NewsUpper SchoolStudent LifeService
New Summer Courses to be Offered in Theater and Art
Mar 1, 2000 8:00 AM
By Stefan Eady - Faculty
Darlington’s Summer Session will offer two new intensive, interactive courses for dedicated art and theater students. Theater Workshop, to be taught by English and Drama instructor Marisa Ortega ’85, and Summer Art Institute, to be taught by Art and Graphic Design instructor Rob Davis ’85, will run six hours a day for two weeks and will feature field trips to Atlanta and Chattanooga and opportunities to work directly with professional actors and artists. There are no prerequisites for either program; any rising Upper School student with an interest is welcome.
“My mission for Theater Workshop is to teach students to think like actors,” Ortega said. “Although the course is entitled ‘Theater Workshop,’ I view the course as an acting workshop because our focus will be to develop real characters under imaginary circumstances, using a variety of techniques and exercises to free the body and the voice.”
Noting that the Prospect Theater Company of New York will be taking residence in Rome this summer, Ortega said, “I plan to arrange meetings with professional actors and directors. If this theater company’s schedule coincides with our schedule, I hope we will be able to observe A Midsummer Night’s Dream in rehearsal and then see the show.
“We will also take at least one trip to the Alliance Theater or to a Shakespeare production in Atlanta,” Ortega said.
The session will culminate in the production of a one-act play, to be determined.
The Art Institute will primarily focus on studying the human figure. Through drawing, painting, and computer work, students will be fully immersed in figurative art.
“We will learn how to draw people,” instructor Rob Davis said. “Half the day will be spent in the studio using traditional materials like charcoal, paint, and pencils. The other half of the day we will be working on the computer using art programs like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator as our tools.”
In addition to studio and computer work, an introduction to the history of illustration and its parallels in fine art will be a topic of study.
To enhance their study, students will meet special guest artists and travel to an art museum in Atlanta or Chattanooga.
In two busy weeks, students can earn a half-credit. “Given six hours a day to study anything, one is sure to improve. Hopefully we will have fun too!” Davis said.
“My mission for Theater Workshop is to teach students to think like actors,” Ortega said. “Although the course is entitled ‘Theater Workshop,’ I view the course as an acting workshop because our focus will be to develop real characters under imaginary circumstances, using a variety of techniques and exercises to free the body and the voice.”
Noting that the Prospect Theater Company of New York will be taking residence in Rome this summer, Ortega said, “I plan to arrange meetings with professional actors and directors. If this theater company’s schedule coincides with our schedule, I hope we will be able to observe A Midsummer Night’s Dream in rehearsal and then see the show.
“We will also take at least one trip to the Alliance Theater or to a Shakespeare production in Atlanta,” Ortega said.
The session will culminate in the production of a one-act play, to be determined.
The Art Institute will primarily focus on studying the human figure. Through drawing, painting, and computer work, students will be fully immersed in figurative art.
“We will learn how to draw people,” instructor Rob Davis said. “Half the day will be spent in the studio using traditional materials like charcoal, paint, and pencils. The other half of the day we will be working on the computer using art programs like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator as our tools.”
In addition to studio and computer work, an introduction to the history of illustration and its parallels in fine art will be a topic of study.
To enhance their study, students will meet special guest artists and travel to an art museum in Atlanta or Chattanooga.
In two busy weeks, students can earn a half-credit. “Given six hours a day to study anything, one is sure to improve. Hopefully we will have fun too!” Davis said.
