Theater Arts

The Theater Arts Department is dedicated to teaching an in-depth, multi-layered approach to the study of theater and its collaborative nature. Through acting classes, design and production, and education as audience members, students learn to communicate and expand their imagination, creativity, thoughts, and emotions. In classes and productions, Lovett students discover self-discipline, self-motivation, self-esteem and social interaction. The artistic process in acting and design and production is the core of all the work within the program. Students experience a heightened sense of culture and an ability to make critical value judgment through skills in acting and design and production. The Theater Arts Department combines these elements to form a curriculum that allows students to explore and experience the theatrical world, instilling a lifelong love of theater. The Theater Department produces plays and musicals both semesters, along with other workshop productions. In addition, they take an annual trip to New York City that is highly recommended, but optional.

design and production

The Design and Production classes are designed to provide and develop the skills needed to succeed in the demanding world of theatrical design and production. Offered to Upper School and eighth grade students, this program explores design and production from conceptual design work to the “nuts and bolts” that help make a production happen. Utilizing both hands-on applications as well as in-class projects, each student will be able to explore, expand, and realize his/her own creative potential. The course covers all aspects of backstage work, including stage lighting and carpentry; scenic, lighting, and costume design; stage management; operations; and fundamental sound design and engineering.

upper school Design and Production

Eighth Grade Design and Production

faculty SPOTLIGHT

SUSAN MCCLUSKEY

Susan McCluskey is one of the assistant directors of Fine Arts, as well as theater productions coordinator and facilities manager. She works with the Design and Production classes in the Upper School and Middle School. Her greatest pleasure is working with very talented students—K-12— on theatrical productions throughout the year. Susan graduated magna cum laude from Culver-Stockton College with a Bachelor of Science in Arts Management. The combined business/ arts degree has led her to a variety of different opportunites, from theatrical stage management to administrative support of corporate presidents, set dressing to bookkeeping, properties design to marketing design. Susan is active in Atlanta’s professional theatre arena as a stage manager and props designer, having worked most recently with Atlanta Lyric Theatre and City Springs Theatre.

Brian Patterson was born in Orlando, FL, but moved to the North Georgia mountains as an elementary student. He grew up in Hiawassee, GA and is the youngest of two children. After graduation from high school, he attended West Georgia College prior to transferring and graduating from the University of Georgia with a degree in Technical Theater. He is the proud father of Piedmont College student Haley, who is currently following in the arts education field. Brian comes to Lovett after many years in theater around the Atlanta area. After graduating from the University of Georgia, he moved to the Atlanta area and began freelancing as well as working full-time as technical director and production coordinator for Theater in the Square in Marietta for 14 years. Following that, he was director of technical services for North Metro Church prior to joining Lovett as Technical Director. He enjoys showing young minds the joy he’s found in a career in theater as well as using those talents in everything from furniture and interior design to building campers.

A native of Columbus, GA, Wesley Forlines became involved with the Springer Opera House’s Theatre Academy program at a young age. After earning a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, he took a project management internship with Electronic Theatre Controls in Madison, WI. Since returning to Georgia, Wesley has worked and designed for theatres around the Atlanta area and joined the Lovett faculty in 2016. In addition to co-teaching Theatre Design and Production classes, he designs lighting and scenery for the dozens of performances Lovett produces each year.

BRIAN PATTERSON

WESLEY FORLINES

upper school theater arts

honors theater arts

The Upper School Theater Arts Program offers four levels of Theater Arts classes, as well as two levels of instruction in Screenwriting and Motion Picture Production. Acting students explore a rich variety of techniques and skills through exercises, improvisation, scene study, and performance. Each semester, students will study under several guest theater professionals, enriching their overall experience. The Upper School produces several main productions a year, as well as a one-act play and numerous video productions. Screenwriting students learn to construct solid story outlines, bold characters and believable dialogue in their study of the craft of storytelling.

faculty SPOTLIGHT

SETH DECKER

Seth Decker is a Lovett alumnus and a graduate of Boston University’s Theatre Conservatory with a BFA in classical stage acting. He has been acting professionally since age 8, and has performed all over the country, from Charlotte to San Francisco to Boston. He has appeared in various television shows, commercials, and industrial films in Atlanta. In 2003, he founded Red Door Playhouse, where he teaches acting, playwriting, and improvisation to kids, teens, and adults year round. He hosts the weekly Red Door Improv Show and offers in-school improv programs and corporate teambuilding workshops across the state. He’s excited to bring the spontaneous fun of improv to all the theater students at Lovett this year.

Rhoda Griffis has been a professional working actress for over 40 years in film, television, commercials, voice-overs, and print. Holding a BFA from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (where she now serves as a member of the Board of Trustees), Rhoda was a member of the Acting Company for seven seasons at the NC Shakespeare Festival and toured the east coast teaching Shakespeare in schools. Other theatrical credits include Charlotte Rep, St. Louis Rep, The Alliance Theatre, Theatre-by-the-Sea in Portsmouth, NH, and Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Ms. Griffis has over 85 feature films under her belt-including: Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Parental Guidance, The Blind Side, Walk The Line, and recent feature film Charming the Hearts of Men. With over 70 television credits, watch for her in Netflix’s Ozark Season 4 and HBO’s The Righteous Gemstone. Rhoda enjoyed recurring roles on Army Wives, Drop Dead Diva, and Satisfaction. She uses her experience in the business to guide students how to work as a professional Actor in the Southeast Market. Teaching acting for the camera, audition techniques, and teaching Theatre classes as part of the Theatre faculty (including Honors Theatre—The Acting Company), assistant directing shows, dialogue coaching students on accents, voice-over study, and ear-prompter instruction. Students get training on how actors work, train and audition professionally. RHODA GRIFFIS

middle school theater arts

Middle School Theater Arts classes are offered for seventh and eighth grade students, and as part of the Lovett Life Lessons rotation for sixth grade students as public speaking. In seventh grade, students are taught the fundamentals of nonverbal storytelling through sensory exploration and improvisation. They then move on to voice/diction work, as well as introductory scene study. Eighth graders are taught audition technique, stage combat, theater history, scene work from classic plays, and ultimately production rehearsal and performance through the Middle School spring play. Students are encouraged to be creative and disciplined at the same time and are given an opportunity to grow in poise and self confidence. Two Middle School theater productions are presented annually in the Hendrix-Chenault Theater.

faculty SPOTLIGHT

CHRIS EKHOLM

Chris Ekholm, Lovett’s Middle School theater arts teacher, has been a professional actor for over 30 years, performing in theater, film, television, TV commercials, radio voice-overs, training films, and live industrials. He has directed productions for adults and children and has adjudicated auditions for the Georgia Theatre Conference. He is a winner of two Suzi Bass Awards, in 2005 for Most Outstanding Actor and 2007 for Most Outstanding Ensemble in a Play, which recognize excellence in Atlanta theater. Chris has appeared on many of Atlanta’s stages, including Alliance Theatre, Theatrical Outfit, Georgia Ensemble Theatre, Horizon Theatre, True Colors Theatre Company, and Theatre in the Square, where he won four Jennie Awards. Over the course of his career, Chris has worked with such people as Steve Martin, John Lithgow, Tyler Perry, Jonathan Demme, and Ruth Buzzi, among others. Mr. Ekholm is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association, Screen Actor’s Guild, and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Finally, Ekholm is a very proud recipient of the 2013 Woodward Award for Teaching Excellence and the 2015 Beth and Ray Chenault Fine Arts Teaching Award at The Lovett School.

eighth grade theater arts

seventh grade theater arts