Duke Ellington School of the Arts

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Theater

Click here for the Theater department handbook.

The Theater Department provides a conservatory-style training program for aspiring theater artists. Theater is an interdisciplinary collaborative art form that requires intensive study in many different areas. Students can major in Acting or Technical Design and Production. The first two years of study provide a foundation in acting, speech, dance, movement, play analysis, dramatic literature, and stagecraft. The final two years include intensive study in the student’s chosen major. Electives include playwriting, directing, stage management, audition practices, and theater management. Master classes – with professional actors and directors – are offered throughout the year. The performance and rehearsal process is an essential part of our training program and students will often be required to participate in after-school activities. (The Physical Education requirement is satisfied by select Dance courses.)

We expect students to continue their education in a post-secondary institution along with pursuing other professional training and career opportunities. Upon completion of this program, students should be able to make informed decisions regarding their future in the performing and technical arts and related fields.

Objectives

dressing room Students will engage in the processes of creating theater with curiosity, imagination, persistence, personal discipline, technical skill, and interpersonal sensitivity. The student’s work, in its final form, will show confident and consistent attention to performance style and genre, thematic and emotional content, integrity, and technical precision. Theater students will graduate with the ability to creatively process and solve problems related to the demands of performance and theater production, as well as other careers. Students will be equipped to become productive citizens of the community and continue their pursuits at the post-secondary level.

What do you learn as a theater major, and what can you "do" with it?

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Goals For Students

Students will have an opportunity to participate in residencies, workshops and internships, e.g., at The Kennedy Center, Shakespeare Theater, Arena Stage, and National Theater.
Students may have an opportunity to travel to a foreign country to perform and learn about the culture of another community.
Students will have opportunities to participate in theater festivals and observe the work of other young artists.
Students will have extensive opportunities to practice the integration of theory and technique by rehearsing and performing in various types of productions, including Main Stage, Workshops, Staged Readings, Theater Sports, and Touring Ensembles.
All theater students will be provided opportunities to integrate their academic skills with their theater skills.

Theater Sequence of Courses

YEAR ONE	YEAR TWO	YEAR THREE	YEAR FOUR
Acting I	Acting II	Acting III	Acting IV
Theater History I	Movement II	Styles	Audition Practices *
Stagecraft I & II			Introduction to Directing *
	Speech II	Speech III	Speech IV
3 Credits	3 Credits	3 Credits	3 Credits

Ken Johnson *½ credit courses.
Electives: Playwriting*, Play Analysis*, Stage Management, Theater Organization/Management I*, Theater Organization/Management II*, Intro to Musical Theater Survey, Theater History II, Movement III & IV
Students who complete the four-year program are required to have 12 arts credits to graduate.
Students who complete a three-year program are required to have 9 arts credits to graduate.