Performing Arts >>

The high school theatre arts program is an intensive course of study unsurpassed by any other school in the area. The program includes curriculum that offers a strong foundation in the theatre arts with courses that include: theatre history and appreciation, literature and theory with a practical hands-on approach to acting, directing, designing, and playwriting. The carefully planned curriculum emphasizes development of the student's personal resources, aesthetic growth, capacity for artistic collaboration and awareness of theatre's cultural context, while stressing the importance of the academic program.

At St. Bernard’s we aggressively communicate that the learning environment will be a sanctuary - a safe and respected space where one can feel free to express creatively without fear. Expectations of high performance standards are articulated in a positive and enthusiastic manner. In this way an environment where students want to return is created, a fun and positive experience is a creative and productive one, and people with a shared productive experience will yield an abundance of fresh ideas and inspiration. A learning space is created where students feel free to discuss topics, and encouraged to explore theories, principles and ideas. Ultimately, a student can begin to create a process of their own through free expression and a disciplined environment.

Our mission is to cultivate, foster, and release the artist within. Offering a safe environment where exploration and experimentation of the arts can be experienced within a safe and nurturing atmosphere. The student product is regarded as a work in progress yet there is an expectation of an individual's need to grow as an artist through disciplined work. We are dedicated to providing students with a safe, challenging, high-quality learning environment where each student will grow and develop as a young theater artist.

The department offers two mainstage productions throughout the course of the school year.

To remain in the high school drama program, a student must maintain a 2.5 average in academic program courses.