Visual Arts

641 Acting & Improv (9, 10, 11, 12)

1/4 credit, 1 semester 3x per 7 days

This course engages students in the basic elements of movement and voice technique in acting and improvisational theater. Through individual as well as collaborative work, students explore the elements of characterization, physicality, and movement in portraying a scene. We explore acting tradition and practice, as well as the basics of directing and stage etiquette. Students also gain historical perspective on the development of improvisational theater and how to recognize elements and characters in current drama and comedy performances. Through improvisational exercises and games, students explore, develop and refine stage skill. Students work toward a final project, which involves memorizing and presenting a scene to an audience, and developing an in-school improv performance.

634 Upper School Musical (9,10,11,12)

1/4 credit, 1 semester 635 Upper School Dramatic Production (9,10,11,12)

1/4 credit, 1 semester 637LS & 638LS Upper School Light & Sound (9,10,11,12)

1/4 credit, 2 semesters 637TS & 638TS Upper School Tech Support (9,10,11,12)

1/4 credit, 2 semesters

Please note that placement in dramatic productions is dependent upon successful completion of an audition and/or interview. Placement in the cast or crew is not guaranteed, and the earning of credit is dependent upon full and successful participation in the rehearsal and production processes.

The fall and spring musical or dramatic events include all aspects of stage production: acting, set building, costume coordination, program design, prop coordination, lighting and sound design, pit band participation, etc. Rehearsals take place during evening and/or weekend hours, two to three times per week, as specified by the directors. The final result is a full-scale staged production in which participation is required. Cast members, stage managers, and pit band members receive 1⁄4 credit per show. The running crew, lighting and sound team, property manager, costume assistants, and front of house staff receive 1⁄4 credit when they participate in two shows over the course of their four years in the upper school (there is no partial credit for one show). Credit earned in these productions does not count toward the 1⁄2 credit required in Performing Arts, although it does count towards the overall 1.5 credits required in Performing Arts/Visual Arts combined. The upper school visual arts program nurtures and aids students in becoming discerning users of visual expression. Each course concentrates on skill building as well as on the introduction of visual concepts and critical visual analysis. The main goals of the upper school visual arts program are to awaken each student’s creative enthusiasm, and to develop confidence in the process of expression and interpretation of ideas. Toward those goals, the curriculum encompasses studio work and investigation.

Specific elective offerings may depend on adequate enrollment for each year, and are offered in alternating years.

587 Visual Arts Foundations

(9, 10) 1/2 credit, full year

Students explore the importance of creativity in the 21st century, and practice the creative process in depth. Students are introduced to various histories of visual arts with cultural contexts, and investigate global and multicultural themes. Students apply concepts through studio work that includes a variety of media and techniques. Two and three-dimensional explorations are designed to investigate and apply the elements and principles of design. Subject matter varies with each project to allow for individual and collaborative interpretation. Students create and maintain a sketchbook to organize, document, assess, plan, reflect, and review visual works. The course emphasizes the development of visual literacy skills, self-expression, and analytical and innovative thinking.

This course is the prerequisite for the other visual arts electives, and fulfills the minimum 1/2 credit visual arts requirement.

591 3D Visual Arts Studies (Sculpture, Ceramics, Architectural / Environmental / Structural Design) (10,11,12)

1/4 credit, 1 semester 3x per 7 days

This second level elective course is designed to study and apply three-dimensional design principles and theories using various techniques and media concentrations. A wide range of project and research experiences will expand the student’s understanding of space, scale, form, and function. These include but are not limited to: ceramics, sculpture, environmental/structural design, assemblage. Students continue to explore in greater depth what creativity means as a 21st century skill and how to use the creative design cycle. The various creative processes will include both analog and digital techniques. A research-based museum trip may be part of this course experience. If the student’s schedule allows, this course can be taken more than once with various levels of creative study and work. This course will be offered in the 2022-23 school year with Scultpture and Ceramics as areas of concentration. Prerequisite: Visual Arts Foundations.