Enjoy $300 off any session

Where Kids Find Their Voice
YADA® (Youth Academy of Dramatic Arts) has been offering comprehensive theatrical training to youth in Los Angeles for 12 years. Located in the historic Dupree Dance building at W. 3rd St. and Crescent Heights Blvd., YADA offers a safe and exciting environment in which students can learn, grow, and enrich their lives while practicing the skills of theatrical performance.

Classes are delineated based on age (3-17 yrs) and ability (TOTS-Master & Company).  And each class culminates in an unforgettable performance in YADA’s own 99 seat theatre.  This year we have also added Improvisation for kids, to encourage creativity, self confidence and ease any possible anxiety on stage. 

Designers, directors, choreographers, musical directors, stage managers and running crew are all on staff to facilitate the best performance experience for youth in Los Angeles.  Private coaching is also available in voice, acting, and dance.  And for those who wish to work behind the scenes, YADA also offers stagecraft internships. 

The Youth Academy of Dramatic Arts (YADA) is excited to have you as a part of our family. We are pleased to bring you the highest quality theatrical training for youth that Los Angeles has to offer. For the children, we offer spontaneity, enthusias-tic imagination and fun ways to implement personal growth. For the parents, we offer a safe, encouraging, communicative environment for both parent and child. What makes YADA come alive is the unique element that each child brings to the theatre.

YADA was created by co-owners Lani Shipman and Kim Harrigan to encourage children to grow as people as well as performers. YADA instructors are trained and dedicated to providing each student with a sense of emotional maturity and self-confidence, while at the same time giving them a quality theatrical experience. Not only do YADA students learn techniques in dance, voice and acting, they learn the basic tools for life: respect for self and others, commitment to a goal and the courage to try their best. They learn not only to find love for theatre, but also to discover love for themselves.