Our rehearsal studio and office is located at 45898 Victoria Avenue, Chilliwack
REGISTRATION FOR THE 2025 – 2026 SEASON OPENS MAY 12TH FOR RETURNING STUDENTS AND JUNE 1ST FOR NEW STUDENTS!
Click here to register
SENIOR MUSICAL THEATRE | Ages 14 – 19
$1341 for year, Fridays 4:30-8:00 P.M. Sept 12, 2025 – May 29, 2026
The Senior Musical Theatre program is a performance-based class for students aged 14-19. It expands and develops on the knowledge base from the teachings of the Intermediate Musical Theatre Program, while preparing students for future theatre study, such as CSOPA’s Mainstage Program. The first part of the course will focus on performance technique in acting, singing and dance. Once a strong performance base has been established, students will then rehearse and prepare a small-scale musical theatre production to be performed at the annual CSOPA Spring Festival.
The Senior Musical class will perform in our Spring Festival. Students must be available May 13-23, 2026 for dress rehearsal and 2 performances.
SENIOR DEVISED THEATRE | Ages 14 – 19
$1251 for year, Wednesdays 6:15-9:00PM, September 10, 2025 – May 27, 2026
For our collaborative and creative teen writers. Senior devised will build on the skills developed in Junior/Intermediate Devised and spend a lot of time exploring different theatre practices, performance methods, and more experimental theatre styles. This class explores more complex Ideas and a more in-depth show. This program is designed to expand the vision of what is possible in theatre, to foster a collaborative process in which the whole cast with the support and guidance of their director, develop a show together and decide how they want to perform it. The class will practice scenes and improvs in various styles like commedia dell’arte, viewpoints, and other alternative methods of performance along with the traditional style. This program prepares students for further study in the performing arts, particularly our Senior Stage and Mainstage Programs. The end result is a show performed at CSOPA’s May Spring Festival that has been built from the ground up by the cast and director complete with any necessary props, costumes, set, lights, and sound. Come create something wonderful with other performers and expand your understanding of theatre.
The Senior Devised program will perform in our Spring Festival. Students must be available May 13-23, 2026 for dress rehearsal and 2 performances.
MAINSTAGE’s SPRING TERM | Ages 13 – 19
$330 for term, Mondays 4:00-8:00 P.M. Feb 9, 2026 – May 25, 2026
Calling our teenage theatre enthusiasts! Join the Mainstage cast in their off-season to build your performance skills. This class will do deep dives into developing acting/performance, vocal, and dance skills, all while participating in a small production project. Senior Stage offers an array of weekly classes in Dance stylings, Acting history and text-work, Vocal development, and more! This class is all about exploring how to grow as a performer. During CSOPA’s annual Spring Festival, Spring Term students will work backstage, enabling other classes in the school to show off their amazing shows. Students are given the opportunity for hands-on learning of sound and lighting, moving sets, props, headsets, and makeup and costumes. We believe that understanding all the time and effort that happens behind the curtain is vital to cultivating a deeper respect for all aspects of theatre as an art.
TECHNICIANS IN TRAINING | Ages 14 – 19
$330 for term, Wednesdays 4:00-6:00 P.M. Sept 10, 2025 – May 27, 2026
Ever wondered how live theatre create all those incredible “theatre magic” effects? Wonder no longer, because in Technicians in Training, we offer students a peek behind the curtain into the mechanics of magic. CSOPA’s Technicians in Training class offers the unique, hands on experience of learning backstage technology. Students will be assigned to a production participating in our Spring Festival. Once assigned, each TIT student will be responsible for creating a design element of their designated show, under the guidance and mentorship of industry professional technicians. This includes Set construction and design, Lighting design, Costume design and creation, Prop construction and design, Sound design, and more! The Sept-Jan term will focus on the design and development process for each element. The Feb-May term of class is where students will learn about how to construct and create their designs using their respective technologies, bringing them to life for the stage!
MAINSTAGE | Ages 13 – 19
BY AUDITION ONLY FOR CURRENT STUDENTS
SHOW TERM – $1791 per year, Sept 6, 2025 – Jan 23, 2026, Inquire for schedule Auditions will be held June 20, 2025
SPRING TERM – Price Included in Year Fee, Mondays, 4:00-8:00 P.M. Feb 9, 2026 – May 26, 2026
Lovingly compared as “the rep hockey of youth theatre programs,” by some of our previous students, the MainStage program is a high intensity, pre-professional musical theatre program by audition only. This class is a performance/educational hybrid designed with both Theatre career and life launching skills in mind.
Each year CSOPA mounts a professional musical theatre production giving focus and real life training to our senior students ages 13-19. Prerequisite to auditions, students must have taken a performance-based class at CSOPA within the past year. Students learn all aspects of performing in a professional theatrical production on a full scale stage.
Participants rehearse and prepare the acting, choreography and vocal components of the show for five months with our professional directing team in acting, vocals and dance. They will work with industry professional technicians for lighting, sound, set design, and costumes.
The Mainstage program promotes excellence in performance as well as teaches teamwork, confidence and a commitment to work ethics. Students in Grade 10 to 12 may potentially apply to their high school for credits in performing arts. The students must commit to 12 – 20 hours per week in the fall to rehearsals. Students must be available Mondays and Fridays from 4-8 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. as well as holidays in November, December and January. There are a few days of school in January students must be prepared to miss.
It is also noted that for our high school students, our rehearsal and show schedule often coincides with exam dates. Speaking to your teachers in advance about alternative exam arrangements is crucial.
After a short break, MainStage students return in February to hone their musical theatre skills during the Spring term program. There is a lot to theatre we don’t always get the chance to teach about during our busy 5 mainstage months. Spring Term focuses on in-depth skill building in Dance stylings, Acting history and textwork, Vocal Development, and more! (More information about Spring Term can be found above).
Our Mainstage productions have a reputation of excellence in theatre. In 2024, CSOPA’s annual Mainstage production ran for 15 public performances at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre (a 575 seat theatre) and over 5,875 people attended the performances. Over 50 community volunteers, parents and work experience students provide the work force to build the set, props, costumes and work the show as crew.
The Mainstage program has a 10 show run spanning January 5-20, 2026. Students MUST be available every day within these dates for dress rehearsals and shows. The program fees include all costumes, script, music and a show t-shirt. Students will need to purchase specific undergarments, their own basic stage makeup kit and dance slippers or dance shoes.
THEATRE PRODUCTION FOR YOUNG ADULTS | Ages 18 – 24
$450 per year
TERM 1 | Saturdays, 6:30-8:30 P.M. Sept 13, 2025 – Dec 20, 2025
TERM 2 | Saturdays, 12:00-4:00 P.M. February 14, 2026 – July 2026
CSOPA’s first adult only class, TYA is designed to meet the needs of those students who want to explore design opportunities and show building, as well as those wanting to try something new. This class focuses on both technical theatre design and performance. In December class members will choose backstage skills they wish to learn and in January they will physically learn those skills backstage on our full-scale Mainstage production. Students will not pay for January, as their work backstage will be serving the studio and the show. From February to April the class will build their own show and perform it at CSOPA’s Spring Festival as well as have the option to perform at the Harrison Festival of the Arts in July. Students will be responsible for all design elements of their production including set, lights, costumes, props, and stage management as well as advertising and publicity. This course deals with mature subject matter!