The Carson Academy is a globally recognized, award-winning Irish dance academy with its roots in Northern  Ireland. In April 2026, The Carson Academy expanded to the United States, announcing its first U.S. location in Naples under the direction of D’Anna Maki TCRG. Classes are offered at every level, from beginner through elite competitor. Naples School of Irish Dance is proud to support The Carson Academy’s mission by providing community outreach and broader access to Irish dance training, supporting competitive dance and offering performance-based training with events across the Southwest Florida region.

Dynamic Dance Factory studio (formerly known as Backstage Dance Academy) is more than just a place to learn dance. It is a dancers home where dynamic movement and the freedom of expression flourish. We strive to foster a community rooted in passion, and friendships, that upholds high standards.

With a unique blend of a commercial feel and a welcoming atmosphere, we offer an open environment that is a home where dancers of all levels can continuously grow and tap into their unlimited potential.

We curate an inspiring and supportive space that evolves with our dancers and their aspirations, allowing our dancers to thrive and grow.

Our studio offers dynamic training that emphasizes strong technique and the energy of movement, focusing on the texture and storytelling that bring chills to every performance.

We cultivate well-rounded dancers in various styles, aiming to build athletic artists who move with purpose and expression.

Efficiency is at the core of our training, ensuring that every movement is executed with precision and effectiveness.

Bridging the age gap between dancers connects new talents with experienced ones to foster a strong, supportive community.

Our innovative training methods inspire a lifelong passion for dance and movement.

Florida Repertory Theatre in Fort Myers offers a range of high-quality theater education programs designed for children and teens who want to explore acting and performance. Through its education department, students can take part in acting classes, musical theater training, and seasonal workshops that focus on voice, movement, character development, and stage presence. The theater also hosts popular summer camps and school break programs where young performers rehearse and present age-appropriate productions in a professional setting. With instruction from experienced teaching artists and working theater professionals, Florida Repertory Theatre gives students the opportunity to build confidence, develop performance skills, and experience the collaborative process of live theater.

Cultural Park Theatre Company in Cape Coral offers year-round performing arts education for children and teens interested in theater. Programs include acting, musical theatre, dance, and technical theatre classes for ages 5–17, with a focus on building confidence, stage presence, and collaboration. During school breaks and summer, students can participate in production-based camps where they rehearse and perform junior versions of popular musicals such as Annie Jr. and Seussical KIDS. Teens also have opportunities to learn behind-the-scenes skills in lighting, sound, and stage management, giving young performers a well-rounded introduction to both the performance and production sides of live theater.

Young artists can explore their creativity year-round at Naples Art Institute through a variety of hands-on art programs for children and teens. The institute offers multi-week classes in drawing, painting, clay, illustration, mixed media, and other visual arts, along with homeschool art programs, teen workshops, and its popular ARTScool summer camp. Campers and students develop artistic skills while experimenting with different materials and techniques in a supportive environment that encourages imagination, self-expression, and creative confidence. Need-based tuition assistance is also available to help make programs accessible to local families.

We encourage positive role modeling and individual expression and nurture children ages 7-16 in intellectual, artistic, and personal development through performing opportunities and extraordinary theater experiences. Children learn the fundamentals of acting, stage presence, and working alongside their peers. These lifelong skills not only apply to the theater, but to public speaking, critical and creative thinking, self-esteem, and leadership development.

Rehearsals and performances are held at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Naples.

Broadway Palm in Fort Myers has been entertaining over 170,000 guests annually since 1993. The professional theater company boasts a 382-seat dinner theater, an 86-seat black box theater, meeting rooms, a gift shop, lobby bar, and art gallery. Each year, the theater produces eight main stage Broadway musicals, five smaller-scale musical revues and comedies, four children’s productions, and a concert series.

Children are sometimes cast in productions, and auditions are announced on a show-by-show basis as needed.

Families will find year-round opportunities for young artists at Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers. The nonprofit arts center offers hands-on visual arts classes, theater programs, and creative workshops for children and teens, along with popular school break and summer camps for ages 3–17. Kids can explore painting, drawing, sculpture, mixed media, and other artistic techniques, while aspiring performers can build skills in acting, singing, dancing, and technical theater through immersive camps and productions. Programs are designed to encourage creativity, confidence, and self-expression in a welcoming environment where young artists can learn, create, and showcase their talents.

TNP Academy offers a wide range of classes for adults and students of every age and ability. Our programs run throughout the year and include weekend workshops, multi-week classes, summer camps, inclusive programs, and full-scale productions that give students the chance to apply what they learn in a real performance setting. We are also home to Southwest Florida’s only full-time performing arts middle and high school, the Baker Day School, which provides an immersive academic and artistic experience for young people who want a deeper level of training. In addition, The Academy features the region’s only dedicated educational theater, the Tanya & Denny Glass Educational Theater (Learn More), which gives students a professional environment to grow their skills onstage and behind the scenes.

Our classes help students build confidence, spark creativity, and strengthen their communication skills. Along the way, they receive focused instruction in acting, voice, movement, improv, musical theater, technical theater, and other core areas that shape well-rounded performers and thoughtful artists. Whether someone is stepping into a class for the first time or looking to take the next step in their training, The Academy offers a supportive, joyful space where learning feels exciting and growth feels possible. It is a place where discipline and discovery come together, and where every person can explore their potential through the power of theatre.

Thanks to a generous donation from the Brooks and Joan Fortune Family Foundation, The Naples Players offers needs-based scholarships for students interested in TNPA’s after-school education classes.Academy

Pre-professional training through theater productions, classes, and summer camps gives students the opportunity to grow as performers and as people. Our programs are built to improve performance skills, build confidence, encourage self-expression, and inspire artistic growth. Whether you’re an experienced performer or you’ve never set foot on stage, Gulfshore Playhouse Education will prepare you for every stage in life.

Each season, we offer a range of theater classes, camps, and performance opportunities for students at every stage. Thanks to donor support, we are able to offer financial aid for many of our programs through Kizzie’s Kids Scholarship Fund.

Marco Island Dance Academy offers classes for ages 3 months and older. Our goal is to enrich our beautiful island life by bringing the joy of movement and dance to the island. We offer a variety of dance styles such as ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, cheer dance, aerial, acro, and musical theater and Mommy and Me classes. Our two beautiful studios have top of the line equipment and flooring used by advanced professional studios.

Dance Arts by Maria teaches a love and appreciation for the art of dance to all ages and levels of students. Dancers between the ages of 2-18 can learn ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, and lyrical. Mommy and Me and Toddler Tumble classes also provided. In addition to recreational classes, the studio offers multiple performance team opportunities and an award-winning competitive team. The studio participates in charitable events throughout Naples, so keep an eye out for our dancers.

Collier County Parks & Recreation offers a wide range of arts opportunities for children through its camps, after-school programs, and seasonal enrichment activities. Kids can participate in creative programming that includes dance, theater, music, visual arts, and crafts, often woven into broader camp experiences designed to build confidence, teamwork, and self-expression. These programs are available across multiple community parks and recreation centers throughout Collier County.

In addition to general recreation camps, the department provides structured arts-focused and cultural enrichment options as well as inclusive programming for children with special needs. Many activities are offered during summer camp sessions and school-break programs, giving children ongoing access to performance, creative exploration, and hands-on artistic learning in a safe, supervised environment.

NPAC provides arts education through a School of Dance, School of Drama, and School of Music. Its mission is to foster creativity, build self-esteem, develop a love for the arts, and equip students with life skills, while ensuring access for all students regardless of ethnicity, intellectual ability, or financial status.

NPAC also runs a year-round “I’m a Star” program for students with special needs, offering music theory, vocal and acting classes, and specially designed choreography to help students with intellectual challenges perform and “shine on the stage.” In addition, NPAC partners with local schools to fill gaps left by reduced arts programming, including outreach in Immokalee where students were trained in auditioning and 20 gifted students received opportunities to study at NPAC, with 100% scholarships and transportation provided twice weekly.

Arts Bonita’s youth classes are designed to ignite young imaginations by offering an immersive journey through visual arts, dance, drama, and digital media. Whether your child dreams in color, choreographs their own moves, writes their own lines, or envisions entire worlds through a lens, our camps introduce budding artists to a full spectrum of artistic disciplines—helping them discover their true passions and unique creative voices.

Arts Bonita offers a wide range of opportunities for the youth in SWFL—from painting and sculpture to hip-hop dance, improv, vocal performance, and on-stage acting. Our hands-on, project-based classes are led by inspiring instructors who mentor each child with care and intention.

We are the home for the creative thinkers—the kids who color outside the lines, build castles from cardboard, crush sidewalk chalk to make their own paint, and can’t resist turning up the music and dancing like no one’s watching. We embrace the ones who are always “on stage,” narrating their world through movement, sound, and color.

At Arts Bonita, we don’t just teach art—we nurture the spirit behind it. With the right tools, space, and encouragement, we help children unlock their imaginations, build confidence, and grow in a community that celebrates their artistic spark. Arts for All isn’t just our mission—it’s a promise.

Artis—Naples is dedicated to making the arts a part of every local child’s life. With family-friendly concerts, youth music ensembles, field trips, classroom art-making, ArtSmart summer camp, and more, our thriving student education and enrichment programs are central to our organizational mission. For advanced student musicians, the Naples Philharmonic provides youth ensembles: orchestra, jazz orchestra, symphonia, and chorus.

From schooltime performances to hands-on art making in the classroom, Artis—Naples serves more than 45,000 young people in Lee and Collier counties each year. And with more than 150 lectures, film screenings, moderated discussions and hands-on workshops on the Kimberly K. Querrey and Louis A. Simpson Cultural Campus, the Lifelong Learning programs here bring the discovery of the arts to learners of any age. Intimate demonstrations with Naples Philharmonic musicians and engaging art programs at The Baker Museum make Artis—Naples Education and Family Programs as entertaining as they are enlightening.

Players Circle Studio is a year-round theatrical institute dedicated to arts education for all ages and levels of experience, including customizable master classes and live full-scale performance opportunities for working professionals, pre-professionals, and aspiring stars of tomorrow.

Players Circle Theater has a three-fold mission: To create a home for a variety of theater employing an ensemble of professionals; to become an outlet for community involvement in the arts; and to enrich, educate and entertain our community with classes and performances. We intend to fulfill that mission as a nonprofit organization that operates in a fiscally responsible manner and keeps its programming accessible to all.