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I have An Evening of Theatre for my top 2 classes. Theatre III performs a one-act that the classes chooses. The Company class performs 2 one-acts and we showcase some of the pieces that qualified for International Festival in Nebraska. 

I have a combined art opening (with the art department) /Drama presentation during the day. It has changed from year to year depending on the dynamic of the class and mixed age/experience level, but they usual present something installation style and/or scenes at site specific areas around campus. This year we are doing scenes from "The Importance of Being Earnest" that will be presented in designated areas around campus. The scenes are on a loop so that members of our community can catch all or part of a scene then move on to another at their own pace. Lunch is served during this time at our Arts building so that we can take advantage of the overflow of traffic for a guaranteed audience. I will also be using our Expressive Arts exam time for an installation/storytelling piece from my Storytelling class. These both happen during daytime hours.

Hello,

I am right in the middle of prep for our "One Act Festival". This is where all the theatre students present their final projects.  Drama I students write original 5 minute skits in groups; Drama II students write original 10 minute plays; Drama III students write social or political activist plays 15 minutes in length; and Drama IV students direct their own one act play (They write their own).  

We use class time during the last marking period to write, rehearse, design all at the level the class is at.  Drama III and IV students turn in an extensive process portfolio as their final exam.  

We take two nights of the week to see the shows (31 this year!)  Each night is different, so each student performs their show once.  Some students audition for the Drama IV shows, so they may perform twice over the two nights.  Drama IV students run crew both nights for a grade.

This year, we have about 160 performers and directors!  I do not sell tickets to the "One Act Festival", but we do ask for donations and sell concessions!  This helps us to pay for our awards banquet the following evening.  

The students often come the night they are not performing to see their friends or see a show they heard was funny.  All the parents come to see their kid perform.  I sit in the back and grade...It's a fun event and it's really grown into something the kids look forward to!

Hope this helps.

We have a Fine Arts Night where all of our Performing Arts (Drama, Chorus, Jazz Band, Orchestra) present about 15 minutes per class. It is not optimal, but everyone gets seen.

I also have begun working One Act plays at the end of the year. We have an evening of One Acts that can feature both of my Upper School Drama classes in one night.

Yes, we just did our Theatre Arts Showcase. I look for plays that having individual scenes and spread out the scenes with all my students. This year we performed "THE DINING ROOM." We may add a couple of original scenes my juniors and seniors have written. It works well, and then we only have one night for everyone to perform! 

I have an evening of one-act for my Advanced Drama class. In my Beginning Drama classes, they perform during class time for their classmates, in costume, using props and I provide some lighting to make it theater-like since they perform in the classroom.

We do contrasting monologues at the end of Theatre II, Theatre III, Theatre IV, and Play Productions classes.  

The end of the spring semester is chaotic, with students out for AP exams, senior picnic, and annual culminating field trips and service projects.  After our production closes, we do a playwriting unit (with a draft and revision read aloud in class) and close out with the monologues.  None of that is dependent on having everyone, or any specific students, in class at any given time.

I set different requirements each year.  This spring, because the combined III-IV-PP class is large, our show was late, and the first drafts students wrote were long, I assigned contrasting monologues totaling 80-90 seconds after the slate.  Sometimes the time limit is 2 minutes.  Sometimes I include the slate in the time limit.  Sometimes I specify one classical and one contemporary.  The point of changing the requirements each year is to get them used to following different sets of instructions. 

They perform those twice in class, receiving written notes from me after each performance and a rubric grade after the second, then a third time as part of the final exam.

I also do my Beginning Drama performances during class time but this year we invited students from outside of class to attend the performances (during their lunch or study hall or another class if their other teachers allowed it.)  I also invited other art classes, especially courses who had already finished their own final projects.  Having a few real audience members definitely made the performances more satisfying and authentic.

I do something similar to Ellen.  We hold a night of One-Acts--student directed by Seniors in my Advanced Drama Class.  Seniors need to apply and have a script that isn't too long.  Not all seniors choose to direct.  Each actor is also assigned a tech job for their play:  costumes, props, set pieces.  I have a couple of students create a program as well.  Last night we performed:  Check Please, Still Alarm, Ninth Train, Miss You and 15 Minute Hamlet.  These are all varying lengths and we do have some cross over with actors in 2 shows.  

My Beginning Drama Class creates projects that are only performed in class.  One of the perks to being in Advanced Drama is students have more opportunities to perform for the public.