Welcome
to the
Middletown High School North
Performing Arts Page:
Teaching Staff:
Drama
Semester
(1/2 year) ……………………………Grades
9-12
Drama is a one-semester course designed to provide the
student with an overall introduction to theatrical performance. Items covered in the course include relaxation/concentration
exercises which are designed to help rid the students of stage fright; pantomime
and improvisation, character development, audition techniques (monologue and
cold reading), stage make-up, Greek and Roman theatre and scene study. The
culminating exercise will consist of a scene performance for an audience.
Cinema
Studies Semester
(1/2 year) ……………Grades
9-12
......Cinema Studies is a half-year course designed to guide young
students through the "classic" films of the last quarter of the Twentieth
Century, with an eye towards increasing the students' level of cultural
literacy. Using Hollywood movies (the most popular medium in our
culture today) as a primary resource, students view, discuss, and develop
a general appreciation of the films and film artists who define the
culture in which they live. Students will
develop an appreciation of film technique and analyze the elements of
narrative and theme in film. They will also develop a vocabulary of film
conventions and communications. They will examine critical standards of
film appreciation.
Effective
Oral Communication
(1/2 year)…Grades 9-12
This course is designed to
help students improve their skills in oral communication, i.e. public
speaking. Items covered in this course include concentration/relaxation
techniques which help students overcome stage fright at the prospect of
speaking in public, voice production and articulation, the different types of
procedure, a brief introduction to Forensics, and interview techniques.
The emphasis of this course is centered on helping the students to overcome
their reluctance/nervousness at the prospect of a public speaking experience
and to enable them to achieve the goal of a successful speaking moment.
TV Production
(1/2 year) …………………Grades 10-12
TV production is a hands-on learning experience in a team
environment. This newly revised course takes full advantage of its power
to produce lights, camera and action! Students write, direct, act, edit
and produce their own productions in Middletown's state-of-the-art, new,
professional TV studio. All students learn to operate the cameras,
camera switcher, audio mixer, lighting board, and editing systems among many
other skills. Students have the opportunity to create animated and
live-action productions.
This course provides for study to be extended through
senior year for eligible and interested students. Many students will
seek to make their careers in the field of television after having studied TV
production.
Advanced
TV Production …………………Grades 11-12
This is a multi-year television production experience offering
dedicated students the competence and the technical aptitude necessary to
better secure entry-level jobs in the highly competitive vocation of
television production. Planning, critical analysis, problem solving, and
the implementation of specific and precise procedures are continuously
practiced through a multitude of hands-on studio and field projects designed
to expose students to the totality of television. Upon completion,
students will be able to answer questions such as: "How can I best
explain my concept to my audience?" "What visuals can I use to
grab the attention of my audience?" "How do I interpret a
script to make it effective visually?"" What is my purpose for
making this television program?" "What do I need to produce an
effective and profitable television program?' The curriculum stresses
practical experience through the completion of projects and emphasizes the
importance of teamwork in a "real world" hands-on team
environment.
Play Production……………Grades 9-12
Play Production is a course in which students learn
all that goes on "back stage" in an effort to support a performance.
Students will learn the proper techniques and the special effects
created by applying stage make-up. Once learned, students will
have the experience of designing and applying make-up for dramatic,
musical and costume design.
Stagecraft……………Grades 9-12
Students will study period costume design and create
costumes and sets for all major productions and Children's Theater.
Students will become familiar with forms of scenery and styles of scene
design, designing and constructing model sets. They will learn how
to construct stage scenery and props along with the special techniques use in
scene painting. Students will learn how to operate stage lighting
equipment and create mood, special effects and lighting patterns. They
will then learn how to create special effects and sound for the productions.
Drama
Workshop (full year)………………Grades
10-12
Drama Workshop is an advanced course which will further enhance a student's
performance skills and knowledge of the theatre. It is a workshop-style
course that covers a comprehensive array of theatrical items, including:
additional characterization skills, further monologue and scene study with class
analysis and feedback. Shakespeare (background of Elizabethan theatre, acting
style, and performance of a Shakespearean monologue and/or scene) further stage
make-up techniques, voice production for acting, the business of the theatrical
business, i.e. how to chart a successful career in the performing arts, American
musical theatre (background and performance), playwriting (writing and
production of original scripts), and Children's Theatre (a full length
production which is put on every year for Middletown's second and third
graders) are topics covered in this course.
Prerequisite:
Drama
Theater Ensemble
…………………………Grades
10-12
This course
will be offered to those students who have taken a
theater related course and wish to further their skills in this dynamic and
interesting field. The full-year
course will encompass all aspects of the theater experience: acting, directing,
producing, costuming, and more.
Prerequisite:
Drama Workshop or Play Production
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