Stay away from this place!!! Complete fraud! They will tell you anything just to get you registered and get your money in advance. It's very disorganized and is pretty much a glorified daycare. They have a one way communication (aka "drop a note in the box if you have a concern"), they do not respond to any complaints and just ignore your phone calls and emails. My daughter was telling me about her negative experience but Ms. Teri kept saying completely the opposite and that everything was fine. Still fighting with them to get my money back. read more

Disclaimer: Everything that happened below happened 2 years ago, and I have been avoiding writing this review because I don't Teri to find some way to retaliate against my friend but I happened to see that she has been receiving five star reviews lately and knowing how she treated her teachers makes me furious that she is still getting business. Also she has officially been outed as stealing from MTI (http://www.playbill.com/article/music-theatre-international-files-legal-action-against-virginia-community-theatre) so I doubt her practices have changed that much. I don't have children and have not taken a class (obviously - because I am an adult) but I know a few of the teaching artists who have worked here (and since left) and can confirm that Teri is an abusive boss and it makes me sick to think she is profiting off her abuse under the guise of "enriching children's lives." Here's just a short list of things that she did to a former teacher: - ritually tell the teacher I know that he was terrible at his job without any sort of feedback to help him "improve" (despite the fact that he is wonderful teacher and has worked with several companies where he has since been continuously promoted) - emotionally manipulate him to get him to do last minute overtime that was not in his contract - instructed him not to talk to parents about schedules or bills - overbooked his classes (1 of him and 40 children - not legal btw) - asked him to (illegally) re-write copyrighted play scripts or movie scripts so that classes could perform them (and make her money via ticket purchases) - withheld paychecks when he turned in his timesheet 24 hours late (in VA it is illegal to withhold a paycheck even when a timesheet is late) and then NEVER PAID HIM FOR TWO MONTHS OF WORK. - After he left the company she also blocked him from getting other jobs in the area because of the absurd non-compete clause in his contract (never mind that this contract was null and void, since she broke it by not paying him 2 months work of paychecks). Don't give this woman business - she doesn't deserve it and I am amazed that this company is still in business read more

My daughter attended a two week program at this camp over the summer. Initially we had signed both of our daughters up for an additional program, and ended up pulling them after the incident below. I had to wait to post this review as we were in a refund battle that was handled by our credit card company when Teresa stopped returning my calls and emails. In addition to paying for camp, Teresa sells tickets for the performances. Lucky us - we had two performances for our 2 week camp . . . When we arrived for our Friday night performance, our "reserved seats" had been sold twice. We were asked to move from the front row, to another row with semi-obstructed seating (due to the set). This was on some very unstable risers, where my husband's seat was about 10 inches higher than mine. After the show, in attempting to speak to a staff person about a refund (since my seats had been sold twice), I was verbally attacked by another parent (apparently the one who had purchased the same seats I had). While I tried to explain to him that I my issue was with the staff, not him, there seemed to be no one in charge other than a young lady (one of the camp counselors). When I was finally able to locate someone who claimed to be in charge, she assured me I would get a refund for the tickets. The next day, Teresa called my phone to apologize and assure me we'd be getting a refund for the tickets. I explained that we'd be pulling out of the program program and we'd like a refund for that too. She assured me it would be taken care of and to call the office on Monday. When I called on Monday, I was told refunds were processed by check on the 15th. When I called on the 13th to confirm I was set, I stopped getting answers at all. We received a random partial refund for our tickets on the 16th through PayPal, but nothing more. After numerous unreturned phone calls and emails, we went through our credit card company. With regard to the accusations about her unlicensed materials, I am not surprised she "thinks" she produced original scripts. The version of Annie that the kids put on was some combination of the stage version and the original movie version from the 80s. It appeared as if someone sat down and watched the movie and typed out the lines . . . and then they'd throw in a song from the stage show. As a lover of the theater and the arts, it's a shame that someone is exploiting children and families to make money. I am glad to see the notes that they have shut down shop, so that they will not break any more hearts - or bank accounts. read more

Theaterpalooza has provided so many wonderful opportunities for our three children, who have participated in classes and productions, and even for our child who is happy watching from the audience (cheering them on)! The teachers are talented, generous and kind. They provide a nurturing environment for children to learn, grow in confidence and abilities, make friends and expand their world. I am very sure that the lifelong lessons and experiences our kids have had with Theaterpalooza has enriched their young lives... And has positively affected their development into adulthood. Thank you!!! read more

WOW, have gone to three productions from this Group so far and they were beyond expectation. The direction and teaching is superb. Can't wait for my nephew to start and do a production with them.!!!! Hats of Theaterpalooza, keep up the good work. read more

***Update**** - I got my money back after a chance encounter with Teri at a class. Pure luck and a bit of assertiveness ;-) - Since my original post, I've had contact with 3 other Theaterpalooza customers who were also out money...*much* more than I. - Word to the wise(r)...don't give Theaterpalooza any money in advance if you can avoid it. read more

They closed mid-October 2018 with no notice leaving so many parents infuriated and children so disappointed - they had JUST started practicing for their winter performances. They said they would issue refunds, but are now not responding to emails nor calls. Looks like they are still updating their websites and keep changing their business names - total SCAM ARTISTS. What a shame to take advantage of families and especially children like this. Hope the owners: Teresa (Teri) and Jerry Walker give up and not open anymore more businesses, hope all the law suits finally catch up to them! What a shame... read more

I just found out from my son that he was never paid for work he did for Theater Palooza. He sent me an article from loudountimes.com that the company is being sued for not paying licensing fees. He then told me that the check he was sent bounced. He never received payment for about $300 technical work he provided. After looking at the website for this company it appears the owner lives in Florida. How the heck do you run a business like this from afar? Sounds to me like she's just pocketing people's money and not paying bills. Thinking I wouldn't go near this place if I had kids. Find somewhere else that's legit!! read more

Several instances of unprofessional-ism on class timings, change in venue, mis-communication or sometimes non communication on performances, cancellation of lessons without communication! read more

Unprofessional company that does not honor terms of any agreement, even signed contracts. It is like a three ring circus of confusion. Theaterpalooza offers many services but is very unorganized. I feel sorry for any individuals that are currently receiving services from this company because they are dishonest and truly lack integrity. read more

My child loves her weekly acting class at Theaterpalooza! She was originally very shy, but they have brought our her inner drama queen. She loves her teachers and we have had nothing but a positive experience. Their recent show that we saw was very professional, especially considering these are young children. read more

My daughter attended two 8 weeks sessions at her school and we attended their two performances. During the second session she complained the teachers are mean and wanted to drop after a couple of classes. We kept her in, however we did see them yelling at the kids the day of the performance. Performance was done without anybody helping the kids. There were lots of silences and inaudible voices. Also, my daughter's only song was cut off last minute which left her very disappointed. Performance instructions prohibited taking any video which we followed. They announced they would have DVDs with the performance for sale. We wanted the DVD as my daughter had the lead role and our remote family wanted to see her. However, after multiple emails to ask for it and after paying for it via PayPal almost 2 months ago, we still have not gotten it on the mail or gotten any answer from Theater Palooza's email. So, in summary the drama classes can be improved with better teachers, performance did improve the second session but the customer service leaves a lot to be desired. Overall, a very frustrating experience. Would NOT recommend this to anyone. Update - I got the DVD on Jun 8th, it is an MP4 so doesn't play in a normal DVD player but it does play in the computer. In any case, this is better than nothing. read more

My child participated in theaterpalooza for two semesters; he liked it but it is very disorganized; they tell the students to come in but then cancel classes; had kids come in on snow days and then cancel performances; (for 7-11 year olds); still waiting on a refund for a canceled show; Performances took place at strange locations with no stage at all. Teri is completely ignoring my requests for over 4 months. This is the most unprofessional organization I have ever dealt with. I can't decide if they are just completely clueless about business or actually fraudulently scheme people out of money as this seems to happen over and over to many people. As much as my child enjoyed performing, the place is so disorganized, I have no clue if my child really learned anything about acting or singing. And there is the thing about the money...STAY AWAY; also one of the teacher texted me by mistake (she thought she was texting someone else...you have seen what she said about the kids that go to theaterpalooza). read more

We LOVE Theaterpalooza! My 7 year old daughter has been apart of the school for over a year and we have always been very happy with both the Leesburg and Ashburn locations. It's important to any parent to want the best for their child and we have known since our daughter was 2 years old that being on stage was perfect for her personality. Seeing her this happy just melts our hearts that she found something she loves doing at such a young age. We couldn't be happier to have found Theaterpalooza!!!! My daughter just loooooves the after school program! The staff are all very friendly and great with the kids!!! The classes are so wonderful for any child's confidence and public speaking skills. My daughter has done many plays for over a year and all of them have been so much fun to watch. They don't choose favorites when picking children for different roles, instead they give all the kids a chance, which is so cool! The performances blow us away with how great the kids do on stage, all the wonderful music and sound effects!! Wonderful place to send your child!!! read more