Our vibrant theater program offers students a platform to shine both on stage and behind the scenes. More than 80 students participate annually in multiple productions, providing many opportunities for actors and stage crew members alike.
Actors delve into classical and contemporary plays and musicals, enhancing performance and presentation skills that will serve them well throughout their lives. Meanwhile, stage crew members gain invaluable experience in design, building techniques and backstage operations, including costumes, lighting and sound systems.
In parallel, our dance program seamlessly integrates athletic and artistic pursuits, fostering strength, flexibility and coordination while guaranteeing social interaction and an enhanced aesthetic sensibility. Available as a co-curricular activity each spring, our dance program encompasses a rich variety of styles, from modern dance to ballet, tap, jazz and student choreography.
Alongside dance instruction, students engage in comprehensive strength and flexibility training through Yoga, Pilates and Zumba. The culmination of the program is a spectacular performance for the Abbey community, showcasing the talents and dedication of our dancers. Students also have the chance to dance during the winter term through involvement in the Winter Musical production.
curriculum
Discover the pathways of artistic exploration and scholarly inquiry that define our curriculum. From introductory courses delving into dramatic literature and dance fundamentals to more advanced studies in performance techniques and choreography, our comprehensive program empowers students to build on the talents they already possess, deepen their appreciation of the arts and prepare for future endeavors in the realm of theater and dance.
Discover the array of courses led by our dedicated faculty, as well as engaging opportunities for hands-on learning, all designed to guide students on a transformative journey through the realms of creativity and academia.
Dance
The Abbey dance program combines the basic goals of both the athletic and performing arts programs: to increase the strength, flexibility and coordination of the student, to refine social interaction, and to cultivate the capacity for presence and aesthetic sensibility.
Dance is offered as part of our co-curricular activities in the spring. This program explores modern dance, ballet, tap, jazz, and student choreography, along with strength and flexibility training such as Yoga, Pilates, and Zumba. The program culminates in a performance for the Abbey community at the end of the term. Students also have an opportunity to dance in the winter term by participating in the musical.
Drama workshop
With a playful, hands-on approach, this class introduces students to all aspects of theater, including acting, directing, and playwriting.
Participants engage in many performance-based activities, including improvisation and mask work, as well as rehearsing and performing monologues and scenes from classical and contemporary plays.
Through physical and vocal warm-ups, the students develop a technique for performing, one that will serve them in all public speaking situations. The class also sheds light on the rich and varied history of theater from around the world. Students read plays, research periods of drama, and create presentations that connect the past to the present.
Each term, the class attends a live performance at a professional theater in Rhode Island, with artists often vising the class afterwards to share their experiences. Overall, students learn about the vital role that theater can play in our communities.
Past Productions
Classical plays: Sense & Sensibility, Hamlet, The Servant of Two Masters, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, Treasure Island, Romeo & Juliet, Around the World in 80 Days, The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night, The Frogs, Jane Eyre
Modern plays: Clue, It’s a Wonderful Life, Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood, Harvey, The Diary of Anne Frank, Inherit the Wind, Arsenic & Old Lace, The Farnsworth Invention
Musicals: Matilda, Mamma Mia, Spamalot, Bye Bye Birdie, Freaky Friday, Legally Blonde, The Addams Family, Ghost, Into the Woods, West Side Story, My Fair Lady
