A great space for budding theater arts kids, the space is wonderful and like the real deal. It's a sweet experience and one I'd recommend to anyone who wants a truly amateur production. Excellent for family members of the actors and stage crew, as well as younger ones that are new to the theater. It's a great space in which to learn theater etiquette, to watch a show, to dream. Parking available in the lot just outside the strip-mall-like building. No food/snacks allowed inside the theater; bottled water is okay. For the kids, by the kids. read more

Studio East - Performing Arts Near Me - Kirkland, Washington

Picture this. My daughters are in one of Studio East's program at her school and we get a much needed extension to the early release for Wednesday. The drama program for my kids is also nice. When Studio East started at Somerset they offered enrollment and we raced to get in on time. Anyone who has tried to get their kid into an after-school activity knows that it is the Thunderdome.... If the Thunderdome were waking up super early and refreshing a page over and over in the hopes that you beat all the other parents in entering your kid's information on time. My Mavis Teaches Typing powers must have been on point that morning. But when you do that race once, you don't have to do it over and over again. This is because they are supposed to offer priority registration to existing students so that they can have something resembling a continuity to their experience. Pretty important. But instead of that they just offered open enrollment again. It was a mistake. Their exact words were, "we didn't think it would be so popular, sorry" That's not smart, but I would never leave a 1-star review because of a mistake. I leave 1-star reviews when the mistake is brought to their attention and they not only don't fix it, but they say that they will do priority registration in the future. This means they have now made it COMPLETELY IMPOSSIBLE for my daughter to ever be part of the after-school camp in the future. If they fix this then I would remove this review. This is a very binary failure. --- They fixed it by adding a teacher. YAY to the company!!! read more

Proof you don't have to be wealthy to see quality live theater. I recently saw the Kirkland-based Studio East's StoryBook Theater presentation of The Three Pigs at the Renton Carco Theatre. It was entertaining for young and old, the actors were on-point and well-cast, and the accompanying live music and SFX fit perfectly with the action. Plus, it was less than $10 a ticket, so you can bring the whole family at those prices and afford to grab dinner afterwards. Studio East's website has information about the StoryBook Theater and their other activities. http://www.studio-east.org/ read more

Studio East - The Three Pigs - Performing Arts Near Me - Kirkland, Washington

Second home!! So loving and supportive I am about to begin my fifth play with Studio East!! read more

Studio East - 'Twas The Night 2017 - Performing Arts Near Me - Kirkland, Washington

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we just saw "twas the night' at Studio East, it was so awesome. We brought my parents and our children ages 5 and 6, we all enjoyed it. It was very entertaining for all ages. Lots of laughs. the show was almost 2 hours and it flew past! I was really impressed by the talent of the children and adults alike. I was pleasantly surprised, we will be back!!!!!! loved it. read more

Saw Twas the Night Before Christmas. Actors were very cute and the theater is fine but the play was not very good. We have been to childrens theaters in Seattle, Kirkland and Edmonds and they have all been wonderful. But this script tried to combine too much. Mature content for little kids. read more

My daughter participated in a summer mainstage production with Studio East. Everything was very organized and professional and my daughter improved as a performer and enjoyed everything about Studio East. The performances themselves were amazing; on par or very close to professional theater (5th Ave). read more

My child has participated in several after school and summer productions produced by Studio East. I'm impressed with the faculty. They really bring out the best in these kids. Every child gets an opportunity to participate, and they frequently assign multiple children to major lead roles, not just as understudies. This means more kids get to play the lead. The music direction and accompaniment are first rate. I particularly enjoyed a production of Pinocchio we saw last month at Carl Sandberg elementary. The musical director on that one, David, did a great job. read more

Why did they move??? Took my daughter to see Twas the Night in the "before times" and she really enjoyed it and was able to see fine and it was really cool to be in a little theater and let her see what that's like. We went to the Christmas play this last December in their new location and my daughter couldn't see what was happening and got bored. I thought the play was very well done in the acting was on point. The problem is that it's not a theater! I don't know why they would move from the actual theater to folding chairs on the floor. Please go back to your old location or find an actual theater to use! Perhaps they had to move because of the pandemic but if not, it was not a good decision to move away from a theater to a non-theater. And in the old theater they let kids sit up front so they could see without grown-ups blocking their view. That's something they should have done for this past Christmas play as at least my daughter would've been able to see that way and wouldn't have gotten bored. I still wouldn't have been able to see anything because I'm short so sitting directly behind someone in a non-sloping theater makes it impossible for me to see. I'm hopeful they wind up in a better space in the future so that it's a real theater again where people can see what's happening. read more

We've seen three Storybook Theater plays at the Kirkland location and they've all been excellent. It's a great way to introduce your child to live theater. The performances are done by professional adult actors. The music and story lines are funny, clever, and always provide some positive message and/or discussion with your kids. At 55 minutes, the plays are just the right length. It is recommended for children ages 3-10. Please don't take your two year old here- they're not really mature enough to appreciate it. read more

We just saw Cinderella at the Carco theater in Renton and it was wonderful. The cast was superb and kept the children's attention. I'm looking forward to more shows by the Storybook Theater. Why haven't I gone before? read more

My kids are taking a class here and they love it!! We came as a family to see a play. Show was very good. Seats are older fold down auditorium seats, not the most comfy. They did sell drinks/snacks at intermission. All the staff here has been very friendly and informative. Hope to get the kids back for summer camp. This is a fun place, we plan on being back for more shows and classes. read more

We saw the production of Twas the Night before Christmas at Studio East with a 4 year old and a 5 1/2 year old. The listing for this production said ages 4+. This version was too mature and not appropriate for that young of children. Some words and behaviors certainly weren't what we expected. The production was too long and some parts could have been cut without affecting the plot. We had previously seen The Three Little Pigs and thoroughly enjoyed it. read more

Enjoying the new location and Willy wonka. Love it!

We almost always go to the Carco theater in Renton. Our kids really enjoy the performances as we have seen Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood. Fun for the whole family!!! Check it out!! Fun twists on traditional childhood stories that are about an hour long. read more

I was disappointed in the summer camp my daughter participated in this past summer. The attitude of the teachers (college students?) was poor; they were often on their cell phones and seemed disengaged and nonplussed, which seemed strange for a drama camp. The staff seemed irritated to report the days activities (instead directing me to a list of activities) and didn't know my daughter's name until the third day. I'll try a different drama camp next summer. read more

I signed my child up for the week long Star Wars theater session. The last day is tomorrow and he is so excited to do the play they created. My child has some disabilities that can make going to a camp like this difficult for him and those around him. I put it all out there for them on the sign up form, what to expect, a few things that would help, and for them to feel free to contact me. They talked to me 2xs before camp started to make certain they had the tools to help him. I so very much appreciated that. While there, the main instructor was sensitive to his needs and made adjustments and modifications for him throughout the camp. She was in constant contact and truly cared that he had a good experience. Thank you so much Amberlee for helping make this such an inclusive camp. Thank you for having so much joy in what you do, and thank you for caring about each kids needs and feelings. You and the entire staff at Studio East should be proud. read more

Fantastic programs for children of all ages. Creative and nurturing staff that really love teaching there.

Celtic Women - my 5 yr old daughter and wife loved the performance. We have also watched the last 3 Storybook Theater plays. Highly recommend - both my kids look forward to the upcoming Sleeping Beauty. read more

Our daughter enjoyed the acting and the teachers that have participated. It's great to see the kids open up and perform in such a short amount of time. Such a nice way to instill confidence in a child. read more

Studio East hosts Storybook Theater productions through the school year. From shows I have seen, these are worth the very small price of admission. Usually a roaming variety of locations. Will entertain loads of school field trips so check website or school for information on what is coming. Rival to the Children's Theater for a fraction of the price. Usually musical and a twist on traditional tale that's being told. Very good and actor interaction at the end for Q&A. read more