• Our students are directly responsible for all aspects of the productions we put onstage. What you see onstage is not created by a group of adults. Students build the sets, create the costumes, make the posters, etc. 

• On the play selection committee, our students get direct input into the plays and musicals SASA produces onstage.

• Our students have served as one of only 12 META Student Thespian Officers in the state of Michigan.

• Our students have served on the youth advisory board for Pit & Balcony Community Theatre.

• Our students have organized cabaret performances at the Red Eye coffee shop.

• Our students participate in workshops and camps offered by area community theatres, EMU, CMU, and SVSU.

• Our students, while in middle and high school, are often also found onstage at Pit & Balcony, Bay City Players, Midland Center for the Arts, Creative 360, and even SVSU productions. 

• Our students submit plays they have written to Art Speaks at Creative 360.

As members of the International Thespian Society, students receive awards and accolades for their participation in all our productions as well as productions in the community. Whether performing, on crews, or in the audience, our students are recognized for being a part of the theatre community.

Our students are members of the Michigan Education Theatre Association (META) and attend the Michigan Thespian Festival every December. At this festival they fellowship with thousands of thespians from around the state, participate in workshops led by professionals in the performing arts, are adjudicated by professionals, and are awarded scholarships to colleges and universities.

Our students attend META Leadership camp where they build leadership skills and bond as a team.

Our students attend Theatre Arts Day at Eastern Michigan University.

Our students compete in the Sutton Foster Awards.

Our students work with the Wharton Center in Lansing to have monologues that they have written be performed by college student actors.

Our students attend shows all over the state and even travel to New York and Chicago to see Broadway performances.

Our students receive master classes by professionals from universities, Broadway, and Stratford.

Theatre terminology - students learn the basic vocabulary of theatre

Pantomime - students learn physicality in performance

Vocal performance - students learn diction, inflection, etc.

Monologues - students learn script analysis, character analysis, motivations, tactics, etc.

Improvisation - students learn to give and take, scene building, etc.

Theatre history - students learn theatre from Shakespeare to Hamilton

Design - students learn to design a costume for their character and a poster for their play

Technology - students learn the basics of lights and sound

Set construction - students learn how to use power tools, paint, etc. 

Stage crew - students learn about scene changes, handling props and costumes, and can even volunteer to serve on stage crew for the high school productions

House management - students volunteer to help with front of house

Play production - all students are cast in the middle school plays where they implement all of the skills they learn in class

Critical observation - students identify the choices that artists make, why that choice is made, and what effect the choice has on the audience

Play writing - students write a monologue that they perform in class

Multi-media - students choose music and visual art that exemplifies the mood and theme of a monologue they perform

Performance - students continue to develop skills in physical performance, vocal performance, and interacting with others on stage

Acting theory - students employ theories of Stanislavsky, Adler, Meisner, Chekov, and Practical Aesthetics into their performances

Character analysis - students determine motivation, tactics, characteristics, personality types, and even what Hogwarts house to which they belong

Play analysis - students read multiple plays and analyze the purpose of each and how it is a reflection of society and/or a catalyst for change

Play selection - students read plays and listen to musicals to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses as potential SASA productions

Critical evaluation -students watch plays, identify the choices made by the artists and evaluate the effectiveness of those choices towards accomplishing the play's purpose

Design - students create a costume design, a set design, and a poster design for a show of their choice as well as for the plays we produce at SASA

Theatre History - students research a topic of their choice to evaluate not only it's historical importance but also it's relevance to theatre today

Technology - students learn to operate the light and sound boards, spotlights, PAR cans, ellipsoidals, lavalier mics, floor mics, handhelds, and even projections

Set construction - students learn how to use power tools, paint, etc. 

Stage management - students volunteer to serve as stage crew and stage managers for the middle and high school productions

Front of House management - students volunteer to help with front of house, one student serves as the FOH manager for each production

Theatre Management - students create a "fantasy" community theatre of with it's own mission. They then choose a season for that theatre, hire directors and designers, develop a budget and marketing plan, solve problems, and balance the budget at season's end

Publicity - students use both printed materials and digital media to publicize productions

Play writing - students write a short play to be performed on SASA's stage or at MiFEst or at Creative 360.

Multi-media - students analyze the themes across three plays from different eras and genres to determine a common connection then write their own piece to be accompanied by music and visual art in a reader's theatre performance.