Theatre
Brookfield Academy’s theatre curriculum focuses on classical and contemporary material that encourages close reading, exploration of rich imagery, and perspectives from a wide range of human experience.
Primary & Lower School
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Curriculum
Primary School students (Levels B, 1 and 2) are introduced to theater through classes in Creative Dramatics. The Primary School curriculum focuses on instilling joy in expression through speech and movement, relating real life stories to scenarios based in science and classic children’s stories, and creating imaginative worlds through character and place.
Lower School students (Levels 3, 4, and 5) enhance their theatre skills by creating short plays about Greek Theatre, the arrival of American immigrants at Ellis Island, and performing individual poetry recitations. -
After-School Theatre
The Primary and Lower Schools produce their own musicals each year. The Primary School Musical is open to Level 2 students and Lower School is open to Levels 3-5.
Middle School
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Curriculum
The Middle School Theatre curriculum introduces students to more formal concepts in acting, improvisation, and theatre history. Level 6 students focus on the basics of public speaking and theatre performance in the required theatre rotation. Level 7 students can elect to focus on dramatic adaptations of classic literature as an alternative to our required Middle School classics program. Level 8 students can choose an elective in advanced acting. Year-long theatre courses culminate in studio performances of scenes and monologues at the conclusion of the course. -
After-School
The Middle School Theatre department produces a musical in the fall, offering opportunities in acting, singing, dance, and technical production to all interested students. -
Junior International Thespian Society
The Middle School is home to our Junior chapter of the International Thespian Society (JITS), a national honor society for theatre students sponsored by the Educational Theater Association. JITS serves as a core community for theatre makers in the Middle School, encouraging increased knowledge and participation in all aspects of theatre production, from technical stage craft to acting, playwriting, and promotion. JITS students have the opportunity to work as tech crew for the Primary School and Lower School productions. Points earned in JITS are applied to membership in the Upper School ITS chapter.
Upper School
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Curriculum
Upper School students explore creative use of the voice, body, and performance space in theatre classes taught by faculty with professional experience in performance and design. Students gain knowledge in stagecraft, acting, directing, and design while working on materials ranging from the Ancient Greeks to Shakespeare to the modern American musical. Advanced courses build to final studio performances or design portfolios shared at the end of each year.
Courses offered include: Theatre 1 (Fundamentals of Theatre), Theatre 2 (Advanced Acting), Acting Shakespeare, Playwriting, Improvisation, Advanced Improv, Stagecraft 1, Stagecraft 2, and Scenic and Lighting Design. -
After-School
Skills learned in theatre courses build a foundation for two extracurricular mainstage performances. Brookfield Academy’s Upper School Theatre Department has won more than 24 Tommy Awards, including Outstanding Musical, Ensemble, Lead and Supporting Performers, Direction, and Overall Design. The Tommy Awards are a program of the Overture Center in Madison, Wisconsin, a participant in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA). -
International Thespian Society
Theatre students involved in the Upper School chapter of The International Thespian Society (ITS) form life-long friendships and develop leadership skills in an environment that encourages a spirit of collaboration, hard work, and artistry. In addition, ITS Club members learn valuable life-skills by participating in required tasks in all aspects of theatre production from publicity to set construction, stage management, and acting work. Each member is recognized for yearly hours in the department.
Our faculty sees rhetorical proficiency
as an essential part of a classical education and an invaluable skill for life.
Theatre Department Chair
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The goal is to develop young artists who can confidently and persuasively express themselves physically, verbally, and through elements of design. Our welcoming environment is focused on solidarity, hard work, and artistic excellence.
After-school theatre electives offer technical and performance opportunities for all students. We have five fully-produced productions each year that are open to students in Primary School through Upper School.
Dr. Edwin O’Sullivan, US Chemistry
"When I see my chemistry students in a play, I'm not only impressed at the quality of their performance, but for some students in particular, I'm amazed how those who seem relatively soft spoken in class are transformed into a much more outgoing version of themselves."
Theatre Awards
