place.
“For every area of practice, there’s different levels within each age group. So you don’t have to worry about your child not being put at the right level, and they’re with kids their own age. It’s great.”
Meryl Levenberg, PTW Parent
Students can become diversified performers: “Triple Threats”.
A unique benefit for students at PTW is the ability to get a comprehensive singing/dancing/acting/musical education all in one place, with expert teachers in each area. As a parent, you can drop your child off at PTW and have your child enjoy multiple classes in separate disciplines all in one day. For example, a child can get a private singing lesson, an acting class and a private guitar lesson in just one trip.
One location, no performance date conflicts (all classes perform on one date for each show), and one payment to track (we offer payment plans to make it even easier).
“I never thought I could grow so much in singing, and dancing, and acting. It was just amazing.”
Kendall K., PTW Student
What happens when your child is seen by the ‘right’ people?
Because we are in regular contact with esteemed industry professionals looking for new talent who attend many of our shows, it’s easy for us to connect children with the right agents, managers, and casting directors. We help students avoid ‘cattle call’ auditions and have them attend invitation-only auditions. We also offer a specific Professional Track for students who want to be a professional performer, or are all already working professionally and want to stay on top of their game.
We’re happy to say that the school is well-known and highly-respected in the industry, giving your child an instant advantage as a student of PTW.
“It felt so thrilling and exciting. It felt like you were really like going above and beyond what you thought you’d be able to do here. It almost felt like you were really going on Broadway and being there. It was amazing. It was actually the best part of it.”
Jill Z., PTW Alumna
A chance to showcase and shine — for parents, friends, agents, managers and casting directors!
Seeing your child perform is a magical moment for you to share in your child’s adventure. At PTW, they will build experience performing in different types and different sizes of venues. We have shows in the Fall and Spring featuring class work from that semester, a NYC Broadway Showcase every summer, an annual recital for students taking private lessons, and in the winter, PTW students perform in a NYC Broadway Showcase for agents, managers and casting directors (as well as friends and family).
“Olivia has been very prepared by her training at PTW for auditions. The one thing, if I had to put it into one word, would be to say ‘confidence’.”
Holly Palker, PTW Parent
Your child will always feel prepared, no matter what the occasion.
Teachers at PTW are trained to help your child prepare for all types of auditions: school shows, talent contests, feature films, or entrance to a conservatory. They can help select repertoire, choose 16-bar and 32-bar cuts, or pick the right monologue from a published play.
We even prepare background accompaniment tracks, show students how to warm-up, write recommendations, and help them feel ready for the event. This is also valuable training for any type of interview or audition, whether it’s for a college, job, or any occasion where your child needs to present themselves confidently.
“One of the most amazing things to see is your child make the leap from a student at a school like PTW, where he was, to a professional role. My son had a manager, he was on auditions in the city all the time, he booked a national commercial. He was just doing everything he could dream of.”
Diane Lilli, Writer & PTW Parent
Students feel good about themselves as they grow through creative expression.
Many of our students call PTW their “Theatre Home” because they join a community where they can truly be accepted and find their artistic voice. Students root for each other, and teachers offer guidance, assistance, and emotional support. Many students will say to us: “I found a place where I can be myself,” which forms the basis of our school song (and can be heard at every end of year show).
“My daughter has a second family. She’s really blossomed she really enjoys the technique, she loves learning, she loves the camaraderie”
Maryanne Hogarth, PTW Parent