St. Mary's High School Theatre

St. Mary's HS Theatre

St. Mary’s Theatre thrives on the creative participation of literally dozens of people. Each cast comprises 20-40 students who rehearse, perform, and assist with other aspects of production. 10-20 other students serve as student technicians and stage managers. Dozens of parent volunteers contribute to house and hospitality, costume and set construction, and publicity. Our goal is to provide quality theatre that is educational to the students involved, enjoyable for the audience, and valuable for all those who experience St. Mary’s Theatre. Students are involved in every aspect of production, including: Acting, Stage management, Costume design and construction, Set construction and painting, Set decoration and props construction, Lighting and Sound Design, Publicity, House and Hospitality.

St. Mary’s HS Theatre mounts two theatrical productions per year, one each fall and one each spring.

Drama Activities Support the Academic Mission of St. Mary's. They are an extension of a good educational program. Students who participate in extra-curricular activities tend to have higher grade-point averages, better attendance records, and fewer discipline problems than students generally.

Drama Activities Foster Success in Later Life. Participation in high school activities is often a predictor of later success – in college, while building a career, and becoming a contributing member of society.

Recent Productions

drama photo slideshow 2008-2014final from St. Mary's Annapolis on Vimeo.

Participation

Drama Activities are Inherently Educational. Drama provides valuable lessons for practical situations, such as teamwork, sportsmanship, and hard work. Through participation in drama, students learn self-discipline, build self-confidence and develop skills to handle competitive situations. These are qualities the public expects schools to produce in students so that they become responsible adults and productive citizens.

Each performance has a production staff, cast and technical crew. Auditions are required for cast roles. The production staff and crew are selected based on student abilities and desire to contibute to the performance.

Staff

The staff is usually comprised of adults who serve as the directors, designers, and production staff. Parents are also vital in making each performance possible.

Cast

The cast is selected before each show from among those students who choose to audition. The cast size ranges from as few as six (in a drama like Steel Magnolias) to as many as fifty (in a large musical like Peter Pan)!

Performers are drawn from every type of student: artists, actors, dancers, singers, and even athletes. Many of our student performers are incredibly well-rounded young men and women, both on and off the stage!

Technical Crew

Behind the scenes, it's the students who run the show: They are stage managers, wardrobe technicians, props constructors, painters, ushers, and concessions sellers. While the adults guide the students' learning, the students take charge once the curtain goes up, just as in many collegiate theatre programs.