Theatre

Our productions include both offbeat one-acts and mainstream productions and take place in either Kiggins Auditorium or the brand new Bennack Theater in the Alice Dodge Wallace ’38 Center for the Performing Arts. Credit is granted to participants in school productions.

Revels is the senior class production portraying the Yuletide celebration of a medieval manor family. The players include jesters, Morris dancers, marshals performing an authentic sword dance, and a Mummers play. As is the custom in the 100+-year-old tradition of the play, the role of each senior is kept a closely guarded secret from auditions in September until Revels night. The atmosphere of Revels week is festive and makes the holiday season a particularly memorable time at Emma. Students attend the Friday night performance of Revels in formal attire.

Acting students are introduced to concepts of acting current in American theatre and do exercises and improvisations designed to free them as actors. Sensory awareness, text analysis, and vocal and physical techniques are stressed, and special attention is paid to exercises helping students use their own imaginations with confidence.

In addition to acting, Emma offers courses in playwriting and technical theatre. These classes are designed to help students gain a thorough understanding of theatrical and staging techniques as they have evolved through history.