Drama

5th Grade Drama lays the foundations of theater and play for the beginner performer. Over the course of the trimester, students learn how to engage their voices, bodies and imaginations in order to express themselves with confidence and authenticity. Each performer gains a deep understanding of the early acting skills that are essential to the work of theater, including: how to move their bodies in space, project their voices, work collaboratively as an ensemble, and use their imaginations in order to begin essential character and world building skills. A lot of focus is on imaginative play with an attempt to find the game/playful quality of any task.

Students learn the basics of dramatic story structure and have a chance to apply this knowledge in an original collaborative theater creation. For this culminating project, the students are asked to incorporate all of the physical, vocal and world building skills previously learned into this process. They create original characters who must overcome a theatrical obstacle, inhabit the world of a play, and memorize their lines and blocking for the final shared performance.

Students in 6th Grade build upon the foundational work of 5th Grade Drama by expanding their early acting skills, working as an ensemble and individually to develop character- and world-building skills. Students also begin to explore directing, set design, costume design, and how all of the elements come together to create an experience for the audience. In the spring, students participate in a cross-disciplinary study of Shakespeare in Drama and ELA, culminating in a Shakespeare Festival for their families and the school community. 

In 7th and 8th Grade, students who wish to continue their Drama studies may do so as part of their Performing Arts Classes (PAC) rotation. They explore the ancient art of storytelling through a modern-day lens as they work with and perform theatrical texts. They practice breaking down scenes and monologues into beats, actions, and intentions and work with partners and small groups to stage and rehearse their scenes and monologues.

All Upper School students have the opportunity to participate in two productions annually: a fall play and a spring musical. Student performers will experience the full production process from auditions to rehearsals to tech to showtime. This gives our students the chance to safely and bravely step out of their comfort zones while creating art in a collaborative and fun way. For students who are more interested in behind-the-scenes work, we offer a robust Design and Production program in which student artists help create the aesthetic for each production, working together to bring their ideas to life. Each production is student run offering hands-on experience with stage management, lights and sound tech, direction, and choreography. These beloved VCS traditions are truly exciting times in the school year that embody the spirit of our full community working together to create something new and exciting to share with each other.