Rise Musical Theatre
Fall 2026 Offerings
Cabaret Musical Theatre Classes
RISE Cabaret is our flagship musical theatre performance program designed for students who are passionate about singing, acting, dancing, and storytelling.
Students receive training in voice, acting, and dance while developing confidence, stage presence, musicality, and ensemble performance skills. Each semester culminates in a fully staged cabaret-style showcase featuring songs, scenes, and choreography inspired by some of Broadway’s most beloved productions.
Cabaret is perfect for performers looking to strengthen their skills, gain performance experience, and continue growing as musical theatre artists.
RISE Cabaret Group | Class Day & Time | Dates | Class Link |
Foundation: Ages 7-9 | Wednesdays @ 4pm-5:30pm | August 19 - November 7 | |
Foundation: Ages 7-9 | Saturdays @ 10am-11:30am | August 22 - November 7 | |
Emerging: Ages 10-14+ | Saturdays @ 11:30am-1pm | August 22 - November 7 |
Rise Musical Theatre
Mini Play Series & Acting Workshops
Build confidence, creativity, and performance skills through acting!
Our theatre classes for ages 7+ introduce students to the fundamentals of acting, storytelling, character development, stage presence, and performance technique in a fun and supportive environment.
Whether students are stepping on stage for the first time or looking to continue growing as performers, each session provides exciting opportunities to develop theatrical skills while working toward a final performance.
Offerings include:
- Mini Play Series – Performance-based acting classes culminating in a short play for ages 7-12
- Acting Workshops – Scene study, character development, and performance training through age-appropriate scripts and theatrical material for Middle School & High School students
Click below to explore this semester’s class offerings
Imagine & Play Theatre Class
Let your child’s imagination take center stage!
Imagine & Play is a joyful, high-energy theatre experience designed for young performers ages 5-6. Through dramatic play, storytelling, movement, music, crafts, and creative exploration, students build confidence, communication skills, creativity, and teamwork while discovering the joy of theatre.
Each session features an exciting theme inspired by beloved stories and characters, creating a magical environment where children can explore, create, pretend, and perform. Perfect for young learners who love to move, imagine, sing, create, and play.
Click below to learn more about this season’s Imagine & Play adventures!
Broadway Beats: Tap for Musical Theatre
Broadway Beats introduces students to the exciting world of tap dance through the lens of musical theatre performance.
Students develop coordination, rhythm, musicality, and stage presence while learning tap technique and choreography inspired by Broadway productions. Through progressive skill development, performers learn how tap dance enhances storytelling, character, and performance while building confidence as dancers and musical theatre artists.
The program is offered in two levels:
- Broadway Beats I – Designed for students who are new to tap dance or still developing foundational tap skills.
- Broadway Beats II – Designed for students who have prior tap experience and are ready for more challenging rhythms, combinations, and choreography.
Broadway Beats is an excellent complement to any musical theatre training program and is highly recommended for students interested in future productions, auditions, and musical theatre performance opportunities.
Jingle Jury Christmas Play
Order in the court! The Candy Cane Courthouse is now in session, and Christmas spirit is on trial!
When young Jim Dandy boldly declares that Christmas is “a lot of nonsense,” a colorful cast of holiday characters steps forward to prove him wrong. Along the way, audiences will meet reindeer-in-training, Christmas angels, wise men, holiday shoppers, beloved storybook characters, and even Santa Claus himself.
Filled with humor, heart, festive music, and familiar Christmas carols, Jingle Jury is a joyful holiday production that celebrates kindness, generosity, and the true spirit of the season. With plenty of memorable characters and opportunities for every performer to shine, this charming Christmas show is sure to delight audiences of all ages.
Will Jim Dandy discover the magic of Christmas before the verdict is announced? You’ll have to join us in the Candy Cane Courthouse to find out!
Private Acting Lessons
Private acting lessons provide personalized one-on-one instruction for students seeking focused training and accelerated growth.
Lessons are tailored to each student’s goals and may focus on acting technique, audition preparation, monologues, scene work, character development, and performance skills.
Private lessons are available with Theatre Director Shenyse Harris and Assistant Theatre Director Emmy Harkay.
RISE Musical Theatre Company
RISE Theatre Company is our audition-based musical theatre training program for students seeking a more immersive and intensive theatrical experience.
Company members receive focused training in musical theatre dance, voice, music, and acting while participating in exclusive workshops, intensives, performance opportunities, and enrichment experiences designed to accelerate artistic growth.
The program is structured into three levels:
- RTC I (Ages 7-9)
- RTC II (Ages 10-12)
- RTC III (Ages 13-17)
Admission is by audition and placement.
Our Instructors
Shenyse LeAnna Harris
Shenyse LeAnna Harris is the Director of Theatre at RISE. She is a Houston, New York-based actress, acting coach, and producer. She holds a master’s degree in Acting from Brown University and has been working professionally in New York, and Atlanta since 2018. Shenyse’s acting journey began in Alief ISD. There she learned how vital it is to have art education and equity in black and brown communities. This ignited her passion/mission for theatre education, talent cultivation, and the creation of SLProductions LLC; a multifaceted production company that serves its community through the ministry of theater, film/television, and arts education.
Some of her credits include CBS Blue Bloods, Verizon, Dallas Theatre Center, Trinity Repertory, Virginia Stage Company. Shenyse is very excited to work with the RISE family and is excited to see what we can create together as a community.
Emmy Carys Harkay
Emmy is the Assistant Director of Theatre at RISE. After discovering her love for performing at a very young age, Emmy started performing in fully produced musicals at 9 years old with various theaters all over Houston and started in pre-professional training at Theatre Under the Stars soon after. For the majority of her high school years, Emmy committed full-time to her musical theatre training and completed academic schooling through a homeschool Dual Credit program, obtaining her Associate’s of Arts degree at 17 years old. She then went on to pursue and obtain her BFA in Musical Theatre at Sam Houston State University.
Over the years, Emmy developed an appreciation and passion for directing and teaching, leading her down a path of passing her training and experiences on to the next generation of talent. She is so thrilled that this path led her to the RISE family and is so excited to continue making magic onstage!
Teaching Methodology
We offer introductory Musical Theatre classes for beginners that teach the foundations of Musical Theatre and beginner terminology. We also offer production classes that give students valuable experience performing on the stage.
Additionally, RISE offers various levels of Acting classes from beginner-level to advanced for students looking to learn practical skills that can immediately improve their performance techniques.