Theatre Arts is an “Active Academic Arts” class. Students take notes, read plays, research playwrights and learn about everything from Greek theatre to stagecraft. Students also learn about movement, voice, character and improvisation while physically acting out scenes, participating in warm-up and improvisation exercises and performing in front of the class. Theatre Arts covers all aspects of theatre by mixing the active with the academic for a challenging, exciting and creative experience.

Theatre Arts students are required to see two plays outside of school. One should be another high school’s play or musical, to compare and contrast what other high schools around town are doing with performing arts. The other should be a professional or community production, to be exposed to people who have a passion for the arts at all ages. Students then write critiques of those shows, describing things they liked or thought could have been better about the performances.

Theatre Arts students are also expected to participate in the fall and spring productions. They can audition and be a part of the cast, be a member of the crew, help build the set by coming to weekend workdays or usher/sell tickets during performances. There is no better way to learn about theatre than to participate in a production.