Theatre

Grades: 9-12 
Prerequisite: None 
Credit: .25  

Acting I is an orientation course focusing on the skills and techniques used by actors. Students will learn how to use their voice (diction, projection, inflection, emotion), as well as their bodies (gestures, tension, facial expression) to convey characters. These skills will be applied to, monologues and scene work throughout the class. No previous acting experience is required for participation in this class.

Grades: 9-12
Prerequisite: Successful completion of Acting I  
Credit: .25 

Acting II builds upon the skills developed in Acting I. Various units throughout the course will help students create their own scenes and performances. Styles of performance will include Chorus, Commedia, Melodrama, Clown, and Physical Comedy. Class participation, observation, and reflection will be expected by students daily. Students will have the chance to see students perform in the Winter Show and Spring Musical during our course time.

Grades: 9-12
Prerequisites: None
Credit: .25

Formerly titled IMPROV II. This class will focus on different versions of long-form improv, styles of comedy, and sketch comedy writing in the style of SNL, Monty Python, Key & Peele. At the end of the term, students will be able to share their sketches with an invited audience.

Grades: 9-12
Prerequisite: None 
Credit: .25 

Improvisation is actors creating relationships, conflicts, dialogue and plot off the top of their heads. The class will provide the skills, control, confidence, mental agility, trust, and spontaneity all of which allow students to improvise. There will be a component of comedy writing for beginners, as well as basic long-form improv. Both of these elements will be elaborated in Comedy Sketch Writing  class.

Grades: 9-12
Prerequisites: None
Credit: .25           

An introduction class to the skills of Musical Theater. Students will have the chance to work and perform songs and pieces from modern musicals as well as traditional musical material. An emphasis on performing solos, duets, and chorus numbers, with basic choreography, will be incorporated into class curriculum. No pre-requisite, or previous Spring Musical experience is required.

Grades: 9-12 
Prerequisites: None 
Credit: .5 

Stagecraft I is designed to provide introductory practical level technical and production disciplines to students. This includes set design and construction, sound design, lighting design, properties production, costume design, hair, and makeup.  This course introduces students to the basic fundamentals of design, which are the same for theatre, architectural design, and fine arts. Stagecraft I is a lecture and demonstration course with an emphasis on creative projects and emphasizes the exploration process and communication tools that designers use to solve problems and communicate design ideas. 

Grades: 9-12
Prerequisites: Stagecraft I
Credit: .5

Building upon the foundational technical skills, creative problem-solving abilities, and effective communication developed in Stagecraft I, Stagecraft II offers students an immersive exploration into the specialized world of theatrical design. This course invites participants to apply their acquired knowledge to one specific area of design, fostering a deeper understanding and mastery of the skills required for successful execution. Throughout the semester, students will engage in hands-on projects that demand a synthesis of technical proficiency, creative ingenuity, and collaborative communication. The primary focus will be on applying learned principles to practical design challenges, emphasizing the development of a comprehensive skill set within a specific design discipline. The area of focus for Stagecraft II during the 2024-2025 school year will be hair, makeup, & special effects.

Grades: 9-12
Prerequisites: None 
Credit: .5 

This semester-long course ties directly to the Winter Play. Class time will be split researching and discussing the play, playwright, historical context, and culture along with actual rehearsal and crew build/work time. All students will be assigned a crew responsibility (props, marketing, build), and students who wish to audition for a role can. All students will be a part of a crew; however, you do not have to be a performer. Rehearsals for the play will take place during class time, as well as after school during the months of December and January. The Winter Show is performed at the end of January. To be in class, students need to commit to being in the production in January. 

The 2024-2025 Winter Show will be Baskerville by Ken Ludwig. Baskerville is based off of the Sherlock Holmes story of The Hound of the Baskerville in which a wealthy family is being killed off one by one. While this story is a murder mystery, full of intrigue, terror, and a blood thirsty hound, it is written as a farce full of physical comedy, over-the-top characters, silly costumes, and witty text. Any questions can come to Mr. Lekatz about the production.