Frequently
Asked
Questions
Here are some questions frequently asked by prospective cast and crew members. Should you still have questions after reviewing this list, please Contact Us.
Session 1- Musical Theatre Production and SSTI Tech (Hilton Head Campus)
June 8- Cast and Crew Check-in Day
June 26- Opening Night
July 5- Closing Matinee Performance/ Cast and Crew Check-Out
Session 2- Musical Theatre Production and SSTI Tech (Hilton Head Campus)
July 8- Cast and Crew Check-in Day (yes, mid-week for 2026)
July 25- Opening Night (yep, also a Saturday night for 2026)
August 2- Closing Matinee Performance/ Cast and Crew Check-Out
SSTI Tech: On Deck - Weeklong Tech Program (Hilton Head Campus)
July 20- Check-in Day
July 25- Check-out mid afternoon
SSTI Essentials:
Join us for the Essentials track at 2026's College Audition Edge! ⬇️
College Audition Edge (NYC Campus):
June 12- Student Check-in Day (Afternoon)
June 17- Final Day of Program/Checkout
June 18- Optional Pre-Screen Day
For SSTI Musical Theatre and SSTI Tech: current 8th-12th graders are eligible.
For SSTI Tech: On Deck, the scope of work is varied and allows for more customization than our month-long program. Therefore, it's not firmly a 'beginner's course' and we've had successes that range from rising freshman to rising college students. Eligibility remains current 8th through 12th.
SSTI's programs are designed to replicate the standards of a working regional professional theatre. Our students all want to pursue musical theatre and technical theatre for a career and are actively invested in the appropriate steps to make that a reality. SSTI's high school programs are not the right fit for a student who simply enjoys doing musicals, or wants to try something new.
With only 25 students in each musical theatre session, we can insure that all ages are represented in the acceptance pool. We have so many of our alums who start with us as 9th graders and attend every summer. We also have students who only attend the summer before their senior year, to get that jump on the college audition prep.
When we move into the masterclass week, it takes a different meaning for each age group. Working with a professor from the nation's top university, might be intimidating and eye opening for a rising freshman. For a rising Junior, it's immediate and exactly what they're seeking. For the recently graduated senior, it's an opportunity to be coached on technique or acting by one of the greatest teachers in the indusrty. There is value for all ages.
2026 Deadlines
January 9, 2026- Early Admissions* deadline
March 2, 2026- Regular Admissions deadline
Limited spaces sometime remain after deadlines. Our website home page will be updated with a popup indicating the remaining spaces in real-time, when they are available.
*Early Admission: Similar to the college experience, some students know that their only plan for summer is SSTI. These students are ideal candidates for our Early Admission program. Students applying early decision are committing their summer to SSTI and paying full tuition by late January. They also face a smaller field of competition than students applying regular decision. Early admission applicants may also be waitlisted until the regular admission deadline.
Our resident life experience at SSTI is unrivaled by any experience in our industry. The students (technical and performers) are housed in four bedroom, two bathroom apartments on a college campus. In their homes, students work with our resident assistant staff to take on the responsibility and accountibilty required for 'living on their own'. While we encourage a 'graduated independence', there are always staffers on duty to help our youngest students feel at home, and learn the 'ins and outs' of self-accountability. Students will be transported daily by our staff in shuttle vans. SSTI Junior is a day program only.
The health and wellbeing of your child is the utmost priority for the staff at SSTI. As we strive to fulfill our mission of training 'professionals on-stage and off', our residential staff works to teach the students about healthy eating during their time at SSTI. Each home will be placed on a meal plan, receiving weekly (or twice weekly) grocery deliveries. This delivery contains healthy options for a fresh breakfast and materials for the students to pack their daily lunch. The staff works with the students to be sure that they are awake each morning, that their breakfast is prepared and that their lunch is packed. In the evenings, the SSTI Chef brings a hot meal to the homes for the staff and students to enjoy nightly.
The students also take a weekly trip to the grocery store, where they can purchase any special snacks or items not on the meal plan.
Special diets: SSTI does its best to accommodate special diets. There will be a designated vegetarian diet option offered at all meals. Students that are gluten-free, extremely picky eaters, or dedicated junk food fans are encouraged to bring extra spending money for the grocery trips as those dietary restrictions are not accommodated by our meal plan. Students may also pack their favorite snacks.
Tuition for Summer 2026 has been set and all programs include a private bedroom and board, unless otherwise noted.
SSTI Four Week Musical Theatre Session: $7375
SSTI Four Week Technical Theatre Session: $6975
SSTI Tech: On Deck: $1575
At the bottom of each program's info page you'll find more details, dates, and tuition breakdowns for all our programs.
The diverse faculty at SSTI travels from all of the country every summer to help train the next generation of performers attending our programs. We interview, background check and reference check to not only insure that we have the finest of talents on our faculty, but also the highest quality role models to work with our developing performers. Our faculty's training ranges from top BFA Musical Theatre Programs to Doctorate Graduates in their field, all with impressive bodies of work on their resumes. Many of SSTI's faculty members return annually to nurture and support the students in our boutique program.
Our guest artist staff annually includes Tony-winning and Tony-Nominated stars of the Broadway stage who bring their talents and generosity to the students in the small sessions at SSTI. Beyond our Broadway guests, SSTI's guest artist roster includes specific coaches and professors from top collegiate musical theatre programs who annually return to SSTI because of the immense talent pool and passion found amongst our student body.
SSTI is a completely tuition funded program with no outside grants or sponsors for our operating budget. With our unrivaled staff, guest artists, and extremely high production costs, SSTI is unable to offer a broad scholarship program.
However, the SSTI family is a broad network of alumni who believe in our work and the life changing experience we provide. These families sometimes offer to sponsor a student who has the passion, drive, and talent, but lacks the financial resources to attend a summer training program. We generally receive 4-6 of these commitments per year, and students can see the need-based qualifications for these sponsorships in the GetAcceptd application process.