Twelve-year-old Laura Butler is an aspiring actress. "I just love being in front of crowds performing,” she says. “I think it's the greatest thing in the world."

Laura's honing her acting skills at a young age. She's one of many youth learning the basics of voice, dance and drama at the Kentucky Repertory Theatre's Student Workshop.

"Our teachers are a little bit more experienced so they know what they're doing. You don't have to worry about looking silly on stage or not because they always tell you it's about having fun, not looking cool," said Laura.

The classes are taught by the professional actors that take the stage every night.

"It's surreal really. It's like when you're watching a movie; you see that behind-the-scenes, but you're not just watching something, you're participating in it," said 17-year-old Student Austin Reliford.

Kentucky Repertory Theatre at Horse Cave is celebrating its 31st season, and the Student Theatre Workshop has been an important part of it ever year.

The workshop consists of two-weeks of classes. And, while the kids are having a good time, they're also learning about the arts and rehearsing for a major showcase performance.

“Our showcase, it's really funny, it's about not judging people," said Laura. "We're like superheroes with alter egos’ we're going to school and we turn into superheroes when everything's going bad and at the end, we learn [that we] shouldn't judge people by how they look, walk and talk."

Sounds like a performance, no one should miss.

For more information on Kentucky Repertory Theatre at Horse Cave, log onto www.kentuckyrep.org.