Drama Curriculum

Drama is a truly integrated discipline. Athletic, musical, visual, and collaborative, the theater program emphasizes individual responsibility within a team. It offers a structure through which stories, histories, ideas, and conflicts can be shared with the larger community.

Elementary School

Drama classes invite each student to work as a part of an ensemble. Through warm ups, group work, and performance assignments, students explore the creative use of body and voice, developing a sense of confidence in front of others. The class climate is safe, fun, and dynamic. Games are designed to heighten kinesthetic awareness and strengthen listening skills. Students learn to use voices and bodies expressively to tell stories and to
convey emotions and ideas.

In grades 2-4 students explore the following themes:

• mask work & choreography
  
• performance poetry & collaboration
  
• rehearsal skills & scene development

Middle school

Weekly drama classes invite each student to work in an ensemble. Ensemble Technique is a physical and vocal approach to theater that values the success of the group as a whole. Students develop the necessary skills applicable to public presentation as they explore the creative use of body and voice. They investigate the subtext of spatial relationships, listening, stillness, and silence as powerful tools for communication. Through group work and performance assignments, each student learns how to be a successful communicator.

Each year is full of class recitals presented for various grade groups and parents.These recitals often connect with subject matter studied in humanities such as myths, folk tales and interview-based theater. In addition to the regular drama classes, the drama department presents larger fall and spring productions. Interested and committed students participate as a part of the cast and crew of these larger shows.

Ensemble & Exploration

Each student engages in drama exercises that focus on ensemble technique, the essence of any successful theatrical experience and team endeavor. Through group work and performance, students learn to be successful collaborators. Classes strengthen each student's ability to compromise and negotiate, lead as well as follow, generate and weed out ideas. Moving and speaking as a group, students expand their physical vocabulary and vocal power.

The class structure is as follows:

• Group Warm-ups
• Games and Exercises
• Collaborative Project
• Performance
• Active Observation

Performance

Each student develops physical and vocal skills applicable to public presentation. During class time, students perform many times for each other, either solo or with a group. Students will also perform for a school assembly in a short recital piece, developed in coordination with the humanities curriculum. In these pieces there are no leading roles, and all students share equal responsibility for the success of their performance.

Active Observation

Students are encouraged to observe their peers' performances with the eyes of acting students, rather than as a passive audience. Active observation is the key to understanding what works on stage and why. Students give each other constructive feedback with specific examples of success and clear suggestions for improvement. “Risk and Respect” is a class motto that promotes an environment in which all students feel comfortable taking risks and trying things out.

Concepts Explored & Skills Practiced

Voice and Choral Work

• Develop an understanding of how vocal rhythm affects the underlying meaning of a text
• Explore speaking in various rhythms: unison, duets, trios, solos
• Recognize the effect of pitch, intonation, and vocal texture
• Understand the use of subtext and inflection.  

Gesture and Movement

• Create gestures and choreography based on a theme or text
• Express emotion through clarity of movement and repetition
• Understand the use of blocking and stage picture in a scene
• Learn to give focus and draw focus
• Act and listen with the whole body.

Fall and Spring Productions

Fall and spring plays are staged each year at the middle school, separate from in-class instruction. Rehearsals take place after school. These performances are for serious drama students who make a full commitment to a more rigorous rehearsal schedule. Auditions are held, and an ensemble of approximately 20 students is chosen to act in the plays. Casting is based on focus, interest, commitment, and collaboration. Interested students are welcome to participate in the action behind the scenes as stage managers, set and prop builders, and sound and lighting operators.