Theater 1: Playing Characters (Including Yourself) introduces students to the skills and habits of mind required for performance. Students will engage in theater games, improvisation, physical and vocal exercises, character development, original playwriting, scene study and monologue performance. Through these activities, students will increase their confidence in front of an audience, build greater physical and vocal awareness, enhance their observational skills, and develop their ability to reflect on their creative process. In cooperation with peers, they will gain greater access to their creativity and spontaneity, improve their ability to work collaboratively, and express themselves through writing and performance. The course includes a field trip to a local professional show, where students explore the elements and choices that make up a theatrical production. This class serves as a prerequisite for all advanced theater classes. (1/2 credit)
Theater 2: Techniques and Styles for Performance is the second in a sequence of classes that helps students develop the skills and habits of mind required for performance. Students will broaden their knowledge of theatrical approaches, develop strategies for analyzing scripts, learn to create complex dramatic characters, discover techniques for unlocking spontaneity, and gain experience in creating and performing work in varied styles. Students will analyze and perform scripted scenes and monologues from a range of plays, and investigate a selection of genres from the theatrical canon. They will also improvise scenarios and write their own short performance pieces. The course includes a field trip to a local professional show, as inspiration for developing an original group scene. Theater 2 culminates in a showcase performance of scenes and monologues developed entirely in class time for the school community. Prerequisite: Theater 1, Musical Theater Production or instructor approval. (1/2 credit)
Circus Techniques teaches students to communicate with their bodies and broaden their physical vocabulary by developing skills in a variety of traditional circus arts. Basic acrobatic, juggling and trapeze skills teach students timing, spatial orientation and coordination. Forward rolls, headstands and handstands form the core of the acrobatic practice, and students then build creatively on that foundation. We look at the history of circus, circus acts from around the globe, and how circus arts are integrated into contemporary performance. Work in circus arts requires both discipline and imagination and provides a strong foundation for anyone interested in pushing limits, expanding creativity and exploring spontaneity. The course culminates in a circus performance that is developed entirely in class time for the school community and public. No previous experience required. (1/2 credit)
Peer Education Theater asks students to write and perform regularly through a constant stream of journal prompts and performance projects. Students mine their lived experiences and imaginations daily to produce solo and group scenes for the stage. The group practices a series of specific listening and witnessing skills, as well as collaborative decision making in group projects. The ensemble acquires stagecraft through regular improvisation and exercises for body and voice. In the second half of the term, focus shifts toward the production of a show, where students compile a script from their original written work and collective visions. The course concludes in a series of performances and community discussions. Prerequisite: An acting class or instructor approval. New Peer Resource students are required to take this course in their Sophomore year. (1/2 credit)
UAS Musical Theater Production is a full-scale ensemble production in collaboration with the music program at Urban. We spend approximately 10 weeks in rehearsal, culminating in public performances in the Gumption Theater. Production work may involve guest artists in choreography, design and instrumental accompaniment. This class requires an understanding and ability to engage in acting and singing techniques, as well as strong dedication, energy and mutual support. Students will analyze and rehearse a scripted musical, including engaging in rigorous practice of acting, singing and dancing, both in rehearsal and independently. In addition, students will explore the themes of the show and regularly reflect on personal progress. Please note that this class includes rehearsals after school three days a week throughout the term, and every afternoon during Weeks 9-11. Students may not participate in an Urban fall sport while taking this class. Prerequisite: Intro to Urban Singers or Theater 1. (1/2 credit)
Theater Production is an advanced acting class that stages a full-scale ensemble production. We spend approximately 10 weeks in rehearsal, culminating in public performances in the Gumption Theater. This class requires an understanding and ability to engage in acting technique, as well as strong dedication, energy and mutual support. Students will analyze and rehearse a scripted play, engage in research on the play’s themes, apply writings by theater professionals, and regularly reflect on personal progress. Students will also engage with creative work in other aspects of production, including design, construction and publicity. Please note that this class includes rehearsals after school three days a week throughout the term, and every afternoon during Weeks 9-11. Students may not participate in an Urban winter sport while taking this class. Prerequisite: Theater 1, Musical Theater Production or instructor approval. (1/2 credit)
One Acts Festival is an advanced theater seminar that produces a festival of short student-written plays for public performance. In this class, students will engage in workshops on directing techniques, engage with writings by theater professionals, and regularly reflect on rehearsal progress. They will hold auditions, develop rehearsal plans, and direct their own rehearsals with actors not enrolled in the course, conducted outside of class hours. Students will also actively participate in other aspects of production, including design, construction and publicity. Please note that this class requires attendance at rehearsals after school, especially for technical rehearsals near the end of the term. Students interested in writing a play eligible for inclusion in the festival are required to enroll in the weekly Playwriting class during winter term. To complete a stage-ready script by the end of winter term, Playwriting students will be expected to meet writing deadlines and submit several script revisions. Interested students with no prior theater production experience must consult with the instructor before enrolling. (Seniors only) (1/2 credit)
Courses Offered in Alternative Years
UAS Theater, Social Change and Community links performance to larger societal issues and explores how theater is used to reflect and impact communities. The course examines how theater dramatizes social tensions, activates empathy across difference, and imagines ways forward. Students will study examples of protest theater and docudrama, trends in community-based performance, and approaches used in therapeutic and correctional contexts, and then apply these models to original dramatic work. Students will design structured improvisations, experiment with first-person spoken word, and create interview-based documentary scenes for community performance. Prerequisite: Theater 1, Peer Education Theater or Sophomore Service Learning. (½ credit)
