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This program is for high school students looking for a deeper experience in all aspects of theatre education. Students can choose from two concentrations.
Theatre Arts students will participate in a curriculum of interdisciplinary arts education, utilizing a project-based instructional approach. They will work collaboratively with dance, design and production, and music students on student-led/teacher-student co-directed creative works and productions.
In-depth study in the foundations of acting, scene study, voice and diction, movement for the actor, elements of theatre, and script analysis.
Partnering with the music department students choosing in this concentration participate in all foundations of acting work as well as vocal production, music theory, singing ensembles, and musical theatre dance.
0.25 Credit | 1 Semester
While exploring characters from contemporary plays, students are introduced to foundational Uta Hagen, Sanford Meisner, and Constantin Stanislavski practices and techniques. They will apply these directly to contemporary scenework.
0.25 Credit | 1 Semester
Each week students engage in a different topic that embellishes their overall skill set and explore the basics of a variety of acting techniques. It provides students with diverse and necessary tools, techniques, and special skills to add to their arsenal for the stage. One of the most exciting things about this course is that the topic changes every week! Topics covered include Shakespeare’s meter, blocking shorthand, understudy skills, text tasks, exposure to subtext, cold reading texts, the 3 modes of persuasion, voice and diction skills, script analysis, responding to impulse in improvisation workshops, and listening and observation.
NA | 1 Semester or More
Students work on building a portfolio of diverse monologue work while navigating the steps for properly investigating their materials, character intentions, obstacles, and tactics.
0.25 Credit | 1 Semester
Contemporary Monologue is a performance-based course focused on text analysis and acting using the Stanislavsky Action Release system and a structured approach to applying the five questions from Stanislavsky. Students will read and analyze scenes and monologues from Chekhov, Ibsen, and Strindberg to build a strong foundation in classical realism. The course also includes activating contemporary monologues from a range of modern playwrights, applying analytical and physical techniques to bring the text to life.
0.25 Credit | 1 Semester
In this course, students build confidence, creativity, and collaboration skills through the art of comedy improvisation. They will explore the fundamentals of character creation, storytelling, and ensemble performance while practicing essential oral communication skills such as active listening, clear expression, and adapting to an audience. Through engaging short‑form improv games like Party Quirks, Props, and Tour of Headquarters Space, students strengthen their ability to think quickly, express ideas, and work effectively as a team. As the class progresses, students will devise their own characters and collaboratively develop a short comedy play that showcases their improvisation skills.
0.25 Credit | 1 Semester
This advanced scene study course is held twice a week for one hour each session. This course builds on the work from Foundations of Acting and Movement for the Actor I & II and introduces the foundational principles of Michael Chekhov’s acting approach as well as an overview of Viewpoints practices. Exercises will be applied to ensemble work, monologues, and finally scene work.
0.25 Credit | 1 Semester
This course explores the process of building a scene for the stage. Students complete a series of pre-directing exercises in which they work to create specificity for setting, character arc, and circumstances for scenes without given context. Directing exercises focus on interpretation of form and artistic intent; perception and sensibility in rehearsal; effective communication with actors; and balancing the interplay between action and text. Emphasis is placed on textual understanding in the creation of meaningful staging action. The course culminates in students independently selecting a 2-5 minute scene from theatrical, film, or television content. Each student will act in several of their peers’ scenes, while directing their own scenes featuring their classmates.
0.25 Credit | 1 Semester
Movement for the Actor begins with ensemble-building utilizing Viewpoints work. We will then move to Ancient Greek Theatre choro drama ensemble, mask work, and Laban efforts. Students will investigate both their personal idiosyncratic movement and character qualities and work together. Students will develop ensemble work that highlight unity and solo movement pieces that illuminate the uniqueness of their own movement qualities.
0.25 Credit | 1 Semester
This course builds on the work previously done in Movement for the Actor I. Movement to Text explores the different ways in which an actor may use the voice and body to create character, with an emphasis on full body integration. Students will learn techniques to free the natural voice, strengthen the body, and do so in a fully integrated and creative way so as to maximize expression for the stage. Students will study the works of Master Teachers, such as Alexander, Chekhov, Bogart, Laban, and/or Linklater, in order to learn the foundational principles of voice and movement work. Texts may include both contemporary and classical.
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This course introduces students to a range of physical theatre approaches, using movement-based texts to create original scenes and short pieces. Students build their physical skills through ensemble exercises, basic composition work, and exploration of contemporary styles. The class includes training in clown, leading to a small public or site-specific performance. Students also study introductory dialect techniques, learning how to produce several accents with clarity and cultural awareness. The course emphasizes strong physical storytelling, collaborative creation, and the integration of movement and voice in performance.
0.25 Credit | 1 Semester
This course introduces students to foundational techniques in physical theatre, including creating short movement-based scenes from text. Students study introductory clowning and develop performance pieces that may culminate in an outdoor or public presentation. The class also includes beginning work in dialects, where students practice producing a range of accessible accents with attention to clarity and respect. Emphasis is placed on ensemble collaboration, physical awareness, creative problem-solving, and using movement and voice to communicate character and story.
0.25 Credit | 1 Semester
An advanced course in music and scene work skills. (Pre-requisites: Scene Study I, II, Musical Theatre Performance Lab I, II). Covers a variety of musical theatre genres and styles. Students work with partners to explore character relationships and how best to share these stories and relationships without sacrificing vocal technique or stylistic interpretation. These scenes extend throughout the musical theatre canon and all time periods. The course culminates in a showcase of the scene work covered during the course, including group songs and student-chosen and devised scene work selections. The course can be repeated as many times as the student’s schedule will allow over the course of their time at ICON once all prerequisites are complete.
0.25 Credit | 1 Semester
Odyssey: An actor’s journey from the origins of theatre to autodrama is a journey through ancient theatrical practice into authentic artistic identity. The course allows students to better understand the roots of Western theatre while exploring their own artistry.
0.25 Credit | 1 Semester
Intermediate to Advanced Course: Students will begin with creating a process for textual analysis and essential dramaturgical skills through a series of group based exercises and independent research. We will introduce the basic techniques and principles of a variety of acting practitioners. These practices will be directly applied to selected scene work. Students will receive both group and individualized coaching within assigned scene work from multiple texts.
0.25 Credit | 1 Semester
Script Analysis I is a theatre studies course that explores the theme of coming of age in a variety of time periods, socio-economic circumstances, gender roles and cultures across a selection of plays. Students engage in table reads, dramaturgical, and artistic discussion of the plays. They will also compare the plays to Aristotle’s poetics to see how the rules of playwriting have transformed over time. Students will discuss the playwrights’ backgrounds and writing influences and cross-reference these materials with current and historical ideologies and national circumstances. Participation is based on in-class reading as well as participation in analysis and discussion.
0.25 Credit | 1 Semester
This ensemble-based acting approach gives students the skills needed to approach acting Shakespeare text with confidence. This course is based in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s rehearsal room practices, and will also draw on techniques practiced in Foundations of Acting. We focus on ensemble movement and text examination in the areas of punctuation, poetry, meter, and rhetoric. This collaborative and active approach illuminates character motivation and interpretation for both monologue and scene work. The course culminates in a showcase of scene work.
0.25 Credit | 1 Semester
Students collaborate as an ensemble to create a fully scripted and performed piece of theatre out of improvisational development. The content is based on Oscar Wilde’s short stories. Course includes mood boards and experiments across all art mediums to create a multi-disciplinary way to tell the story. Additionally, students explore observational improvisation in both text and movement work.
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