Teaching

I am teaching five courses this year at Santa Barbara Junior High. Please use Canvas to access current assignments, grades, field trips, etc. If you have any specific questions about course topics, feel free to email me, and I will respond as soon as possible.

2nd period 8th grade Theatre Arts I

Full Year Class

In this class, students study the basics of the theatre world, from acting to theatre history to mask-making. This course takes a building-on-basics approach: we start by establishing community and becoming comfortable with each other on and off stage. As we learn to take risks and try something new, more focus is given to the fundamentals of acting: mime/movement for stage, voice (projection, enunciation, and variety), improvisation, and creation of the motivations and relationships of characters.  In addition, students will explore dramatic critique and world theater (kabuki, commedia dell arte, Shakespeare, etc.) as time allows.  After completing this class, most students show greatly improved performance/teamwork skills, increased confidence, and a facility with higher-order thinking (i.e. creative synthesis, evaluation, application, and analysis.) We will also take more field trips than any other class on campus to go see productions and discuss what we saw! 

First Quarter: Breaking down walls, learning to take risks, basics of plot and scriptwriting, theatre history in the Middle Ages

Second Quarter: Renaissance/Pre-Modern Theatre (Shakespeare through the American Civil War), in-depth studies of pantomime

Third Quarter: Contemporary stage/musical theatre, dance 

Fourth Quarter: Vocal preparation, dialects, poetry, and monologues 

3rd/4th period 7th Grade Theatre Arts I

Semester Class

In this class, students study the basics of the theatre world, from acting to theatre history to mask-making. This course takes a building-on-basics approach: we start by establishing community and becoming comfortable with each other on and off stage. As we learn to take risks and try something new, more focus is given to the fundamentals of acting: mime/movement for stage, voice (projection, enunciation, and variety), improvisation, and creation of the motivations and relationships of characters.  In addition, students will explore dramatic critique and world theater (kabuki, commedia dell arte, Shakespeare, etc.) as time allows.  After completing this class, most students show greatly improved performance/teamwork skills, increased confidence, and a facility with higher-order thinking (i.e. creative synthesis, evaluation, application, and analysis.) We will also take more field trips than any other class on campus to go see productions and discuss what we saw! 

• First/Third Quarter: Breaking down walls, learning to take risks, basics of plot and scriptwriting, theatre history from the ancient world with an emphasis on Greece and Rome, storytelling 

• Second/Fourth Quarter: Introduction to pantomime, multiple opportunities to see local productions of plays and dance performances. Review and expansion of story structure, adding the basics of mime and improvisation.

5th period 7th Grade Acting for Camera

Semester Class

In this class, students study basic film theory (differences among shots and genres, etc.) and the three main elements of video production: planning, filming, and editing. This class is designed as a primer for a full year 8th grade class that will hopefully be offered for the 2027-28 school year, where an increased emphasis for acting techniques for film will be developed using this film production foundation. 

• First/Third Quarter:  Breaking down walls; learning to take risks; basics of film theory, editing, and elements of production design; few actual filming projects this quarter. Historical and cultural contexts of film:  we will analyze different forms and dig deeper into how to evaluate film and television as art forms.  

• Second/Fourth Quarter: The Creative Process: We will begin our first “real” short film projects this quarter by examining various genres and creating our own versions.
  
  

7th period Advanced Theatre Arts (mainstage productions)

Semester Class

This is a 7th period "after school " class that can be taken in addition to students' elective choice during the day. In addition to the traditional 7th period (3:05-3:50PM), most students will have after school rehearsal until 4:30 every day that is extended to 5 and eventually 6PM as we get closer to the show, so please be prepared for a significant time commitment and a lot of hard work! All levels of experience are welcome; auditions determine which parts you receive, but they do not determine whether you stay in the class. 

In the fall we produce our fall play which is usually performed the Thursday and Friday before Thanksgiving break. After the show is over, we prepare presentations for Open House and 6th Grade Visit Day. 

When the spring semester starts in late January, all cast and crew are dropped from the class, and have the option to re-enroll in Advanced Theatre to work on our spring musical. This is usually produced in mid-April, using the same extended schedule mentioned above. After the show is finished, the rest of the semester is spent expanding on some of the theatre techniques explored in 7th and 8th grade theatre arts.