New 2011 - 2012 Theatre Arts Teachers

Laura Booth Hull MS	Angie Owens North Gwinnett HS

Theatre Arts Program Description

High School Program

"What is Drama but life with the dull bits cut out?"
-Alfred Hitchcock

Gwinnett County Public Schools has outstanding theatre arts programs which are recognized as some of the very best in the state and has a curriculum that is world-class. Introductory drama courses and advanced level theatre arts performance courses are offered to high school students. From these classes students learn a multitude of concepts such as public speaking, organizational skills, independence, and team work.

Through the theatre arts program in Gwinnett County Public Schools, students are given an opportunity to use their imagination to solve theatrical problems. Theatre also helps students grow in the following ways:

* Improves communication skills
* Gives an opportunity to express
* Helps develop the ability to think critically
* Encourages cooperation with others in achieving a joint goal
* Helps a child explore oneself
* Helps develop sensitivity and understanding of the feelings of others
* Provides a safe and welcoming environment
* Fosters peer acceptance and self-worth

Theatre arts instruction is interdisciplinary combining dance, music and visual arts in the creation of a major theatrical production. For many students, the time spent in the theatre environment provides them with the confidence and skills to perform at higher levels in their academic studies.

As theatre is a mirror image of life, so are classrooms of the theatre arts teachers. These highly qualified teachers take pride in providing a multitude of cultural experiences for Gwinnett students. The theatre arts students are given an opportunity to participate in the Georgia High School Association One-Act Play competition. Although this is a competitive event, teachers and students from all the high schools represented are supportive of each other’s performance, and this healthy competitive spirit and mutual respect help make this competition unique.

The theatre arts teachers of Gwinnet County Public Schools take pride in creating a drama family where students find a place to learn and grow both during the academic day and outside the school day. Students learn how to handle power tools, design sets, sew costumes, make props, hang and design lights and sound, stage manage their peers, and, of course, perform. Many will have the opportunity to become a student director or to work on the technical team for a production.

Middle School Program

The GCPS Middle School Theatre Arts program incorporates the Gwinnett AKS objectives in all courses offered and supports the International Baccalaureate strategies, especially those related to community, emotional health, and creativity. Theatre arts classes also provide support for the local business community with opportunities for students to develop positive character traits like punctuality, cooperation, self-discipline, leadership, listening skills, understanding and empathy for others, and project management.

Theatre participation encourages and develops academic skills such as mental focusing, memorization, oral reading technique, and interpretation of literature. Theatre experiences in the classroom extend to other academic subjects as students apply measurement and formulas when building sets, analyze characters in a play, research to maintain historical accuracy in play production, and develop emotional health working on teams. Extensive research indicates participation in theatre classes, especially production experiences, is associated with increased test scores.

In middle school theatre connections classes, students explore creative dramatics, improvisation, and adapt literature to dramatic activities at all levels. Students learn basic techniques of acting, character development, voice development, presentation skills, scriptwriting, and technical theatre in 7 th and 8 th grade classes. Vocabulary development is emphasized, with each grade level building on knowledge from the previous years. Projects include: puppetry, storytelling, radio theatre, monologues, scene work, one-act plays, and writing/performing original scripts.

Students who desire a full theatre arts experience extend their knowledge in a variety of opportunities at the local school level* as they develop advanced acting techniques, explore character development, write and perform original plays, and participate in a variety of performance opportunities.

Extracurricular Opportunities: Students who desire a more extensive development of curriculum related theatre experience are encouraged to participate in local school drama clubs and DramaRama, our middle school drama workshop/performance.

*Course offerings and descriptions may vary at the local school.