North End Music & Performing Arts Center

NEMPAC (The North End Music & Performing Arts Center) is a Boston-based nonprofit community music school and professional performing arts center (founded in 2001) that runs year-round music, dance, and theatre programming across multiple Boston neighborhoods. For families looking specifically at summer, NEMPAC’s summer programs are a mix of full-week workshops and a few multi-week intensives, with many options centered on musical theatre, dance/movement, and “try-an-instrument” exploration.

For musical-theatre kids, the headline offering is a 3-week Musical Theatre Troupe (ages 8–14) where students rehearse a fully staged production of High School Musical 2, plus specialty training in voice/music, acting, and dance, culminating in a ticketed performance at the Charlestown Working Theater (three-week commitment: weeks of July 13, July 20, July 27; scheduled 8:30–3:30 Mon–Thu, 9–1 Fri). Younger performers can do weeklong Musical Theatre Workshops (ages 5–9) (also at Charlestown Working Theater) with a shorter production presented for families—campers rotate through singing, choreography, scene staging, and theatre games—and there are multiple themed weeks to choose from (including High School Musical 2, The Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo, James and the Giant Peach, SpongeBob SquarePants). For ages 4–6, NEMPAC offers a one-week Junior Musical Theatre & Dance format that pairs storytelling/acting in the morning with Creative Dance & Movement in the afternoon, with themed weeks like Under the Sea, Take Flight, and Into the Trees.

There are also great “beyond performing” options for kids who want variety: Meet the Instruments (ages 4–6) is a morning program that introduces a different instrument family each day through games/crafts and includes group ukulele time daily. Older kids can explore creative production-making with PlayLab: Create, Produce, Perform (ages 8–12), where students write/compose/produce and present an original short musical with costumes/sound effects and more. And for tweens/teens who want a “Broadway sampler,” there’s Broadway Bootcamp JR (ages 10–14) and a shorter 3-day Broadway Bootcamp (ages 12–16), both built around learning selections from well-known shows and ending with a final showcase.

NEMPAC also offers vacation week programs—weeklong Musical Theatre Workshops (ages 5–9) during school breaks. Their February and April break weeks follow the same kid-friendly structure (act/sing/dance + theatre games + a short production shared with families), with themed stories like “Rapunzel and the Magic Makers” (February) and “Peter Pan’s Neverland Games” (April 20–24).

School Break Camps
February and April breaks, for example

‍Summer Camps
June 23 - August 21, 2026

School Break Camps
$440/week

‍Summer Camps‍

• 3 week Musical Theatre Troupe (Ages 8-14): $1,265/3 weeks
• Musical Theatre Workshops (Ages 5-9): $455/week
• Junior Musical Theatre & Dance Workshops (Ages 4-6): $385 - $485/week
• Meet the Instruments (Ages 4-6): $270/week
• PlayLab: Create, Produce, Perform (Ages 8-12): $235 - $435/week
• Broadway Bootcamp JR (Ages 10-14): $235 - $435/week
• Broadway Bootcamp (Ages 12-16): $235 - $435/week

Financial aid is available, see details here.

School Break Camps‍

Can be registered for online here.

Summer Camps

Can be registered for online here.

857.239.9997

info@nempacboston.org

N/A

What Parents Like‍

• Real skill-building (acting + voice + dance), not just “camp games.” A parent reviewer notes NEMPAC’s programs build theatre skills like improvisation, character development, physicalization, scene work, and vocal techniques, with musical-theatre students getting training in music/voice, acting, and dance plus performance experience. (1)
• NEMPAC shows a 5.0 rating on Wanderlog’s aggregated listing. (2)

‍What Parents Think Could Be Improved‍

• A lot of what you’ll see publicly reinforces the structure of the camps, but doesn’t replace independent parent reviews about logistics, staffing ratios, or behavior support. (3)

‍Our Take

‍NEMPAC looks like a solid bet for families who want a performing-arts camp that actually teaches, especially musical theatre, because the most direct parent review emphasizes skill progression and performance experience. Since the public review pool is thinner than for mega-camps, the most MomBrains move is a quick fit-check before booking: How are kids grouped (age vs experience)? What does a typical day look like (training vs rehearsal vs games)? What support is there for shy/anxious kids?