Theater Arts

There are many paths to the heart of good performance. Theater students are exposed to many different schools of acting and are encouraged to discover the benefits of each and to build on personal preferences. Students perform rehearsed and improvised work at performances throughout the year. They are also exposed to other aspects of drama, including theater history and technology.

Theater Productions

Play On There are two theater productions each year, one performance is a musical and the other is a drama or comedy. All students in grades 6-12 may audition for acting, singing, chorus, or dance roles and may work on technical crews for theater arts credit. Ongoing involvement affords students a wide range of opportunities to develop a range of theater skills.



Middle School

The semester-long eighth grade arts rotation drama course is an introduction to the different aspects and styles of theater. Students learn the basic concepts of acting, improv, reader’s theater, and oral interpretation of theater, scene and monologue performance. By participating in class activities students build confidence to perform on Aida stage.

High School

Drama 1 teaches the fundamentals of performance and covers technical aspects of theater from acting to building a production. Students also develop the skills needed to portray a character. These skills are applied to monologues and scene work. Students develop emotional memory, awareness, and focus. Improvisation skills are applied to character development, enhancing moment-to-moment flexibility in performance, and creating new work.

Drama 2 provides a systematic introduction to many different schools of acting including the Stanislavski Method, as modified by American acting teachers over the past century. Students learn a variety of techniques to build characters and create roles, both “outside in” and “inside out.” They understand how conditions which influence a person’s behavior lead to moment-to-moment objectives for relating to other characters on stage as well as changing strategies for achieving these objectives. Students perform monologues and scenes and the Play Onsecond semester evolves into an intensive scene workshop.

Drama 3 is a theater lab designed for students who have demonstrated a more than casual interest in theater. Those wanting to explore play writing and directing find a studio environment in which to experiment. The class simulates the process of creating theater in a professional environment. Students examine play structures by reading short plays to further develop their critical skills. Short analytic writing exercises solidify understanding. The ensemble then chooses a project and takes it to completion, fulfilling all the positions of a traditional theater company. A final performance is open to the public.