Theatre

PANKOW center CTE THEATRE program

Career and Technical Education (CTE) Theatre courses begin with building a foundation for acting techniques and theatre terminology.  Classes are taught in a 2-hour period. Voice and Movement exercises, improvisations, monologues, scenes, and acting for the camera, and design presentations all culminate with Presentation Nights (or Days) in January and May. In addition to the performance side, playwrighting and technical theatre topics are studied and practiced in the areas of costume, makeup, scenic design and construction, lighting and sound technology, stage management, directing, as well as other aspects of theatre.  

Theatre is a team effort. As such, ensemble and listening skills, and the ability to take direction and daily, active participation are necessary for success in this course. Additionally, we have special guest speakers, field trip(s), and other related activities.

Two major productions are held in the John Armstrong Performing Arts Center each year.  

We have an active theatre honor society Thespian Troupe, Troupe 7494. Senior students have been awarded nearly $1,500,000 in university scholarships over the last two years.  Troupe members have consistently earned the highest scores in performance and technical adjudications. 

Program Overview:

• Classes are offered in two-period blocks at the F.V. Pankow Center
• Level One, Level Two, and Play Production (Level 3/Level 4) are offered.
• Entrance to the CTE Theatre Program is through audition only.
• Classes Count for LCPS required ART Credit. Check our Curriculum Guidebook’s page 51 for potential additional waivers and credits. Here is a link: Curriculum - Departments - L'Anse Creuse Public Schools (lc-ps.org)

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Auditions and Requirements
CTE Theatre requires an initial audition/interview for admission into the program.  For detailed information regarding auditions, please click on the links in the upper left corner of this web page.

Who Should Audition?:

• Anyone interested in acting, writing, design (scenery, costumes/fashion, sound/effects, lighting, or special effects), managing, directing, or expressing yourself/speaking in a more confident way; working cooperatively with students from across the LC district and our Sending Schools; and spending part of your high school career in a varied and supportive environment.
• You don’t have to want to be an actor or theatre practitioner.  Not all of our students go into the acting or theatre field, but all of our students leave with confidence to pursue their chosen path and have a family of supportive friends. The theatre is a very large art form encompassing ALL of the arts. It is the parent of Film, Radio/Podcasting, TV/Streaming, and Digital Content. You will learn a lot about these art forms, too. The skills learned in this program translate to MANY career fields.

What to Expect at your Audition:

• Choose one of the available monologues on this site or from your own selection that you like or relate to. 
• Students perform their monologue for Mr. Trzaskoma and, often, a small panel.  Look over your monologue thoroughly prior to the audition.  Please have a paper or digital copy with you during audition if you need to refer to it.  Feel free to glance at it as you need during your audition. Having it memorized is preferred but not required.

What to Bring:

• Your prepared monologue and a positive attitude. Mr. Trzaskoma will already have a copy of the form you filled-out online.

Slotting process:

• There will be a waitlist with a specified order.  Every year wait listed students do indeed make it into the class because of other students’ scheduling conflicts, so do not be discouraged.
• Mr. Trzaskoma has no control over scheduling. Sometimes conflicts occur and the student may need to make a choice.

8^th, 9^th, and 10^th Grade CTE Theatre Auditions/Interviews occur at Pankow Center early in the calendar-year (January/February). If you missed the audition date or are new to our district, it is often, but not always, possible to arrange an alternate audition/interview. 

If you have any questions, please email trzasgr@lc-ps.org