Theatre

This course is a class for students in all upper school grade levels who seek to be cast in both the fall drama and spring musical in principal roles. This performance-based course involves in-depth character analysis and play development for the fall drama and spring musical. Additionally, each show setting will be analyzed historically. Costumes, sound, set and lighting will be student-designed within period parameters. Specific scene breakdowns will be developed and blocked, vocals will be taught and analyzed for character development and choreography will be taught and reinforced for character study. Furthermore, the Festival of Christmas is blocked and made performance-ready for the all-school event during this course. Prerequisites: Audition. Eligible Grade Level(s): 9-12.

Students learn basic theatrical, production, performance and stagecraft terms and techniques. This course is meant to serve as a primer to the theatrical arts and enables students to learn fundamental production concepts through instruction, expression, collaboration and performance. Additionally, students engage in creative drama and performance-based learning exercises and assignments.

Students experience and explore classical and modern monologues, scene study, performance terminology, resume preparation, production terms, theatre history, musical audition choices and an end-of-semester performance where the students prepare a character analysis of the role they portray. This course exposes students to the dramatic arts and gives them the opportunity to investigate this discipline to discover and develop their talents. Through a variety of methods, students communicate in a dramatic form, make artistic choices, solve problems, build positive self-concepts and relate interpersonally.