The theatre curriculum at Firestone High School is well respected and is the model for several similar programs. The current curriculum was modeled on university and conservatory-style theatre education and closely adheres to the Theatre Standards and Benchmarks created by the Ohio Department of Education.

 

Comprehensive Theatre students study an integrated core of acting and performance styles in addition to scene study, script analysis, stagecraft, improvisation, audition techniques, directing, theatre criticism, film analysis, play-writing, and screen-writing. The theatre curriculum is designed to balance performance-based or conservatory style training with scholastic and theoretical principles of the art form.

 

Firestone’s theatre curriculum is designed to prepare the student for one of the following three options:  (1) enrollment in a professional arts conservatory or nationally recognized college/university theatre program, (2) enrollment in a liberal arts college, and (3) in rare cases, direct entry into the theatre profession.

 

 

Response to Theatre

Students in all levels of the VPA Theatre program are required to attend live theatre performances and to write a formal response to it. Most theatre classes require students to write a formal response to Firestone Theatre’s Main Stage productions as well as two (2) productions outside of the school. Students are encouraged to see theatre at other high schools, at local colleges and universities, at local community theatres and at area professional theatres for this purpose.

 

Most theatres in the Akron area have a student rush policy that allows students to see their shows at a significantly reduced cost. Check with a theatre’s box office staff or appropriate website to determine their specific rush policy.