COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

In the acting classes at Wakeland, students are exposed to a variety of plays from different eras of history. They are given the opportunity not only to study plays and the historical era in which they were written, but also to perform scenes and monologues from those works. Technical theatre classes are exposed to all of the behind-the-scenes jobs in theatre and are given the opportunity to gain hands-on experience through class projects and by participation in main stage productions.

Theatre Arts I - (1 credit) 9th – 12th grade

Prerequisite: None

Theatre Arts I general areas of study include but are not exclusive to the following: performance skills of improvisation, voice and diction, stage movement and acting. Additional areas explored are history of the theatre and careers in theatre. Technical aspects discussed are design concepts of lighting, sound, scenery, props, makeup, costumes and publicity. Students will be involved in many performance projects each grading period and written and visual projects throughout the year.

Intermediate Theatre Arts I - (1 credit) 9th grade

Prerequisite: Middle School Theatre and teacher recommendation

Intermediate Theatre Arts I may be substituted for Theatre Arts I. It is an intensive course in acting styles, stage composition, voice and diction, script analysis, theatre history, and technical theatre designed to challenge the student having 2-3 years of middle school theatre arts credit. Students will be involved in many performance projects each grading period and written and involved visual projects throughout the year. Application forms are available through the counselor’s office and the high school and middle school theatre arts teachers.

Theatre Arts II - (1 credit) 10th-12th grade

Prerequisite: Theatre Arts I

Theatre Arts II is a continuation of Theatre Arts I with special emphasis on advanced acting styles and techniques and critical analysis of scripts and characters. Students will also continue their study of improvisation as it enhances character analysis, pantomime, mime, voice and diction, audition techniques and production techniques.

Theatre Arts III - IV - (1 credit) 11th – 12th grade

Prerequisite: Theatre Arts II, audition and teacher recommendation

Areas of study in Theatre Arts III and IV rotate each year so that all are covered by end of the 4th year and include such as contemporary and classical acting styles and techniques, exploration and analysis of representative plays from each period of history, playwriting and other specialize production techniques. All students will be involved in many performances, written and visual projects throughout the year. This class is designed for the student who wishes to seriously study and apply the theory of acting. Primarily students enrolled in this class are the same ones who comprise a large percentage of the acting companies of the departmental productions.

Technical Theatre I - (1 credit) 10th – 12th grade

Prerequisite: Theatre Arts I or Interview with the Instructor

Technical Theatre I general areas of study include, but are not exclusive to the following: principles of costume, make-up, scenery, lighting and sound design and application, and general stagecraft skills. Additional areas explored are history of the theatre and careers in the theatre. Students will be involved in many design projects in each grading period and written projects and tests throughout the year. Students in Technical Theatre I are also required to attend all campus theatre productions and complete 10 lab hours in the first semester, outside of the school day. Students are required to purchase a specific list of supplies totaling approximately $35.

Intermediate Technical Theatre I—(1 credit) 9th grade

Prerequisite: MS Theatre and teacher recommendation

Intermediate Technical Theatre I may be substituted for Technical Theatre Arts I. It is an intensive course in theatrical design and application, stage management, stagecraft, technical script analysis, and theatre history designed to challenge the students having 2-3 years of middle school theatre arts credit. Students will be involved in many design projects in each grading period, and written projects and tests throughout the year. Students in Intermediate Technical Theatre I are required to attend all campus theatre productions and complete 12 lab hours in the first semester, outside of the school day. Students are required to purchase a specific list of supplies totaling approximately $35. Application forms are available through the counselor’s office and the high school and middle school theatre arts teachers.

Technical Theatre II - (1 credit) 10th-12th grade

Prerequisite: Technical Theatre I and teacher recommendation

Technical Theatre II is a continuation of Technical Theatre I with special emphasis on advanced theatre design, moderate to advanced stage craft skills, and stage management. Students will also continue their study of script analysis and begin working on period styles and architecture of specific time periods. Students will begin creating a portfolio of their design work. Students in Technical Theatre II are required to attend all campus theatre productions and complete 15 lab hours in the first semester, outside of the school day. Students are required to purchase a specific list of supplies totaling approximately $40.

Technical Theatre III/IV - (1 credit) 11th - 12th grade

Prerequisite: Technical Theatre II and teacher recommendation

Areas of study in Technical Theatre III-IV include advanced stagecraft and design implementation. Emphasis will be placed on lab work, creation of technical theatre portfolio, leadership skills and exploration and analysis of play styles and history of architecture and costuming. All students will be involved in many projects, both written and visual, throughout the year. This class is designed for the student who wishes to seriously study and apply the theory of stage design. Primarily students enrolled in this class are the same ones who comprise a large percentage of the technical crews of the departmental productions. Students in Technical Theatre III-IV are required to attend all campus theatre productions and complete 20 lab hours in the first semester, outside of the school day. Students are required to purchase a specific list of supplies totaling approximately $50.

Theatre Production I- (1 credit) 10th-12th grade

Prerequisite: Theatre 1 or Technical Theatre I, audition/interview

A full year course for advanced theatre students that explores various production aspects of the art of Theatre. This class is largely project based and may require production hours outside of class as a component of the student’s grade. The specifics of this course vary from campus to campus, so please see your school’s theatre director for more information.