The Theatre Arts department of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is home to approximately 65 professional, certified theatre arts teachers. We offer an extensive array of classes in theatre arts, which are all an essential part of learning.
The Theatre Arts curriculum is included in the North Carolina Course of Study, which is directly aligned with the National Standards for Arts Education. Middle school students have the opportunity to explore theatre arts through an arts education wheel encompassing the various arts disciplines. High School opportunities include courses in theatre and technical theatre as well as additional advanced level courses and in-depth study through Honors, Advanced Placement, and International Baccalaureate Classes.
Partnerships between the Performing Arts Department, Charlotte's ArtsTeach, and Community Arts Organizations allow visiting artists the opportunity to share their expertise and experience in the classroom. In addition to regular theatre arts classes, students participate in field trips, on-site endeavors, and workshops by local actors and organizations.
The goals of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools are supported by the theatre arts department in all academic areas. The arts are infused in all content areas and provide motivation for students and linkages of understanding across the curriculum. Theatre Arts also provides an outlet for self-expression and artistic pleasure by engaging a student's attention and encouraging their creativity and individuality.
Strong instructional programs, a wealth of community resources, and the potential for continued growth combine to make the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools a premier model for Theatre Arts programs in the new millennium.
Theatre Arts, the imagined and enacted world of human beings, is one of the primary ways students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools learn about life - about actions and consequences, about customs and beliefs, about others and themselves. Offered at the majority of high schools and middle schools throughout the district, and including two elementary performing arts magnet programs, theatre arts classes are taught by certified theatre arts teachers. Additionally, at the high school level, classes are offered in technical theatre, offering students a window into the world of backstage.
As students study Theatre Arts, they begin to view and construct dramatic works as metaphorical visions of life that embrace meanings, juxtaposition, ambiguity, and varied interpretations. By creating, performing, analyzing, and critiquing dramatic performances, students develop a deeper understanding and acceptance of personal issues and a broader world-view that includes international issues. They learn to see the created world of theatre through the eyes of the playwright, actor, designer, and director. Students use drama as a means of confidently expressing themselves, thus developing their “personal voice.”
Knowledge and skills in acting, performing, ensemble, directing, writing, theatre literature and history, and technical theatre are cultivated along with the resulting insight into using the knowledge and skills in everyday life situations.
Theatre arts in our schools teaches the basic life skills, thinking skills and personal qualities which: