Advanced Design & Tech (Honors)

Advanced Design & Tech is a one-term, process-to-production course designed to prepare students for 2 public performances at Beaver. The course begins by focusing on script analysis and design, and then students work as theater technicians and designers to bring the play to fruition with the Advanced Theater Acting and Advanced Costume Design classes. Technical theater roles encompass areas such as stage management, set, light, and sound design as well as technical direction and engineering. Students entering this class should be highly motivated and interested in an intense and exciting experience that requires a great deal of commitment. This course involves two weeks of rehearsal outside of the regular school day at the end of the process so that the play can be performed in its entirety while adding technical elements and costumes. Recent productions include She Kills Monsters and Exit, Pursued by a Bear. One Term Course: Winter Term  Prerequisites: Design & Tech Studio or permission of the instructor.

Design & Tech Studio

Design & Tech Studio is a course for students interested in Technical Theater and/or Theatrical Design. Drawing from many disciplines and utilizing a variety of skills and technology, students will learn to research and communicate their ideas through a series of student-driven individual projects and mainstage shows, allowing them to learn and utilize design and production tools as well as carpentry, scenic painting, props, lighting, and sound. Students will explore how theater artists use these tools for creative problem solving and to communicate with audience members. The successful student would gain an understanding of shop and theater safe working practices, basic construction skills, knowledge of lighting and sound instrumentation and rigging, as well as how communication, planning, and collaboration are central to the health of a theater production. This course can be taken more than once and at the Honors level with permission from the instructor. Students interested in taking more than one art class should reach out to the registrar or the Head of Performing Arts to discuss possible options. Three Term Course No Prerequisites.

Visual Arts Foundations

Learn how to find ideas by experimenting with materials, tools, and artistic thought. This class will support your studio habits to explore a range of mediums like drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, and digital arts. We will also focus on building community and developing the possibilities of what art can be.

Storytelling Workshop

In this course, students will expand their creative capacity and explore their voice through learning elements of writing craft and engaging in a workshop community. Students will identify what elements of storytelling matter most to them and will produce fiction, poetry, memoir, or oral stories. They’ll learn workshop protocols and engage in revision processes to refine their work. We will read writing about writing and mentor texts to inspire and inform our writing. Students will end the term with a social action project, using storytelling to create cultural change within their communities. Learn to own your voice, recognize its power, and use it for impact in your community. This class will have a particular focus on the skill of creative writing.

Senior Studio (Honors)

Culminating with the annual Senior Show, this 2-term class creates the community, structure, and space for the most serious artists to pursue their own work. Students taking this class have shown to be independent, dedicated artists who are prepared to bring their interests to the class. No projects are assigned. Group critiques, research in contemporary art, readings, and documentation of the creative process will be major elements of the course. Open to 12th graders with the recommendation from the Visual Arts Department Head. 

Sculpture

Go deeper into the how and why humans have made things throughout time. We will investigate objects that were designed for functional uses as well as objects that were made to function as art. You’ll have options to build with your hands and/or software, including woodworking, ceramics, plaster, resin, and 3D modeling. Regular discussion of The World of Art and Art History will provide context for our work. Critiques, documentation, and presentation will be essential elements of the class, with an emphasis on both process and product.  Prerequisites: 3D or by the recommendation from the Visual Arts Department Head.