Acting
From the basic elements of pantomime and role playing to character development and scene study, students are introduced to the fun and work involved in theater. The drama department strives to build good artists while teaching students to work together and think creatively.
Act One
Children in grades 3-5 discover, create, and experience drama as an art and learning experience. Music, poetry, and stories are used to expand the creative imagination. Speech activities are designed to encourage each child to improvise words and dialogue for imagined characters in a variety of circumstances. Group activities reinforce the goals of cooperation and acceptance of ideas of others.
Creative Dramatics
Open to students in grades 6-8, this class gives students the opportunity to explore and expand their theatrical imaginations. Using theater games, improvisation, and simple scenes, the students learn to create characters, tell compelling stories, and use their voices, faces and bodies more effectively.
Building Characters
This acting class for students in grades 5-8 will allow the talents of serious young actors to find a voice. The ensemble will NOT play a lot of games, but rather work on character building, stage presence, and script work. This is meant as an opportunity for students who want to learn acting and be part of a company. Acceptance into this class is by evaluation only.
Principles of Acting
Principles of Acting is for students in grades 9-12 who wish to begin a more serious study of acting and theater. The students use improvisation and original scenes to continue exploring characterization. They also work on scripted monologues and get brief introductions to theater history and its traditions.
Scenes and Monologues
Scenes and Monologues is a high level acting class which concentrates on script work and character development. Students are held to a high standard and are expected to work on material outside of class. Recommended for students preparing for college auditions.
Improv
Improv focuses on building students' abilities to create collaboratively on the spot. We will explore techniques that will allow performers to feel more confident creating in front of a live audience.
Acting Seminar
Acting Seminar is an opportunity for students who want a broader theater curriculum. During the year, the students themselves will help guide the topics that the want to study. In the past, this class has ranged from audition preparation to magic, costume design to directing. Recommended for students planning to participate in Winter Intensive and New York City trip.