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  • Theater

Lower/Middle School

In pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, dramatic play and appropriate dramatic activities are a part of the daily curriculum. Students in 4th through 8th grades take drama as a separate course. The main goals of the drama program are to allow the students to develop a sense of themselves as creative and expressive individuals with responsibilities to a larger community, to be comfortable with risk-taking, to learn movement and drama skills, and to develop critical and creative thinking skills. Over the course of their stay in the Lower/Middle School, students enjoy a variety of dramatic performing opportunities.

Revived after many years, the Middle School Fall Musical offers interested middle schoolers an after-school immersion in musical theater. Auditions are held and crews recruited, and rehearsal begin shortly after school opens in September in anticipation of performances in November.

High School

The vibrant and innovative performing arts program is central to the life of the High School. The department puts up three theatrical seasons each year: a fall drama, student-directed one acts in the winter, and a spring musical. Students also perform in numerous concerts, short plays, recitals, and showcases throughout the year. An improvisation-acting troupe and an award-winning dance company provide additional opportunities for GDS performing artists.

The High School enjoys a unique performing arts facility, including dance and acting studios, choral and instrumental rooms complete with a recording center, practice rooms, and a MIDI lab. The theater itself is a large black box with a sophisticated technical infrastructure, comparable to those in many professional houses.

Unusual at the high school level, the theater program is constructed on a guild system. All shows are designed and built by students under the supervision of a full-time technical director. Students also produce and manage all shows, learning not only the business of the art, but also the art of the business.

Signature Programs

Odyssey, HS Fall Show 2022
Fall Show

To kick off the theater season, High School students organize an autumn show. Learn more »

Winter One Acts Festival
This High School festival offers upwards of 30 acting opportunities and countless design and admin responsibilities—and it’s all student-directed and -managed. Learn more »
High School Musical
In this annual spring production, students studying dance, music, and theater join together to produce a professional-grade musical. Learn more »
The Wiz cast, Middle School Musical 2022
Middle School Musical
A collaboration between drama, dance, art, and music, this annual musical involves more than 40 Middle School students.
MIddle school community Production
Community Production is a decades-long tradition at the Middle School. All scenes are written and performed by students.
5th Grade Plays
Fifth grade students adapt a favorite children's book into a script which they then perform for their families and fellow LMS classmates.
Theater Lab

Theater Lab is an inclusive theater experience where all participants are valued, respected and engaged. Learn more »

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Meet the Team

Christal Boyd

High School Technical Director and Drama Teacher

Keith Hudspeth

Lower/Middle School Arts Department Chair

Marcel Smith

Middle School Theater Teacher

Janos Szasz

High School Theater Director

Maria Watson

High School Dance and Acting Teacher