Theatre Arts

Study acting for the stage and gain tools for everyday communication. Topics include improvisation, pantomime, vocal inflection, body language. Students will also learn the history, vocabulary, and styles of theatre that can be valuable in other language arts courses. Performance based study will include scene work with small groups and pairs. No experience necessary - this is a place to learn and grow in your expressive skills.

Students who like hands-on learning will enjoy this class! Help with design, carpentry and prop creation for shows at Xavier.  Learn about and work with a variety of tools, paint implements, the fly system, and backstage jobs. The focus of the class will be creative problem solving, critical thinking and teamwork. The class usually works on the fall musical, Christmas Stars, and other productions as needed.  Students who demonstrate good judgment, respect and responsibility may be asked to work on a particular show crew or as part of a team handling events and rentals in the theatre. 10-15 work/lab hours after school are required for this class  -schedule determined at the beginning of the term.

Learn the basics of light and sound design for concerts, theatrical productions, and video/film and explore the places where technology, psychology and art come together to help tell the stories we know and love on stage and screen. Students will learn how designers collaborate with directors and use color theory, symbolism, styles of lighting, and different lighting instruments to essentially paint with light.  Students will use the ION light board in one of our theatre spaces. Students will learn about different microphones and how  to create a digital soundscape for theatre or video production using Q-Lab software and various sound effects.

Do you love musical theatre?  This class is for you! We will watch and listen to some of your favorite musicals(and introduce you to some you may not know) and talk about the singing, acting, and dancing, and scenic elements that are part of the collaborative art of the American Musical Theatre genre. Learn some of the rich history of Broadway from Vaudeville to Hamilton and see how some of your favorite shows were created or have changed over the years. Attend a live performance(when possible) and connect with professionals who make their living doing theatre.

Become a part of an exciting tradition and put on a show! Students in this class will perform a show for a young audience (PreK - 5th grades) at the end of the term. Technicians (lights, sound, crew) and actors may participate. Each show is followed by a “talk back” in which our students become the teachers and talk to the audience about the show.  All students will work on production tasks including set building, lighting, sound, costume construction, and publicity. Spend the block rehearsing and performing. Some production hours and rehearsals/performances outside of class are required. All experience and ability levels accepted. May be taken multiple times for a student to build a repertoire of characters and theatre experience.

Sing, dance, and act your way into the spotlight. Spend 7 weeks collaborating on a fully staged and costumed one-act musical that will be performed in front of a live audience toward the end of the term. There will be an audition process for students in this class to determine which roles are best for each person and the show. Music will be live or tracked depending on the show. 

Students will study mass communications with an emphasis on concepts and ethics of producing electronic media in the forms of video and audio projects. Skills will be developed in the areas of pre-production planning using storyboards and scripts; production techniques such as interviewing, on-air presence, camera angles etc.; and post-production techniques using both online and computer-based editing software.

Students will build upon skills learned in Introduction to Media to produce a variety of videos for their own portfolio, community groups, and schools. Participants will work with  FinalCut and AfterEffects digital editing software for mixing and editing. The emphasis is on working as a production team and continuing to build individual skills in this class.