Poison Apple Play House

My child has been attending workshops at PAP since 2013 when she auditioned for their big summer show, performed at the Lesher Center. Since then we’ve fell in love with PAP. My child since has taken many classes, from Apple Seeds (ages 7 – 12), Apple Teens (ages 11 – 18), Costume Class and Prop Construction. Each class helps her learn more about the whole experience of the theater and gives her new outlook about all aspects of what it takes to create a stage show! She’s been on stage, and she’s worked behind the scenes. The shows performed at the Playhouse are small and intimate. The shows performed at the Lesher are a bit more Grand! The tuition is not very expensive, especially if you compare it to others in the area. Also, they offer evening and weekend classes to accommodate non-​working and working parents. We looked into another local theater co, but all of their classes were right after school, and not accommodating to the working parent, or single parent. PAP has their own on-​site costume shop where volunteers tirelessly create costumes, sometimes from Scratch! They offer costume classes to the kids as well, and the kids can learn how to sew and how to put costumes together. My child learned a lot in this class and loved it! So much so, she took it twice! We’ve had no issues with any of the staff, everyone has been welcoming and comfortable. No bullying allowed, no negativity allowed, the staff is very good about keeping the kids in a positive and safe environment. Lastly, my child has grown emotionally and has matured significantly while participating at Poison Apple. I would recommend this place to everyone I know.

My daughter has been involved with Poison Apple for a little over a year now, is currently in her fourth production, and our family could not be happier with how much she has grown, not only as a performer, but as a young lady as well, thanks to her involvement with Poison Apple. The staff is devoted to providing a welcoming, supportive environment in which children of all ages can learn, while challenging themselves to go beyond what they think can do.
Besides opportunities to perform, Poison Apple offers a variety of classes such as acting, writing, stage combat, technical theater, and stage makeup so if your child isn’t ready to perform or prefers to be behind the scenes, there’s a place for her/​him.
As for the cost of tuition, it is very reasonable. Prior to coming here, my daughter auditioned for another nearby theater and unfortunately we had to decline because they were asking $ 1500 plus volunteer hours.
While Poison Apple expects parents to volunteer, they are flexible and can help you figure out what you can do if you think you have no skills.
My only regret is I didn’t discover Poison Apple sooner!

We saw the current production of «Guys and Dolls» yesterday, put on by Poison Apple Productions at the Lesher Theatre. The actors were all young and filled with exuberance. They obviously were having fun as they participated in stage fights (including a bottle smashed on one actor’s head!), and musical/​dance numbers. They knew their lines, the music, the staging… and had obviously worked on the accents and attitudes of the different characters. It was absolutely charming.

My family absolutely loves Poison Apple! My oldest son (7) has participated and performed in two shows this year. He loves to dance, sing and perform. It is absolutely amazing the quality of performances these little actors are able to pull off at the end. I credit it to the amazing staff and director who truly love working with our kids. I highly recommend this program to any performer, big or small (no experience necessary!)

Just want to add that even though my son has graduated and moved on to college, he still is back this summer working back stage with Poison Apple Productions and taking on a small summer job there. Poison Apple is his home away from home.

Awesome theater playhouse for children and adults. Very fun and nonthreatening performance environment. This is the second season my daughter has performed in and loves it!

Me and the kids watched a performance of The Jungle Book by Poison Apple at Lesher last weekend. I was struck by the youth of some the actors, thinking… *no way my kids would be ready for that*…
Every actor was a joy to watch, and happily greeted fans after the show. (Fondly remembering Shere Kahn, King Louie, and Colonel Hathi mostly and that one tree…)
Well done, cast. You successfully spellbound us, all three, last Saturday.

Poison Apple Productions is pure magic. Both of my kids (ages 4 and 7) take classes here and participate in main stage shows. I simply cannot say enough about the outstanding staff, amazing shows, happy and supportive environment, and overall educational and personal enrichment value of this program. Hands down, this is the gold standard of children’s theater programs.