In 6th and 7th grade Middle School students can choose to take Drama as part of their exploratory arts rotation. In these classes, they study the different elements of drama, including movement, improvisation, storytelling, adaptation, characterization, and stage production. They also examine their personal skills and relationships with others as part of the acting process and are provided with multiple opportunities to invent original works and analyze in-class performances. 8th grade students can take Theatre Fundamentals or Theatre Ensemble as semester classes which offer opportunities to perform more for their peers and their community.
All middle school students are invited to audition for the middle school theatre production each year. During one of their three middle school years, students are also invited to participate in an all campus musical. These performance opportunities are extracurricular and require outside of class time to rehearse and perform.
In Upper School, students can take Theatre 1 which introduces various plays from theatre history and teaches the craft of acting. Theatre 2 is for the student who desires to continue growing as a performer and allows students to use the skills they learn to direct scene work and to write original material. Honors Theatre 3 and Honors Theatre 4 are for advanced students interested in pursuing more performance opportunities, both during their time at ESJ and beyond at the college level. These classes, also known as the Touring Company, represent Episcopal at various competitions, festivals, and other events.
In addition to classes, any student is eligible to audition for theatre productions which cover the spectrum of theatre genres. One-act and full-length musicals, comedies, dramas, farces, and historical plays are all a part of the school’s rich extracurricular performance experience. Episcopal’s chapter of The International Thespian Society participates at district and state thespian festivals. Students may also take part in the wide variety of technical theatre positions supporting these productions. In addition, the Drama Club is an after-school program which performs throughout the year in school productions and other settings.
