Top Summer Camps Or Workshops For Teens In Philadelphia

For teens searching for a new challenge, summer camps or workshops might be just the ticket. Identify a teenager's hobby or passion, and there's likely a program for it in the Philadelphia area. From theater and comedy camps to technology and fashion camps, the City of Brotherly Love has it all. These are the top camps and workshops in Philadelphia that are guaranteed to provide your adolescent adventurers with a summer full of enjoyment, entertainment and enrichment.

Camp Walnut
Walnut Street Theatre
825 Walnut St.
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 574-3550, ext. 510
www.walnutstreettheatre.org

The Walnut Theatre not only has the distinction of being America's oldest theater but also houses Camp Walnut, Philadelphia's most respected theater day camp. Teen thespians ages 12 to 18 can sign up for a beginner or advanced experience, exploring everything from improvisation and vocal technique to stage movement and audition coaching. The camp's four intense weeks of classes are held in July and culminate in end-of-camp performances the first week of August. Your potential Oscar nominees will want to register early, as space is limited.

Crash Course in Comedy 2013
MacGuffin Theatre & Film Company

2030 Sansom St., 2nd Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19103

(215) 922-1141
www.macguffintf.com

Teens with dreams of becoming the next Dane Cook or Tina Fey may register for MacGuffin Theatre and Film Company's Crash Course in Comedy 2013. The one-week workshop takes place from June 17 to 21 and provides concentrated training in sketch comedy and improvisation for funny people ages 12 to 18. Future comics perform sketches from "Monty Python," "Saturday Night Live" and "Whose Line is it Anyway?" The day camp program culminates with a hilarious student performance at the Adrianne Theater in Rittenhouse Square.

Cherry Hill School of Rock

1990 Route 70 E.
Cherry Hill, NJ 08003

(856) 874-0441
www.cherryhill.schoolofrock.com

Cherry Hill School of Rock offers hot fun in the summertime for rock star wannabes. The day camp offers a two-week recording and songwriting session in July where teens learn how to record, produce and perform in a state-of-the-art recording studio. Two one-week rock 'n roll performance sessions are held in August. Students participate in private music lessons, band rehearsals and learn musicianship, harmonies and how to perform on stage like a true rocker.

Related: Top Spots For Guitar Lessons In Philadelphia

ID Tech Camps
Villanova University
800 E. Lancaster Ave.
Villanova, PA 19087
(888) 709-8324

www.internaldrive.com

Teenage techies ages 13 to 18 may choose from two two-week-long summer sleepover programs offered at ID Tech Camps. For your would-be Bill Gates, the pre-college programming academy immerses teens in the fascinating world of computer science and development. The gaming academy features intense training in the creation, programming and development of video games. Both programs include housing at Villanova University, three meals a day and 24/7 supervision.

The Handwork Studio Fashion Boot Camp

Rosemont College
1400 Montgomery Ave.

Rosemont, PA 19010

(610) 660-9600
www.thehandworkstudio.com

Winner of the 2008 Parent's Picks for "Best Artsy Class for Big Kids in Philadelphia," Fashion Boot Camp is well known in the needle arts and fashion community. The Handwork Studio offers three three-week-long day camp sessions in June and July. With classes in sketching, draping, sewing and modeling, aspiring fashion designers ages 12 to 16 learn how to execute their own collections. Field trips to Philadelphia's Fashion Row and the Fashion District in Manhattan help get the juices flowing. As an added bonus, students not only get to show off their creations at an end-of-camp fashion show but also will model them during Philadelphia Fashion Week in the fall.

Related: Fashion Boot Camp 101 For Teens

Susan DeFeo has been a professional writer since 1997. She served as a community events columnist for New Jersey's "Cape May County Herald" for more than a decade. A writer for numerous online publications, Susan has covered health, fitness, beauty and travel, all subjects that are near and dear to her as a married mother of seven children. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.