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  • 1.  Course Descriptions

    Posted 11-17-2014 18:11
    Our staff is being asked to add new elective courses for students. Currently I teach a Drama 1, 2 and 3 class.
    I would like to add an improvisation class and would like to how other theatre programs describe that course. 
    Also, do any of you offer other specialized semester or full year classes? 
    I cover technical needs in my Drama 1, 2, 3 Drama courses. Do any of you call technical theater something other, such as production and design?

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    Amy Sando
    Minden NV
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  • 2.  RE: Course Descriptions

    Posted 11-18-2014 10:21
    Our tech theatre course is called Stagecraft. Other than that we have Theatre I, Theatre II, Theatre III, and our advanced class (whose name is being changed to Theatre IV/Performance Theatre.

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    Shira Schwartz
    Chandler Unified School District
    Chandler AZ
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  • 3.  RE: Course Descriptions

    Posted 11-18-2014 11:06
    My tech theatre class is called STAGECRAFT.

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    Sonja Brown, Theatre Teacher
    Phoenix High School
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Course Descriptions

    Posted 11-18-2014 14:34
    I currently teach Acting, Directing and Stagecraft.  I'm also looking at adding "Theatre Leadership" and embedding it into Stagecraft so that I can see my leaders daily instead of having to schedule after school meetings.

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    Laura Steenson
    Theatre Director
    Reynolds High School
    Troutdale OR
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Course Descriptions

    Posted 11-19-2014 12:58
    Our technical theatre class is Stagecraft.  I also have a Production Management (Writing) class which counts as an elective or language arts credit.  I am dual certified.  This class just started this year and so far I am loving it.  The students were divided into teams for publicity, costumes, sound, props, and accounting for our first play of the year.  We will revisit our teams and as a class figure out better categories for our next production.

    The students engage in close textual analysis of the plays in written form, reflections of their work, weekly production/staff meetings, etc.  I'm running it like a theatre company and can even fire students for late work.  (They have to reapply in writing to get allowed back into class.)

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    Amy Sidwell
    Director of Theatrical Arts
    Woodburn Arts and Communications Academy
    Canby OR
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Course Descriptions

    Posted 11-21-2014 23:05
    For many reasons, I now teach full year Beginning Acting, Intermediate Acting, Advanced Acting, and Theatre Design and Technology. The last class includes a stagecraft unit, among other theatre design and hands-on work. I have "Theatre Production" as a credit for students involved in after school productions and sign up for independent study, in essence, but it's not an official class.

    I've taught one-offs before, including Improv, although that's now incorporated into my other courses because one-offs are a problem when doing master schedules in a smaller school.

    Here's what my course description was for the semester-long Improv class:

    "Learn about, create with, and perform both short-form improv, including games popularized by the television show "Whose Line Is It Anyway?", and long-form improvisation, such as The Harold and Life Game, used by international theatre companies for creating plays and original productions. Attendance is required at only one of Roosevelt's Rough Rider RUCKUS evening events (2-4 times per year); optional attendance at the Oregon Thespians Improv Competition, ImprovOlympic, and other venues."

    I've also taught semester-long Children's Theatre (paired w/Improv), World Theatre Through Literature (also English credit; paired w/Shakespeare), and Shakespeare Studies Through Theatre (another English credit; paired w/World Theatre), among other things, but I am certified to teach English, too.

    Hope that helps.

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    Jo Strom Lane
    Theatre Teacher and Director
    Portland Public Schools
    Portland OR
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    Original Message