Originally written by Hannah Draut for the program for THE CIRCLE OF LAUGH, 2014
Updated by Paige Glasser for Journalism class, 2017
Of all the classes Danville High School offers to students, there are four that we ‘theatre geeks’ wish we could take all four years: Drama I, Tech Theatre, Advanced Acting, and Play Production.
In Drama I we focused mainly on the layout of the theatre, drama through history, and how the dynamics of drama can change a show, for better… or worse. We saw this through watching movies of Broadway plays, then pointing out what made them appealing to audience members. We also wrote and performed our own monologues as well as open scenes and played improvisation games and read play scripts.
In Tech Theatre we went further in depth with the sound, lighting, stage managing, and backstage elements that go into a play, right here, in our own Gravely Hall. Much of the tech work completed for our oneacts happens in this class.
In Advanced Theatre, we looked into methods of becoming a better actor. We used resources such as Uta Hagan’s characterization questions; we also worked on Linklater Movement. We practiced what we learned through projects such as monologues, partner scenes, and two minute scenes (which consist of our taking any two minutes of our day and replicating them on stage.) Throughout all of these projects, Ms. Dewey continually asked us questions such as, “What is your character thinking?” or “What are the actors' intentions in this scene?” allowing us to further delve into our characters.
Last, but certainly not least, we have Play Production. In this class, taught by Mr. Steve Meadows, we are looking at how to successfully produce a show. We have even had the chance to direct our own scenes. More recently, we have been working on the three one-act comedies we will present to you today. This class began with a one-act play reading assignment where we, the students, recommended which plays to produce. Mr. Meadows chose three of our selections to pick to produce.
I could try to put all that we have been working on in these four classes into words, but I think it would be best just to show you exactly what we have been up to. We hope you enjoy!