Theater

[Head of the Department: Thomas Kane] The goals of our program are twofold. Primarily, the focus is on the making of theater; we want students to become stronger practitioners of the theater arts. At every level of study, something is produced: a staged performance, a written scene, a short film, an original design, a fully realized production. In doing this work, students are asked to apply and develop a sense of creativity and imagination, to stretch their abilities, to take risks, and to develop a sense of artistic discipline. Secondly, as theater is the study of human behavior and experience, the Department wants students to gain a sense of empathy and understanding for the world around them. Through the act of creating a theatrical world, they should develop a stronger understanding for the world they live in. In addition to the courses listed below, advanced students may design with the department Independent Courses in direction, playwriting and design.

THEATER 33 - Approaches to Acting

Fall. 4 meetings weekly. Working from the techniques laid out in the Atlantic Theater Company’s book, A Practical Handbook for the Actor, students will practice creating characters for the stage. We will focus first on performing scenes from modern playwrights and then on performing scenes from Shakespeare. In all our work, emphasis will be placed on creating realistic, connected, purposeful and dynamic performances.

THEATER 34 - Advanced Approaches to Acting

Fall, Spring. 4 meetings weekly. Prerequisite: Theater 33 or Permission of the Department. Using the fundamentals laid out in Theater 33, students will work to expand their range as actors. Starting with scenes from Chekhov and then working our way to newer playwrights, students will continue to explore what is needed to create truthful and fully embodied characters for the stage.

THEATER 37 - Technical Theater

Fall. 4 meetings weekly. This course serves as an introduction to basic technical theater techniques. Students will learn and use various skills focused on building and painting sets and props, hanging and focusing lights, and programming the light board. Students will exercise creative and practical skills through in-class projects of set, lighting, and sound design. Each student will be required to give and receive peer feedback and work collaboratively and safely.

THEATER 38 - Theater Design

Spring. 4 meetings weekly. Prerequisite: Theater 37 or Permission of the Department. This course is an in-depth look at designing for theater. Building on skills developed in Theater 37, students will utilize script analysis techniques employed by designers and directors to develop a clear production concept for a full-length play. Working off of a common text, the semester focuses on creating and presenting set, sound, lighting and costume designs to the class. Each student will be required to give and receive peer feedback and work collaboratively and safely. The opportunity to design for a Middlesex production as part of this class is a possibility.

THEATER 80 - Projects in Theater

Spring. 4 meetings weekly. Prerequisite: Theater 34 or Permission of the Department. This ensemble based acting course focuses on exploring current American playwrights from realists like Tracy Letts and David Margolies to the more surreal, such as Mac Wellman and Charles Mee. In addition to creating performances for the stage, the ensemble will also create shorter video pieces.

THEATER 81 - Movie Making for Actors

Spring. 4 meetings weekly. Prerequisite: Theater 33 or Permission of the Department. This course builds on the understanding of character and action developed in the department’s acting curriculum and puts it toward the making of short narrative movies. Students will spend the semester making projects that explore process, cinematography, editing, sound and directing. The course culminates with each student creating an original short movie. THIS COURSE WILL NOT BE OFFERED IN 2022-2023.

THEATER 90 - Advanced Projects in Theater

Spring. 4 meetings weekly. Prerequisite: Theater 34 or higher or Permission of the Department.

Bringing a years’ worth of technique to practice, students collaborate to choose and rehearse their final performance as an ensemble. The course ends in a full-length workshop production in the Hugh Fortmiller Studio Theater. THIS COURSE WILL NOT BE OFFERED IN 2022-2023.

Middlesex School 1400 Lowell Road,Concord, MA 01742 Telephone: 978.369.2550 fax: 978.287.4759 www.mxschool.edu