NYSED approved courses created at Averill Park High School

 Introduction to Theatre Arts is a course designed for both the student with a casual interest in theatre as a discipline and for the student hoping to pursue theatre as a possible career path. The course is open to students of all grades and ability levels and is designed to provide a thorough overview of theatre arts from the basics of acting and understanding plays to technical aspects of production including set design, sound, and lighting. Units focus on the first steps in acting including mime and vocal control, plays in both literary and performance aspects, crafts necessary for production including set, lighting, sound, and costume design, and an overview of theatre history and careers in theatre. Students are trained in presentation, self-assessment, and writing skills that will provide global benefits in their high school classes. Opportunities will be provided for students to attend at least two professional theatre performances during the school year. In addition, visiting artists and theatre professionals will be brought into the classroom when possible.

Acting: Building on skills students originated in Introduction to Theatre Arts, the class provides training in multiple performance practices and techniques. After a quick review of basic skills students take an in-depth look at building characters and various acting techniques including Strasberg’s Method and Bogart and Landau’s Viewpoints. Students develop audition strategies as well as mastering challenging dialogues and monologues. Central to the course is real world performance; to that end the class will perform scenes from classic works at midterm and end the year with a class performance to benefit a school or community program. These opportunities also allow students to appreciate the structure of a theatre company and practice performance allied with production skills such as directing. Students of all ability levels who have completed Introduction to Theatre Arts and have a strong interest in the discipline may take the class. Opportunities will be provided for students to attend at least two professional theatre performances during the school year. In addition, visiting artists and theatre professionals will be brought into the classroom when possible.

Photo By Gerald Zaffuts

Photo by Gerald Zaffuts

Tech and Design for the Theatre is a one-year course for the student hoping to pursue theatre as a possible career path or with a passion for theatre arts. The course is open to students in grades 10 through 12 who have completed Introduction to Theatre Arts and have a strong interest in technical aspects of production including set design, sound, lighting, costume, props, and makeup. Units are designed to provide a background in theory and practice. Whenever possible the class will design and construct items to be used in productions and educational programs in the district. Examples of this have been the creation of props and scenic drops used in English classrooms to teach To Kill a Mockingbird and the design and construction of puppets to be used by acting classes in their children’s play performed for over 700 elementary students. Beyond skills and practices of technical theatre, the students are trained in presentation, self-assessment, and writing skills that will provide global benefits in their high school classes. Opportunities will be provided for students to attend at least two professional theatre performances during the school year. In addition, visiting artists and theatre professionals will be brought into the classroom when possible.  During the second semester students prepare a major term project in an area of technical theatre that is of particular interest to them, and as a final evaluation will present a portfolio that includes a resume and personal statement of their design technique alongside examples of their successful work.

Advanced Production is a culmination of work students began in Introduction to Theatre Arts and continued in either Acting or Tech and Design (or both). The course allows students to work toward mastery level Theatre Arts skills through the development of both traditional and original performances. In the class students will collaboratively employ skills learned in previous courses for four major projects: Educational Theatre, a piece of Devised Theatre for a Community Group, Scenes and Monologues, and a Final Production for the school community. In each project students will work with a different audience or community group and explore how to best tailor their preparation and performance to the various social, cultural, and educational needs of those audiences. Each project will result in an evaluated public performance, giving students real world theatre arts experience.

Photo by Gerald Zaffuts

Theatre for Young People is a methods course in the teaching of creative dramatics to children, including games, puppetry, and improvisation. Acting in, directing, and producing performances for child audiences will be explored through children’s literature and plays. The class incorporates field work with elementary and middle school students, so it is ideal for seniors with open time in their schedules. It also provides information on child development and educational practice, so might be of interest to future teachers, or students who enjoy child development.  College credit for the class is available through the Sage Colleges who have partnered with us in the course design.