Studio Playground was formed in July 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The lack of access to critical resources during a period of frequent lockdowns and school closings created significant challenges and stress for children and families. Our initial goal was to provide a source of connection and empowerment for youth in isolation with virtual classes integrating social-emotional learning with movement and physical acting. We connected with students and families all over the country and received positive feedback regarding of the impact of our classes for children’s mood and behavior.

Studio founders, Matthew Bretschneider and Stefanie Resnick, trained together extensively as actors and teachers with master clown teacher and founder of the Pandemonium Studio, Christopher Bayes. Matthew and Stefanie had worked as professional actors in film, theater, and television, adjunct professors for undergraduate theater programs, and educators for children of all ages. As teachers and performers, they were determined to adapt concepts based in clown and physical acting, which are typically included in advanced training programs for professional actors, to create developmentally appropriate curriculum for children of all ages.

In 2021, Studio Playground was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our flagship program, an annual theater camp in Lincoln Woods State Park, provided a unique experience for children in northern Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts as a performing arts program that fostered joy and creativity and occurred in an outdoor setting surrounded by nature.

In 2024, Studio Playground expanded its Board of Directors to include experts in child development, social work, arts administration, and financial planning. Our nonprofit organization currently serves over 500 students annually. Our programs include weekly classes for Island, workshops for adults in Boston and Providence, partnerships with schools, theater companies, and other nonprofit organizations, and after-school programs across Rhode Island.

Studio Playground has received grant awards from the Rhode Island State Council for the Arts (RISCA) and the Rhode Island Foundation to fund our Craft & Create program and our Performing Arts in Libraries (PAL) program in partnership with Community Libraries of Providence (CLPVD). Our organization is dedicated to fostering community and individual growth for children in Northern Rhode Island by using the performing arts to promote acceptance, empowerment & individuality.

To read more about our mission and upcoming programs, please visit: Mission Statement.

To make a donation to our scholarship fund, please visit: Donate to Studio Playground.

Studio Playground fosters individual growth for children in our community using the performing arts to promote empowerment, acceptance & individuality.

We believe all children deserve opportunities for creative enrichments and social-emotional learning benefits derived from arts education programs. Lacking access to programs that build confidence and social awareness divides community members from their resources and deprives children of essential elements for healthy development. Laughter and performing arts entail benefits which promote unity and transcend cultural differences. Studio Playground supports students in their individual growth and inspires audiences to engage in meaningful discourse by enacting our core values: individuality, empowerment, and self-acceptance.

Studio Playground teaches classes for all ages based in clown and physical acting. Students explore the benefits of laughter through movement, performance, and playful improvisation. Our curriculum integrates core concepts for social-emotional learning in the areas of self-awareness, social awareness, and relationship skills. Our programs include weekly classes in Providence, our annual theater camp in Lincoln Woods State Park, partnerships with schools and nonprofit organizations, and after-school programs across Rhode Island.

Professional Development for Actors

Description: Get ready to laugh, sing, and make a beautiful ruckus! Studio Playground classes for actors and performers explore the benefits of laughter through movement, performance, and playful improvisation. This class begins with a warm-up as students get out of their heads and into their bodies. The workshop includes physical acting games and performance projects designed to elicit range and flexibility. Students explore ensemble development, kinesthetic response, audition techniques, self-care, and the benefits of laughter, vulnerability, and play.

Professional Development for Non-Performers

Class Description: Get ready to laugh, sing, and make a beautiful ruckus! Studio Playground classes foster skills for teamwork and communication as participants explore the benefits of laughter through movement and playful improvisation. This workshop begins with a warm-up and includes physical acting games and group projects designed to elicit spontaneity and enthusiasm. Participants explore qualities of movement, learn skills for public speaking, and explore strategies for teamwork.

One-Act Play: Rehease & Perform

Our one-act play process provides a joyful and supportive environment for young actors to rehearse and perform. Throughout rehearsals, students learn skills for scene study, collaboration, and audition techniques. Rehearsal and performance schedules are determined based on the needs of our partners.

Social-Emotional Workshops for Elementary and Middle School

Description: Studio Playground classes explore the benefits of laughter through movement, performance, and playful improvisation. Our social-emotional workshops program is designed to foster individual growth and community for children in the core areas of self-awareness, social awareness, and relationship skills. Students learn strategies for self-regulation, ensemble support, and self-care through games and activities based in movement, improvisation, and physical acting. Workshops explore themes to support teamwork, empathy, communication, and self-care. Our Social-Emotional Workshops are designed to be implemented as school-based programs to support school-wide efforts to promote skills for self-care, self-regulation, social awareness & forming positive relationships.

Creating Characters for Ages 5-10

Class Description: Does your little one like to create stories and characters at home? Let’s give them an opportunity to share their imagination with friends! Join Studio Playground for an acting class that invites students ages 5-7 to create a short play using their original characters. All classes begin with a group warm up and physical acting game as students learn the fundamental concepts of voice, body, and imagination. Students explore elements of improvisation, crafting, and group storytelling to bring their characters to live. Each session culminates in a brief performance for friends and family.

Storytelling & Play for Ages 5-10

Class Description: Let’s laugh, sing, and make a beautiful ruckus! Join Studio Playground for an acting class that empowers students to develop confidence and find their voice within an ensemble. All classes begin with a group warm up and physical acting game as students learn the fundamental concepts of voice, body, and imagination. Students explore elements of song, storytelling, clowning, and performance projects. Let’s find that delightful little sparkle of joy and learn to share it with an audience! Each session culminates in a brief performance for friends and family.

Circus Arts for Ages 5-10

Class Description: This class explores multiple aspects of circus arts, including juggling, clowning, hula-hooping, improv, and tumbling. Students learn skills for teamwork, communication, performance, and self-awareness. Please note that aerial acrobatics will not be used. Studio Playground camps explore the health benefits of laughter through movement, performance, and playful improvisation. Our Circus Arts class concludes with a brief performance for friends and family.

Improv Company for Ages 8-12

Class Description: Join Studio Playground for an acting class that empowers students to be adventurous and find their voice within an ensemble. Students learn foundational concepts for improvisation, teamwork, and collaboration. Classes begin with a group warm-up and physical acting game as students apply the actor’s tools of voice, body, and imagination to engage an audience and tell a story. Each session culminates in a brief performance for friends & family.

Page to Stage for Ages 8-12

Class Description: Modeled after Performing Arts in Libraries (PAL), our Page to Stage class applies skills for performance, scripting, and improvisation as students turn a book into a performance. Students bring the words on the page to life through dramatic storytelling and physical acting. Students will learn teamwork and collaboration as they apply the actor’s tools of voice, body, and imagination to engage an audience and tell a story. Classes begin with a group warm-up and movement game. Each session ends with a performance for friends and family.

Play Creation for Ages 8-12

Class Description: This class combines visual arts and performance letting students experience multiple steps of creating a play. Design elements include crafting, prop making, and painting projects as students work together using improvisation and physical acting to bring their show to life. Students perform in an original play with hands-on projects to create props, costumes, and set pieces. Classes begin with a group warm up and movement-based game. Students explore crafting and learn skills for collaboration and problem solving. Each session ends with a performance for friends and family.

Shakespeare & Play for Ages 8-12

Class Description: This class introduces students to fundamental concepts for acting Shakespeare. Using scenes from Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet, Twelfth Night, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, students explore character development and poetic language while learning skills for collaboration. Each class begins with a warmup, movement, and improvisation game. The session ends with a showcase for friends & family.

Film Project for Ages 8-12

Class Description: In this class, students learn the basics of acting for the camera while building skills for confidence, collaboration, and vocal expression. Each class begins with a vocal warm up and game based in movement and improvisation. Students discover their unique screen presence using physical acting exercises to invent characters, improvise scenes, and create their own short film project. There is an invited screening for friends and family in the last class.

Shakespeare & Physical Acting for Ages 13-17

Class Description: This class introduces actors in middle and high school to concepts for Shakespeare and physical acting. Using scenes and monologues from Shakespeare’s plays, students explore character development, heightened language, and given circumstances while learning skills for collaboration and ensemble development. Each class begins with a vocal warm up and game based in movement and improvisation. Students are assigned material and characters as they work in small groups and receive generous feedback from our teaching artists.

Summer Workshop Series for Ages 13-17

Description: Our summer workshop series provide an opportunity for middle and high school students to explore specific elements of actor training in a series of one-day workshops. Students take a deep dive into monologues, scene study, stage combat, audition techniques, and Shakespeare. Each class includes a vocal and physical warm-up, movement, and theater games. There is an invited showcase for friends and family at the end of each workshop for students to share their work.

Teen Ensemble Class for Ages 13-17

Class Description: This class forms an ensemble for teen actors with weekly classes designed to enhance skills for performance and collaboration. Each 8-week module creates a unique experience, in which students explore audition techniques, contemporary scene study, and monologues. Specialty classes will focus on subjects including Shakespeare, clowning, stage combat, set design, and musical theatre performance. There is a combination of group work and individual instruction as teachers work generously with each student. Students are assigned material and spend time preparing outside of class. Additionally, students are invited to participate in special events, including group trips to see professional theater productions. There is an invited showcase for friends and family at the of each session giving students the opportunity to share their work.

Physical Acting and Audition Techniques for Ages 13-17

This class introduces advanced concepts for audition techniques through movement and physical acting. Class includes a vocal and physical warm-up, games, and performance projects designed to elicit vocal and physical freedom. Physical acting invites students to explore the benefits of laughter through movement, performance, and playful improvisation. In this class, actors learn valuable skills for auditioning and participate in group exercises to build range, flexibility, and self-care.

Summer Camp in Lincoln Woods State Park for Ages 6-12

Camp Description: Studio Playground teaches classes for all ages based in clown and physical acting. Join us for our summer theater camp in Lincoln Woods State Park! Our classes invite students to explore the benefits of laughter through movement, performance, and playful improvisation. Our summer camp embodies the same principles! Students ages 6-12 have a fun-filled week of theater games, arts and crafts, and outdoor activities. Our Create and Perform Program provides hands-on crafting projects as students create costumes and props to bring their original show to life. Each week culminates in an outdoor performance for friends and family. All of this takes place in the picturesque environment of Lincoln Woods State Park in Lincoln, Rhode Island.

Mini Camp in Lincoln Woods for Ages 5-6

Camp Description: Join Studio Playground for our Mini Theater Camp in Lincoln Woods State Park for ages 5-6! Our summer camp embodies the same principles! Studio Playground classes explore the benefits of laughter through performance and playful improvisation. Our Mini Theater Camp in Lincoln Woods State Park introduces children ages 5-6 to performance as they play theater games, enjoy arts and crafts, and learn to collaborate with classmates. Students explore the benefits of laughter through movement and playful improvisation. Each week ends with a brief performance with an exhibition of games and Studio Playground concepts.