critics team. Improvisational acting skills may be further developed by joining our Improv Team, and students may also participate in forensics, which offers theatrical events. Participation in these activities leads many students to induction in our school’s troupe of the International Thespian Society, through which students connect with other schools and compete for theatre scholarships. Students who participate in theatre at SCA build a base of theatrical experience that prepares them to enter a university-level theater program either as a major/minor or as an extracurricular activity. They also acquire the knowledge and experience to contribute to theatre within their future communities beyond college. Students gain an understanding of theatre history by examining the cultures surrounding various playwrights and plays and by evaluating the worldview expressed within selected works. Acting students build skills in the areas of voice production, movement, characterization, and script analysis. Students with an interest in behind-the-scenes work learn about technical responsibilities such as costumes, set building, lighting. In the SCA theatre department, the possibilities for students to develop their God-given potential are vast, and personalized classes and projects are the norm rather than the exception. The SCA Theatre department also provides hands-on leadership training for advanced students as they lead within their area of expertise, either as actors or crew leaders. In this way, participation in theatre at SCA is an introduction to the management of both people and projects. As they take a scene, play or musical from auditions to curtain call, our students are learning responsibility, professionalism, creativity, and humility. When these students go forth into their universities and communities, we hope that their theatre training has equipped them to lead others and to see how God is at work in the arts around them.
90
