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214 LaSalle Road, West Hartford, CT 06107Monday to Thursday: 3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.Fall registration opens in August(860) 555-0105
CallbackWest Hartford, Connecticut
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Musical theatre and jazz in West Hartford

Find your place in the cast

Callback is a musical theatre and jazz studio for ages 8 to 17, with evening classes for adult beginners. The huddle and the laughing backstage before a show is where the year comes together: auditions in January, rehearsals on Saturdays and a production weekend in May.

Try a classSee the dates
  • Ages 8 to 17 and adults
  • Auditions in January
  • Production weekend in May
Five children in matching blue shirts huddled together and laughing backstage while a teacher watches from the doorway

The year, month by month

One production a year, and a class every week. Here is when things happen.

All dates
This school year

  • Registration opens

    In August · Register on our enrollment page. A trial class helps you choose.

  • Fall session starts

    Early September · Classes meet once a week from the week after Labor Day.

  • Auditions

    Early January · A group audition for the production: a short song, a page of script and a dance combination. Every student in the age bands that match is welcome to come.

  • Cast list

    Late January · Every family hears from us by message the same week.

  • Rehearsals begin

    February · Cast members rehearse on Saturday afternoons, in addition to their weekly classes.

  • Production weekend

    In May · Three performances over a Friday evening and a Saturday, in a rented hall nearby.

  • Showcase night

    In June · Every class shares a piece in the studio, with families along the walls.

Sample dates.

Levels by age

Four groups, each with its own room, its own teacher and its own pace.

  1. Chorus

    Ages 8 to 10
    Skills

    • Singing a short song together, in unison

    • Learning a simple dance combination

    • Reading a scene aloud and finding a cue

    • Making an entrance and an exit

    Moving up

    After each session your teacher talks with you about the next class. Moving up follows how a student is doing, and there is no test.

  2. Ensemble

    Ages 11 to 13
    Skills

    • Singing in two parts

    • Blocking a short scene with a partner

    • Jazz walks, turns and a traveling combination

    • Holding a character from one scene to the next

    Moving up

    The teacher and the family decide together, usually between sessions. A student may stay in Ensemble another session if that suits them better.

  3. Cast

    Ages 14 to 17
    Skills

    • Preparing an audition song and a page of script

    • Dance combinations at tempo

    • Working from a full script and taking direction

    • Rehearsing with a group for a production weekend

    Moving up

    Cast is the studio's oldest level. Students stay as long as they like, and the director talks with each family about what comes next.

  4. Adult beginners

    Ages 18 and up
    Skills

    • Warming up the voice and the legs together

    • A first song and a first scene

    • Learning a combination in eight counts

    • No experience needed, and no audition

    Moving up

    There is one adult level. Come for as many sessions as you like.

Where to startWhere to start

Sample levels.

This session's classes

Pick a day that suits your family, or filter by age.

Full schedule
Fall session

Showing 12 of 12

  • Monday

    • 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm

      Musical theatre

      Kenny Orengo · Studio A

      8 to 10ChorusOpenTry a class

    • 6:15 pm – 7:45 pm

      Jazz and dance

      Mekayla Speight · Studio A

      11 to 13EnsembleOpenTry a class

  • Tuesday

    • 4:15 pm – 5:15 pm

      Voice and acting

      Nabila Farhat · Studio B

      8 to 10ChorusOpenTry a class

    • 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm

      Musical theatre

      Kenny Orengo · Studio A

      11 to 13EnsembleWaitlistJoin the waitlist

  • Wednesday

    • 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm

      Jazz and dance

      Vineet Rane · Studio A

      8 to 10ChorusOpenTry a class

    • 5:45 pm – 7:15 pm

      Musical theatre

      Kenny Orengo · Studio A

      14 to 17CastOpenTry a class

    • 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm

      Adult beginners

      Musical theatre · Kenny Orengo · Studio A

      18 and upAdult beginnersOpenTry a class

  • Thursday

    • 4:15 pm – 5:15 pm

      Voice and acting

      Nabila Farhat · Studio B

      11 to 13EnsembleOpenTry a class

    • 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm

      Voice and acting

      Nabila Farhat · Studio B

      14 to 17CastFull

    • 6:45 pm – 8:15 pm

      Jazz and dance

      Mekayla Speight · Studio A

      14 to 17CastOpenTry a class

  • Saturday

    • 9:30 am – 11:00 am

      Musical theatre

      Kenny Orengo · Studio A

      8 to 10ChorusOpenTry a class

    • 11:15 am – 12:45 pm

      Adult beginners

      Jazz and dance · Vineet Rane · Studio A

      18 and upAdult beginnersOpenTry a class

Sample classes.

Times change a little each session. The enrollment page has this week's.

Meet the teachers

Five teachers share the week at Callback. Four of them lead the classes on the schedule.

  • Kenny Orengo, director, in a black shirt with one arm raised in the studio

    Kenny Orengo

    Director, musical theatre

    Kenny directs the production and teaches musical theatre for ages 8 to 17, and the adult beginners on Wednesday evenings. He grew up in Hartford and spent years in community theater before opening Callback. He speaks Spanish with families who prefer it.

  • Mekayla Speight, jazz and dance teacher, in a black leotard at the barre

    Mekayla Speight

    Jazz and dance

    Mekayla teaches jazz for the Ensemble and Cast groups and sets the dance numbers for the production. She starts every class with a short warm-up that gets the whole room moving together.

  • Nabila Farhat, voice and acting teacher, seated on a bench in the studio

    Nabila Farhat

    Voice and acting

    Nabila teaches voice and acting for all three youth groups. She works from the script out, with scene work first and songs second, and she plays the piano in Studio B.

  • Vineet Rane, dance teacher, in a black top beside the studio barre

    Vineet Rane

    Dance and choreography

    Vineet teaches the Chorus jazz class and the Saturday adult beginners, and choreographs the ensemble numbers in the production. He is the teacher who counts you in.

What families write

4.8

31 reviews

5★
25
4★
5
3★
1
2★
0
1★
0

  • “It feels like a rehearsal room, not a classroom. My daughter learns her cues on the drive home and hums the songs all week.”

    Marisol G., parent of a ten-year-old

  • “Kenny explained everything to my husband and me in Spanish, so we knew what to expect before the first Saturday rehearsal.”

    Gabriel T., parent of a thirteen-year-old

  • “I hadn't sung in front of anyone since high school. Wednesday evenings are quiet and kind, and I look forward to them.”

    Dana L., adult student

Sample reviews.

What families ask first

All family policies

How do I try a class?

Pick a class on the schedule and book it on our enrollment page. Come ten minutes early, wear something you can move in, and the teacher will meet you at the door.

Does a student have to audition to join?

No. Every class is open to anyone in its age group. Auditions are only for parts in the production, and they are held once a year, in January.

May I watch a class?

Come to the showcase night in June, or ask for a watch day. On other weeks parents wait in the lobby, which has a window onto Studio A.

Does anyone speak Spanish?

Yes. Kenny Orengo speaks Spanish with families in the studio and on the phone. Our written forms are in English.

Come and try a class

Pick a class on the schedule and book a visit. Wear something comfortable; socks are fine.

Try a class