Theatre

THT725  Ninth Grade Theatre
required minor | grade: 9
This introductory class investigates the art form of theatre and explores performance as a vehicle for self-expression; it aims to bring to life each student’s personal sensibility as a story-teller, story-maker, and story-seeker. The course includes a survey of the ritualistic and performative storytelling methods that have developed in ancient civilizations and how they have evolved into the medium of theatre we currently practice. Students will also engage with the storytelling of personal narratives, dramatic theory, writing and physical theatre exercises, as well as explore elements of design and technical theatre. In the spring, students have the opportunity to be involved in the Ninth Grade Production, a long-standing GFS production - on-stage, backstage, and beyond.

THT840  Ninth Grade Musical
minor elective | grade: 9 | one semester
In this course, students will rehearse and produce a full-book musical. They will engage in the process of taking a show from script and score to stage and performance. Students will have the choice of auditioning for a lead role or participating as a member of the ensemble. Once the show has been cast, the course will move to the rehearsal process, including the study of scene work, choral, solo, and dance pieces. In the final stages of the rehearsal process, the rest of the grade will also join the efforts and support the final production. Performances occur in early May and will require evening rehearsals. No previous singing or acting experience is necessary. May be taken for Music or Theatre credit.

THT720  Acting Methods
minor elective | grade: 9, 10
This course trains actors in two distinct, but complementary styles of acting as they relate to text and improvisation. The first focuses on the acting and auditioning methods of Stanislavski, Uta Hagen, and Declan Donnellan. Students can expect to study acting and directing techniques using outstanding dramatic classical and modern texts. The class explores how different interpretations affect both direction and performance. The spring term study is dedicated to production and performance work for the Poley Festival.

THT730  Acting & Directing Techniques
minor elective | grades: 11, 12
What is acting and how is it done? How does someone become someone else? How does the actor free their emotions? How important is believability? Is acting an art or a craft? This course explores these questions and the evolution of actor training as we study and investigate the techniques of: Stanislavski, Strasberg, Adler, Meisner, Esper, Hagen, and Brecht. The texts studied are chosen from the anthologies of our finest playwrights from the past to present time. Our classwork culminates in the Poley Festival of student-written, -directed and -acted works as presented each spring.

THT800  Movement for Theatre
minor elective | grades: 10, 11, 12 | one semester
This fall course trains the actor in methods and techniques for opening and conditioning the physical body, one of the actor’s primary instruments for artistic expression. Students increase awareness, range, and freedom of movement while exploring the fundamental importance of space, weight, and time as theatrical principles. The course assumes a collaborative approach to theater-making in the study of ensemble-based techniques. Students can also expect to focus on flexibility, strength training, breathwork, coordination and balance, as well as creative and improvisational movement. This is not a performance-based class and no prior experience is needed. This course can be taken for Theatre or PE credit.

THT810  Modern Dance
minor elective | grades: 10, 11, 12 | one semester
This spring course is an all-levels modern dance class that includes explorations in technique, improvisation, and choreography. Students will engage methods and language common to a variety of modern dance styles and concepts. Most material will be learned through physical participation as students deepen their awareness of the body and explore the connection between the physical, cognitive, and emotional aspects of themselves. Should they choose, students will have the opportunity to perform as part of the annual Poley Festival of student-created work. Course material will be leveled based on the experience of those registered, therefore, previous dance experience is welcome, but not necessary. This course can be taken for Theatre or PE credit.

THT700  Technical Theatre I
minor elective | grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
In Technical Theatre, students have an opportunity to work on all aspects of bringing a show to opening night and running that show once it gets there. Students work on set construction, stage painting, lighting, design, run crew, and all of the other aspects that go into bringing a show to life. Each trimester will focus on the technical needs of the specific production in season. Students are expected to participate as a member of a production team for at least one mainstage show, which will include call times outside of the regular school day.

THT791  Scenic and Costume Design
minor elective | grades: 10, 11, 12
This course exists at the intersection of fine art and theatrical storytelling. Design is an essential part of the theatrical form; sets and costumes create the world of the play and have a powerful effect on how an audience experiences the story being told. In this class students will learn both conceptual and practical skills related to theatre design, scenic painting, and costuming. Students can expect to support GFS Theatre productions as part of their work in this course.

THT765  Technical Theatre II
minor elective | grades: 10, 11, 12 | prerequisite: Technical Theatre I
If the first level of Technical Theatre is about skill acquisition and development, this course is about the direct application of those skills in the context of theatrical production. A hands-on course, students will do the work of bringing a concept to life through the ‘magic’ of theatre. Study will include lighting, sound, and set construction with a focus on how to interpret design and working drawings. In addition to class time, students are expected to be involved in at least one GFS Theatre production throughout the performance season.

THT830  Musical Theatre
minor elective | grades: 10, 11, 12
Acting, singing, dancing: this course is what they call a ‘triple threat’. We will study Broadway musicals, both past and present, through the complementary but distinct lenses of libretto, score, and choreography. Students can expect to learn through participation as we study the vocal, acting, and movement techniques common in this genre of theatre. Coursework will also include dramaturgical studies of particular periods in history as they relate to the creative team and director’s vision, performance, and writing styles of a given show. The course will culminate with an in-class showcase of student work and can be taken for either Music or Theatre credit.

THT680  Reader’s Theatre
minor elective | grades: 11, 12
This survey course is designed for juniors and seniors who are interested in reading plays within a theatrical historical context. There will be introductory lectures on the evolving styles and the influence that these playwrights had on one another. The course curriculum includes the following playwrights and works: Seamus Heaney’s adaptation of Euripides, Commedia Lazzis, Kabuki, Kyogen and Noh plays, Marlowe, Shakespeare, Moliere, Congreve, Dickens adapted by Edgar, Ibsen, Chekhov translated by Frayn, Shaw, Strindberg, Wedekind, Brecht, Pirandello, O’Neill, Wilde, Ionesco, Beckett, Pinter, Williams, Miller, Hellman, Shaffer, Fugard, Albee, Stoppard, Wilson, Shepard, Kushner, Suzan-Lori-Parks, Mamet, Friel, and Hwang.

THT120  Playwriting Workshop
minor elective | grades: 11, 12
A play is an event where bodies, language, sound, movement, and visual arts are equal partners, giving theatre many tentacles for transforming the audience, for transforming society. The play, in written form, is the blueprint for transformation and this class aims to help us gain access to the cockpit inside the metaphysical octopus’ mainframe. In this writing workshop, students will study and explore playwriting, a form of writing more closely related to poetry or music than the novel; a polyphonic art of many voices coming from your many selves. Over the course of the year, students will sample a range of plays, from modern drama to bold contemporary works, surveying the wide array of structures. Students will be offered writing prompts in class that will hone various aspects of the form and can expect to write a one-act play as well as various short plays. We will also explore collaborative writing and create a script together. This is a course for students who enjoy writing and are eager to explore a new form.

THT940  Shakespeare Studio
minor elective | grades: 11, 12
The influence of Shakespeare’s plays on our language and culture is evident and alive in daily conversation and across artistic genres — cinema, theatre, opera, and pop culture. Shakespeare Studio is a course dedicated to the premise that few things are as interesting as the works of William Shakespeare. This course welcomes actors and non-actors alike. We seek a dynamic and diverse range of backgrounds and experiences. All voices are necessary when it comes to interpreting Shakespeare. Centered around four Shakes­pearean plays, the course gives students the opportunity to delve in and get to know these plays well. In Shakespeare Studio we will work around the table and get up on our feet. We will study as actors, directors, and dramaturgs in the staging of various scenes from all five plays. Students will begin the course with a Shakespeare toolkit to introduce them to the world of text work, rhetoric, scansion, and dramaturgical study. Professional theatre artists will workshop various techniques and approaches to Shakespeare’s plays. We hope to attend professional productions in the region and screen cinematic interpretations, considering varying directorial viewpoints.

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THT200  Sketch Comedy & Improvisation
minor elective | grades: 10, 11, 12
In this comedy intensive, students will study long and short-form improvisation techniques. Using methods developed by Upright Citizens Brigade, Keith Johnstone, Viola Spolin, and Del Close, students will focus on character and plot development as they explore the famous ‘Harold’ longform improv game. Students will then use improv to generate written material, individually and together as a group in a “writer’s room,” as they work to hone their sketch writing skills. There will be a balance of live performance and digital content creation, culminating in a Saturday-Night-Live-esque final showing.

THT750  Introduction to Filmmaking
minor elective | grades: 10, 11, 12
This entry-level course provides students with a foundation in cinema studies and filmmaking. Students begin the course by examining the history and technology of film while discovering their cinematic voices through micro-films and exercises shot and edited with their smartphones. Students will gain an appreciation of the technical, theatrical, and narrative elements of cinema through assignments that introduce concepts related to cinematography, production design, genres, and editing. Once essential terminologies are defined and students have a greater appreciation for the production process professional filmmaking equipment is introduced to the mix as students are trained to use and maintain the necessary hardware and software to create films. By the end of this course, students will have a firm grasp of pre- and post-production filmmaking techniques. They will also have a portfolio of films that demonstrate their burgeoning skills and unique point of view as a storyteller. The course will also include assignments related to film criticism and screenings to create dynamic cinephiles out of every student.

THT751  Film Editing & Post-Production
minor elective | grades: 11, 12 | one semester | prerequisite: Intro to Filmmaking
In this intermediate course, students learn the incredible creative power that post-production provides the filmmaker. Topics of study will include color correction, sound editing and mixing, and visual effects (VFX). Emphasis is on the overall post-production process and editing, and the importance of knowing the production direction well before filming takes place. Hands-on learning with non-linear editing software will introduce students to creating a project and properly organizing and naming files for the purposes of editing. Students will also wrestle with the philosophy and craft of editing to imbue their projects with more substance and meaning.

THT792  Light, Sound, and Production Design
minor elective | grades: 11, 12 | one semester | prerequisite: Intro to Filmmaking
This hands-on semester course is intended for students interested in building upon their filmmaking skills and diving deeper into aspects of production design with a particular focus on lighting and sound. For the lighting portion of the class, students will learn about three-point lighting and other aesthetic and technical tricks of the trade. Students will also develop an understanding of “how” sound works through the practical use of microphones and digital audio tools. The history of sound design from analog to digital formats will inform this process as students learn about recording original sound effects (Foley) and dubbing audio. Additional topics include lighting and makeup for actors of all hues and sound mixing and sampling.

THT760  Filmmaking: The Picture is the Thing: Advanced
minor elective | grades: 11, 12 | prerequisite: Intro to Filmmaking and Film Editing & Post-Production OR Light, Sound, and Production
The goal of this year-long course is to complete one feature-length film by years end. Requirements during the year will consist of a series of short films including one completed for submission to the Philly Youth Film Festival. Participants will also be required to attend the film festival. Additional assignments will include watching and discussing multiple films with an eye towards approach and execution. Another goal of the class is for students to decide on the genre of the feature film; narrative, documentary or experimental and complete the film. The final feature length will be between 50 and 90 minutes long. During the course of the year, we will commit to making 2-3 short films and simultaneously complete work on the long term feature-length film. Focus on technical; lighting, sound, set design etc. as well as a focus on story construction, budgeting, casting etc. will be ingrained into the academic year. From time to time we will have subject area guest lectures visit with the class.