About YETI
Bluff City Theater’s Youth Education Theater Initiative (YETI) is going into its second year with Roland Meisler at the helm. Roland is an experienced actor, director, and theatrical educator, who has experience acting in theater professionally. Roland also has a lot of experience in directing and teaching theater. Roland could not be more excited to bring more camps, classes, and opportunities, as well as a full-length youth theater production to YETI this summer. We believe that all children benefit from the exercise of creative expression regardless of experience, background, or natural talent. Theater arts help children overcome shyness and fear and encourage collaboration and friendships.
No Child is Turned Away
While it’s true that some children show remarkable ability for acting at an early age and may ultimately choose to pursue theater as a vocation, many others benefit from just experiencing the freedom and joy that comes with play-acting. We try to foster both and inclusion is a key tenet of our programs.
While some of our programs charge fees to offset costs, we are grateful for the support of local agencies who ensure that economic circumstances are no barrier to participation. Each year approximately one-third of our participants receive partial or full-scholarship support.
In particular, we acknowledge the invaluable support of the George Riedel Foundation which has been a bedrock financial supporter of YETI since the beginning.
While we have made every effort to maintain youth programs during the pandemic, not all programs are being offered at this time. Please check this page regularly and monitor our Facebook page for the most up-to-date news.
YETI Theater Camp (Ages 5-9)
Coming in July and August of 2025!
Help your child master their theatrical skills! Whether they are beginner or advanced, no child is turned away.
In this camp, participants ages 5-9 will learn all the basics of theatre, from acting for the stage to voice dynamics and much more! The camp will be built around a 25-minute one-act play, in which all campers who wish to act will be cast. If your camper does not want to act, that is okay! We can provide training in roles such as stage manager, costuming, makeup, design and tech, and more if needed.
Camp Dates: July 21st-August 1st
Drop Off: TBA
Pick Up: TBA
Registration for this Camp Opens Soon!
YETI Theater Camp (Ages 10-12)
Coming in June of 2025!
Help your child master their theatrical skills! Whether they are beginner or advanced, no child is turned away.
In this camp, participants ages 10-12 will learn all the basics of theatre, from acting for the stage to voice dynamics and much more! The camp will be built around a 40-minute one-act play, in which all campers who wish to act will be cast. If your camper does not want to act, that is okay! We can provide training in roles such as stage manager, costuming, makeup, design and tech, & more if needed.
Camp Dates: June 16th-29th
Drop Off: TBA
Pick Up: TBA
Registration for this Camp Opens Soon!
YETI Theater Camp (Ages 13-18)
Coming in June of 2025!
Help your child master their theatrical skills! Whether they are beginner or advanced, no child is turned away.
In this camp, participants ages 13-18 will learn all the basics of theatre, from acting for the stage to voice dynamics and much more! The camp will be built around a one-hour one-act play in which all campers who wish to act will be cast. If your camper does not want to act, that is okay! We can provide training in roles such as stage manager, costuming, makeup, design and tech, and more if needed.
Camp Dates: June 2nd-14th
Drop Off: TBA
Pick Up: TBA
Registration for this Camp Opens Soon!
Musical Theater Camp
This camp is intended to be fun and tailored for everyone from beginners in theater to seasoned artists. This camp will have lessons on choosing audition songs, singing with others, and workshopping cabaret pieces which the campers will perform at the end of camp, at an invited Cabaret for friends and family.
Camp Dates: June 30th-July 12th
Drop Off: TBA
Pick Up: TBA
Registration for this Camp Opens Soon!
Full-Length Summer Show
We are so excited to announce that this summer, YETI will be producing 4 youth theater camps, as well as a full-length show! The show will be announced soon. Please note that this is NOT a camp. This is a full production that will rehearse 4-5 days per week, likely in the early evening. This also means while we would love to cast all of those who audition, the show only has so many roles available. We will likely be casting some ensemble members as understudies or swings depending on availability, amount of auditioners, and more. The show will be performed 3 times throughout one weekend for an open audience, meaning anyone can reserve tickets.
Please also note that we will send out a rehearsal calendar, as well as a daily call the evening before rehearsals letting everyone know who is called for rehearsal. Aside from certain leads, most of those cast may not be needed at every rehearsal, depending on what part of the show we are working on. Most actors can expect to be called on average 3-4 nights per week. If you have any conflicts, we will try to be as flexible as possible, but please include ALL conflicts when you fill out the audition form for the show. Auditions will be held 2-4 weeks before rehearsals start, to give actors time to familiarize themselves with the material. We by no means expect actors to come in fully memorized, but we do expect them to come in familiar, and working daily towards the goal of memorization, so during rehearsals we can work on ensemble building, acting work, and other important elements of the show that we can only do in rehearsal with actors, the director, stage management, etc.
We encourage all to come out and audition, whether they have beginner, intermediate, or advanced experience in theater.
Camp Dates: July 21st-August 17th
Drop Off: TBA
Pick Up: TBA