The Waterford Theater Department is structured as an actor training program. The core curriculum includes two terms each of Acting, Movement, and Voice, for a total of six terms (two years). Courses in Acting Shakespeare, Dramatic Literature and Theory, and Auditions are also offered. The program is production-centered, meaning we place a high value on student engagement with the great plays of the theatrical canon through performance. To that end, we produce three plays each year (one per term), one of which is a Shakespeare play.

Each fall, all Middle School students may audition for the Middle School Play. In addition to this, all Class Eight students are required to take one term of Introduction to Theater. Students will survey the Upper School core curriculum, which includes acting fundamentals, articulation and voice production technique, and mask work. Much of the focus will be on the cultivation of vulnerability. In Middle School, students are rapidly building walls to protect themselves in what can often be a challenging emotional environment. These walls cut off connection to emotions and creativity, and once they are up, it is difficult for most to break through them. Throughout the term, students will participate in exercises that will help them break through these walls. When the walls are down, the actor is in a state of vulnerability, and from there is able to access creative potential.

 

 

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Meet the Director: Javen Tanner

Javen Tanner, Dean of Arts and Theater Department Chair, received his M.F.A. from The Old Globe / University of San Diego, where he was awarded the Craig Noel Fellowship. He has performed off-Broadway and regionally. Javen is the Artistic Director of The Sting & Honey Company.