Youth Theatre at the U

All summer sessions have a mini-orientation on the first day of class. Parents do not typically attend. Students will be divided into their groups ( we call them "companies") based on their ages and their course of study (Creative Drama, Musical Theatre or Acting). They will receive a name tag, take part in a warm-up, take a brief tour of the facilities, and then proceed with the regular daily activities. Preteens and Teens will receive a detailed schedule of their classes as well.

No school on July 25th in observance of Pioneer Day.

Drop Off Video

Drop Off

Our Drop Off and Pick Up Location is the Pioneer Memorial Theatre Parking Lot (see map below). Staff members will greet you and students will sign in for the day.

Sign-Out

• All students must sign-out at the end of the day. Students who are 4th grade and up are allowed to sign themselves out. If you would NOT like your student to sign themselves out and would prefer to pick them up from an instructor, please let us know. These students will be kept with a company leader until an authorized person signs them out.

Early Pick-Up

• Please call the office at 801-581-6098 if you plan to be more than 30 minutes late or if you will be absent. We complete our attendance between 9:45 am and 10 am and will call or email you if we haven't seen your child in class.  Multiple absences may require us to recast the student.
• Please call us if your student(s) needs to check out early.  We will coordinate with you to have them ready for pick up or drop off with a staff member at the PTC parking lot. Please do not pick them up early without communicating with us. Faculty members are not authorized to release students from class unless it's been arranged with the office.

Late Pick-Up

• For all children not picked up by the end of the program hours, the following late policy will be in effect:
  • First 5 minutes: Grace Period
  • Each 5 minutes thereafter: $5.00 per child
• If you are running late, please notify the office.
• Please be aware that many of our staff members have other jobs, classes, and rehearsals to get to after theatre school.

• Lunch is supervised by faculty.
• Students will be escorted to the Student Union to buy lunch or students can pack a lunch and a snack from home.
• The Student Union Food Court has pizza, subs, salads, burgers,  and other name brand options like Panda Express, Jamba Juice, and Einstein Bros’ Bagels.
  • Important: Due to previous Covid protocols, many (but not all) of the Union options are cashless. Gift cards for Panda Express. Jamba Juice, and Einstein's aren't always accepted at these locations since they are different than normal stores.
• Sack Lunches will not be refrigerated; therefore, we ask that you send lunches that do not contain items that will spoil if not kept cold.
• There are microwaves at the Food Court in case your student has food that need to be heated.  Staff are not responsible for food preparation or pre-heating meals.
• Students may not leave campus during lunch unless a parent has checked them out.

WHAT TO BRING

• Students will need to bring the following items every day to camp to make it the best experience for them.
  • Youth Theatre at the U T-Shirt*
  • Lunch/Snacks
  • A refillable, re-sealable water bottle - students must bring their own water or a bottle to fill, as there is limited access to drinking fountains but most fountains have bottle filling stations.
  • The script (once it has been distributed)
  • Sunglasses or a hat (for outdoor time)
  • Students can bring their cell phones for communicating with parents/caregivers.

WHAT TO WEAR

• All students are required to wear an official Youth Theatre at the U T-Shirt to class every day.
  • * Students are provided two t-shirts on the first day of the session that they will be required to wear throughout the week. They can also wear shirts from previous Youth Theatre Sessions or productions.
• Closed-toe shoes, please. No flip-flops or platform shoes.
• No clothing that exposes undergarments.
• Sunscreen – the students walk from class to class and often eat lunch, play acting game,  and participate in warm-ups outside.

• We use positive guidance techniques in managing behavior. This includes: stating limits positively, giving choices, redirection, using distraction.
• Children will be removed from their group or class if they are hurting themselves or others, or if they indicate that they would benefit from a break from the group.
• Any behavior that interferes with the SAFETY, LEARNING or ENJOYMENT of other attendees will not be tolerated. If there is a discipline problem with your child, you will be notified.
• In the event that behavioral difficulties are deemed irreconcilable, a child may be removed from the summer program. Any refunds will be determined by YTU.

Youth Theatre at the U has a “Zero Tolerance” policy for the possession of alcohol, cigarettes, vapes, drugs and weapons. Possession of these substances/items on the University of Utah campus is strictly prohibited. If a student is caught in possession of any of these items, or comes to class under the influence of an illegal substance, the student’s parents will be called immediately and the student will not be able to complete the session.

• While some staff members are trained in First Aid and CPR, we do not have a medical professional on staff. Students are welcome to carry their medicine on them, but our office is not able to administer medicine of any kind (including prescription and over-the-counter drugs or topical ointments).
• If a student is injured during class, that student must tell their teacher immediately, no matter how minor the injury. First aid will be administered and an accident report will be filed.
• Should the injury require professional medical attention, the YTU staff will attempt to contact the student’s parents immediately. In the case of a medical emergency, if we are unable to contact a parent/guardian or if time does not permit, 911 services will be used. All expenses incurred are the responsibility of the parent/guardian.
• If a student has a specific medical condition that may require emergency attention (diabetes, asthma, allergies), please inform us so that we can be prepared to act quickly, calmly, and accordingly should the need arise.

The University of Utah is committed to the welfare of our students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

Our emergency management program is designed to maximize human safety and survival; to minimize danger; to preserve university property; to restore normal working conditions; and to assure responsive communications within the university community and to our surrounding neighborhoods, the broader Salt Lake City community, and media outlets.

In the event of an emergency, our staff will do their best to alert parents via phone call or email. We will practice the emergency evacuation plan during the orientation on the first day of the session as well.  Below is a map of our Emergency Assembly Points (EAP) in case we must evacuate. Our classes evacuate to the Pioneer Theatre Parking Lot. During lunch, the Emergency Assembly Point changes.

Youth Theatre is not responsible for lost possessions. To prevent loss:

• Please label lunch boxes, water bottles, scripts, and bags.
• Expensive items, like AirPods should be kept with student belongings and labeled.
• Lost and found items may be claimed at the office.
• Unclaimed items will be donated to charitable organizations at the end of the summer.

• All Youth Theatre Lead Teachers have degrees in theatre performance or theatre education. Many are middle school and high school teachers in local school districts.
• Our Teaching Assistants are students in the Department of Theatre who are studying theatre teaching, stage management, and/or performance.
• There is always more than one adult per group.
• All staff and faculty members have background checks that are renewed every three years.
• All staff and faculty members have a Youth Protection training to make sure they understand the Safety of Minors policy.
• Our program goes above the minimum requirements to make sure we provide a safe environment for all youth participating in our program.

If a Youth Theatre staff member has any contact with children outside of camp (babysitting, house sitting, voice lessons, etc.) parents must understand that the staff are doing so as an individual, NOT as Youth Theatre staff members. We are not responsible for protecting staff liability in such relationships with children.

All students are required to complete a series of Waivers (Liability, Sign-Out Authorization, Marketing Disclosure) before they can come to camp. These forms were available to you through the registration process. Please make sure you have completed the waivers before the sessions begin.

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To help keep our students and staff safe, students who are feeling sick must stay home.

If your child is experiencing any of the following symptoms we ask that you please keep them at home:

• • A fever of 100.4°F or higher (any time within the last 24 hours)
  • A new or worsening cough
  • A sore throat
  • Tightness in the chest or difficulty breathing
  • Muscle aches, headache, or chills
  • Change in taste or smell
  • Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea

If your student begins to exhibit any of these signs, they will be taken to the office and you will be contacted immediately and asked to pick up your student as soon as possible.