About Theatre

  • Theatre students develop curious minds that think critically and consider multiple perspectives to create an artistic experience for the stage. Students build community with each other and with audiences by taking artistic risks, exploring the human condition, and working collaboratively toward a common goal.

    Students build their social-emotional, performance, writing, and critical thinking skills through their 4-year experience in the program. Many students also participate in the after school stagecraft, performance, and improvisation opportunities in order to practice the skills and concepts taught in class.

    New Trier Theatre students

    • Are a part of a community of actors, designers, technicians, and directors
    • Build vital skills for auditioning for plays and musicals
    • Perform a variety of characters in monologue and scene work and improvisation
    • Are confident in improvisational scene work
    • Analyze great works by American playwrights
    • Experiment with sense and emotion memory as a tool for creating realism on stage
    • Explore acting theories developed by Stanislavski, Hagan and Meisner
    • Participate in Master Classes provided by guest artists in Stage Combat and Sword Fighting, Commedia and American Kabuki
    • Direct a play for our extracurricular season
    • Perform scenes for Dionysus Day, a day long theatre festival
    • Take field trips to the Goodman Theatre, Court Theatre, Stratford Theatre Festival, Northlight Theatre, and Writers Theatre
    • Participate in extracurricular offerings such as Stage Crew, Improv Troupes, Comedies, Dramas and Musicals

    The NT Theatre curriculum helps students to:

    • Work effectively in a variety of collaborative and leadership roles.
    • Explore their personal artistic voices and their roles as citizen-artists.
    • Identify, experiment, and effectively choose between multiple approaches to a variety of challenges.
    • Critically analyze dramatic literature, individual work, and the work of others.
    • Build community among students and staff.
    • Apply varied lighting, sound, scenic, and costuming theory and skills to the creation of effective stage environments.
    • Demonstrate an understanding of theatrical styles, genres, and techniques in rehearsal, performance, and design.

    We have offered a broad-based after school theatre program since 1903. In collaboration with the Performing Arts Division, the department offers:

    • Eight fully produced and workshop plays and musicals each year, including the student-produced variety show
    • A student-directed play showcase
    • An improvisation program
    • Leadership opportunities for stagecraft and design students
    • Leadership opportunities for directing and theatre education students

    In our after school program, students will:

    • Apply instructional concepts to full-length productions
    • Create engaging stage environments with lumber, lights, multimedia, and sound
    • Build connections between age groups, the larger school, and our community
    • Demonstrate ethical decision-making and leadership.

    To learn more about our after school opportunities, vision the Performing Arts Division page HERE.
Theatre