Theatre Arts
This year-long course prepares young actors for stage productions. Instruction includes improvisation, movement, voice, character development, acting styles, acting history and theory, staging and acting positions, and puppetry. There are also lessons in makeup application, auditioning, and creating an acting resume. At the end of the year, students perform a short one-act play during their class period as a culminating activity; and they conclude the year with a unit in musical theatre choreography. Memorized performances are a required part of evaluation. There are no after school commitments for this class. Fall competition at district and state levels is optional and encouraged. This is a pre-requisite course for the advanced production class Encore Company.
**Students are admitted to Encore Company productions at no charge.
**Students are admitted to Encore Company productions at no charge.
Grading Criteria
- Daily participation and work ethic is key to a successful grade in this class, and being in class to participate is an important part of the educational experience. After four absences (per quarter), zeros will be given for participation regardless of the reason for the absence, excused or unexcused. Outside assignments will not be offered to increase your grade.
- Memorized acting performances are required each quarter.
- Semester finals are given at the end of each semester.
- Each semester grade is the average of the two quarter grades.
- Late work is not acceptable.
- If you are absent, find out what you missed and make up the work. If you are absent when a performance is due, you are expected to perform upon return.
Classroom Instruction Includes:
Theatre Etiquette
Acting Basics & Improvisation · Floor Plans · Blocking & Stage Business · Stage Positions · Acting Positions · Children’s Theatre Performance Characterization—Physical & Vocal · Solo Comedy Performance Motivation & Role Scoring · Beats and Intentions · Ensemble Performance Movement & Mime--Physical Character · Pantomime Performance Theatre History—At a glance · Ancient Greece to English Renaissance Cold Read Auditions Shakespeare--Othello Monologue Performance |
Puppet Theatre
· Spongie Puppet Construction & Puppet Show Performance Realistic Acting & Original Playwrighting · Rasa—Emotional Recall · Believability · Script development · Monologue Performance · Ensemble Performance Makeup for Actors Workshop Auditions · Resumes & Headshots · Audition for Melodrama Melodrama: Rehearsal & Production · The Wild Flowering of Chastity--Main stage production in class Musical Theatre Choreography · Ensemble Performance Semester Finals--Multiple Choice |
Audition for MHHS Encore Co.
- Prerequisite Course: Theatre Arts—minimum grade of “B” is expected. You should have an 85% average or higher for both
semesters.
- Acting Resume with Headshot
- Letter of Application--One page, Typed, double spaced, .12 Times New Roman and submitted on time
- Audition--Prepare and audition a 1-minute monologue for the Encore Co. panel (May)