SOCAPA Chicago
Teen Summer Camps & Precollege Film & Acting Programs
SOCAPA Chicago is hosted at Loyola University Chicago, offering precollege high school students immersive film and acting intensives in a vibrant Midwest setting.
Loyola’s Lakeshore Campus is a beautiful, modern urban campus right along the Lake Michigan shoreline, with sweeping views of the city skyline. It’s located in Rogers Park, just north of downtown Chicago—close enough to the city’s theaters, film studios, museums, and sound stages, yet peaceful and inspiring for focused study.
Chicago is a cultural hub for theater, improv, film, music, and the arts. Students at SOCAPA Chicago will get the best of both worlds: intensive, craft-driven instruction during the day, plus access to one of America’s great city arts scenes on afternoons, evenings, and weekends.
Day or Residential
Students who live locally or who have friends/family to stay with in Chicago are welcome to attend the program as Day Students. Day Students commute to campus each day and return home each evening after classes.
Loyola University Chicago
Housing, Meals & Map
The Residence Hall
The residence hall is a traditional dormitory, with shared bathrooms and mostly double rooms with some triples and singles. It is equipped with high-speed internet, laundry facilities, air-conditioning and a computer lab. Students congregate in the common area and have access to a small kitchenette. Students live on single-sex floors, each supervised by Residence Assistants.
Meal Plan
SOCAPA collaborates with Loyola Dining Services to provide students with high quality, nourishing, and plentiful dining options for most meals.
On the weekends, SOCAPA students go off-campus for trips to area attractions and are responsible for three meals over the weekend while out touring Chicago.
Residence Hall & Summer Office
1032 W Sheridan Rd, Chicago, IL 60626
Nights and Weekends
Weekends and evenings will offer a mix of on-campus community time (rehearsals, peer screenings, ensemble work) and excursions into Chicago’s rich arts, film, and theater landscape. Possible trips include visits to Lincoln Park, the Art Institute, improv shows, local film festivals, iconic neighborhoods like Wicker Park and Pilsen, and lakeside walks.
SOCAPA combines the best of summer—fun with friends, new adventures, and exciting places—with the lasting value of a creative and productive learning experience.
Arriving By Plane
Airport transfers are available on the first (Opening Sunday) and last (Final Saturday) days of each session. When you arrive, you’ll be welcomed at baggage claim by a friendly SOCAPA staff member in a SOCAPA t-shirt holding a sign with your name.
On departure, we’ll make sure you get safely to your airline’s check-in counter; however, we cannot accompany students past the security checkpoint. Chicago has two major airports (O’Hare & Midway). Shuttle or public transit options will be detailed in your pre-camp communications.
Please note that you must fill out the online Travel Form at least 2 weeks prior to the start of the program.
Day Students
Schedule, After Class & Meals
Schedule
Day students should plan to begin their program on the afternoon of the first Sunday of their session, alongside residential students. This orientation is an important part of the SOCAPA experience: schedules and key information are shared, and students meet their classmates and teachers for the first time.
Most classes run Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm, though schedules may vary depending on the program. Many courses require one or two evenings of additional work, and certain three-week programs may also include a required weekend commitment.
Evening activities typically run from 7:00pm to 10:00pm, with a dinner break between class and evening events.
After Class
Families should note that most SOCAPA students live in our dormitories, and our programming is primarily designed with residential life in mind. Day students are fully integrated into all daytime classes and projects and often develop close friendships with their peers, but they do not participate in evening floor meetings, mixers, or the shared roommate experience that is central to residential living.
Day students are warmly encouraged—and always welcome, though never required—to join our structured evening and weekend activities at no additional cost.
Meal Plan
LUC policies require all Day students to purchase lunch meals through the University meal hall. Day students are charged an additional Meals and Activities fee of $185 per week of attendance to cover the cost of lunches in the cafeteria, access to Loyola's campus, and tickets or entrance fees for class and extracurricular activities. Day students should be prepared to purchase their own dinner when joining us for the evening.
Have questions?
We’d love to help you choose the right program and campus.