Academics: The Curriculum
The Arts: Theatre
Technical Support (A-143) and Theater Production (A-241) are graded Credit/No Credit. In all other theater courses, students have the grading system option of A/No Credit or Credit/No Credit.
A-141 Acting I
Fall and Spring .5 unit Bradley
Students are introduced to concepts of acting current in American theater. They engage in exercises and improvisations designed to free them as actors; imagination, sensory awareness, vocal, and physical techniques are stressed. Special attention is paid to exercises that help students use their imaginations with confidence.
Open to: 9/10/11/12
A-143 Technical Support
Year .5 unit Bradley
“Making Magic Happen” would be a good nickname for this course. Discover what goes on behind the scenes to make a production go smoothly. Students learn how to hang and focus lights, run sound, program and run the light board, and use basic woodworking tools. During the year they perform as stage crews and build scenery for productions and dance events. This participation in production accounts for the majority of the homework required for the class. Students are presented with a number of engineering problems during class for which they devise solutions.
Open to: 9/10/11/12
A-147 Oral Interpretation and Speech
Spring .5 unit Bradley
This is a course for students who want to improve their ability to read, recite, or speak the well-known words of speeches or their own work. It gives them a thorough grounding in the main elements of speech and oral interpretation and offers numerous opportunities to practice different types of oral art. This course is especially for students who have lacked confidence in their ability to speak, recite, or act in public.
Open to: 9/10/11/12
A-241 Theater Production
Fall and Spring .25 unit Bradley
One-quarter unit of credit is granted to participants in school productions. Auditions are held for the plays at the beginning of each semester. These auditions are for actors and singers. Interviews are held during the same time period for stage manager, lighting staff, prop managers, publicity people, and all stage crew, costume, and other technical assistants. Since participation is determined by audition, students should not sign up for theater production at the beginning of the semester.
Open to: 9/10/11/12
A-245 Children’s Theater, Service Learning Course
Fall and Spring .5 unit Bradley
Students study various elements of children’s theater, culminating in a series of productions. They participate in many phases of production work, including writing, acting, costuming, set work, instruction, and possibly scheduling. Students work with area schools and after-school programs in drama exercises and a possible production.
Students are enrolled in the corresponding community service program, which allows them to fulfill their community service requirement.
Open to: 9/10/11/12
A-246 Playwriting (cross-listed with E-369)
Fall .5 unit Bradley
In this course, students explore all the elements of playwriting. They study the “well-made play” as well as dramatic forms such as theatricalism, realism, naturalism, and Theater of the Absurd. Students write and revise scenes and monologues, culminating in the creation of a one-act play. Scenes and monologues are performed in and out of class to determine if “what is on the page is on the stage.” As part of their work, students study playwrights, including Christopher Durang, David Ives, Megan Terry, August Wilson, and many others. This course includes summer reading, which is outlined on the school’s Web site. If selected for participation in this class, students may enroll in Playwrights in Production (A-344) in the spring.
Open to: 11/12
A-247 Storytelling (cross-listed with E-389)
Fall .5 unit Carroll
In Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott says, “All the good stories are out there waiting to be told in a fresh, wild way.” In this course, students engage in the act of storytelling. Beginning with stories that have shaped their lives, students use journal writing, writing exercises, and poetic and fictional works to develop tales that are attentive to the detail and the drama of significant events in their lives and the lives of others. Through the use of tape recorders and video cameras, students prepare and evaluate their story performances as they learn how to use their voices and gestures to captivate their listeners. Students should go away from this course with a written and oral collection of stories to pass on to others. This course includes summer reading, which is outlined on the school’s Web site.
Open to: 11/12
A-342 Advanced Acting
Spring .5 unit Bradley
This course is designed for the student who has some acting experience but would like to delve more deeply into the craft. Creating complex characters is emphasized through script analysis and intense work in motivation, focus, and concentration. Students work on modern and classical scenes and monologues.
Prerequisite: Acting I (A-141) or permission of the instructor
Open to: 9/10/11/12
A-344 Playwrights in Production
Spring .5 unit Bradley
Student playwrights work with directors, designers, and actors to put on an original play. They participate in casting, go over design elements, and work on revisions throughout the process. Workshop productions are staged periodically to test audience response. A final production is given in the second half of the semester.
Prerequisite: Playwriting (E-369 or A-246) and/or permission of the instructor
Open to: 9/10/11/12
