Courses
Descriptions
Descriptions
Descriptions
Middle School
Our middle school curriculum is a deeply immersive introduction to various types of theatre art preparing students to declare a major in our high school program and auditions and internships at outside theatre companies. Students build core skills in ensemble-based learning, characterization, theatre literacy, and text analysis. Each year one mainstage production is dedicated to our middle school population and they are also a core part of the acting company for our New Works Festival.
Our middle school curriculum is a deeply immersive introduction to various types of theatre art preparing students to declare a major in our high school program and auditions and internships at outside theatre companies. Students build core skills in ensemble-based learning, characterization, theatre literacy, and text analysis. Each year one mainstage production is dedicated to our middle school population and they are also a core part of the acting company for our New Works Festival.
High School
Our high school program offers coursework that has been certified as university-level training. High school students major in one of three areas: Acting, Musical Theatre, and Directing & Playwriting. Each year, high school students across all three majors have the opportunity to participate in a mainstage production where two or more plays are produced and performed in rotating repertory.
- Acting (9th-12th)
Students receive intensive training in all areas of acting from theory to practice. Over their four years, acting majors are exposed to numerous theories of characterization, including those of Stanislavski and the theorists who worked before and after him. A focus is placed on developing the body and the voice as instruments of acting craft, and students are asked to explore more intrapersonal work on risk-taking and self-reflection. Over four years students tackle text and practice from Ancient Greece to the present day.
- Musical Theatre (9th-12th)
Students in this major focus equally on singing, dance, and acting. By the time they graduate, students will have taken courses in the core dance styles required of a musical theatre artist today, including ballet, tap, jazz, and hip-hop. Students also train in Dunham Technique, modern and contemporary dance styles, as well as study musical theatre choreography. Courses on vocal technique grounded in classical and jazz practices, and intensive scene study and characterization courses are geared specifically toward the musical theatre actor. Throughout their training students are study various methods for creating authentic characterizations utilizing song, text, and dance.
- Directing & Playwriting (11th-12th)
This major is unique in the country at the high school level for the depth of education in theatre creation, directing, playwriting and producing. A significant amount of the student's time is spent in playwriting and play development through a partnership with the Literary Arts Sub-Pathway. Students also get in-depth training in dramaturgy, directing, stage management, literary management, and producing traditional and non-traditional theatre. Students in this major write for, direct, and produce the annual New Works Festival.
