Pahrump Theatre Company launches youth camp for student-made shows

Pahrump families looking for summer arts options face a simple question: who can afford the chance to put a child on stage for $100 a week? Pahrump Theatre Company’s Youth Theatre Camp is built around original productions created by students, but the fee means access will depend on whether parents can cover the cost and fit the schedule into an already short summer.

The camp is split by age group. Students entering third through fifth grade will attend June 8-12 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., then present a public performance June 13 at 5 p.m. Middle school campers will meet June 15-19 and perform June 20 at 5 p.m. High school students will follow June 22-26, with a June 27 performance at 5 p.m. An advanced week is set for July 6-10, ending with a July 11 show at 5 p.m.

The company says the program is designed to go well beyond memorizing lines. Campers will help build the show from the ground up, working on story development, characters, props, costumes and staging. Pahrump Theatre Company says the goal is to build creativity, confidence, teamwork and performance skills while teaching young performers how theater works behind the scenes.

That structure matters in Nye County, where youth arts opportunities can be limited once the school year ends. The camp gives students a chance to move from rehearsal to finished production in one week, but it also creates an obvious barrier for families with multiple children or for students who want to attend more than one session. At $100 per week, the program is affordable for some households and out of reach for others.

The camp also fits into a larger local arts push. Pahrump Theatre Company says it wants to become a premier theatrical and entertainment hub in Pahrump, and its mission includes inspiring youth and engaging the community with modern works, new plays and classic performances. The company’s youth programming is tied to the Pahrump Visual-Performing Arts Council, a nonprofit focused on fostering arts in the community.

The group has been building that footprint for years. After finding a permanent home in 2025 and planning to shape it into a black-box theater, the company has continued staging productions such as Macbeth and R.U.R. The youth camp now adds another layer to that effort, giving Pahrump students a place in the town’s growing theater scene from first idea to final curtain call.