St. Agnes Academy Theater

Navigation Home About Our Director Thespian Club Productions Gallery SAA Site	Theater is a verb before it is a noun, an act before it is a place. -Martha Graham
	About the Theater Written by: Ms. Felicia Miller, Bea Chahin, and Ashleigh Terrazas Saint Agnes Theater is one of Saint Agnes' largest student organizations, headed by theater sponsor and director, Felicia Miller. Every year, the theater department puts on a Fall Play, Winter Student One Act Plays and a Spring Play. The St. Agnes Theater is also very privileged to have actors from Strake participate in all productions, both on stage and on crew. In conjunction with the Music Department, many drama students participate in the Spring Musical, which is directed by Arthur Buckley. Students not only work on stage, but behind the scenes to put together productions for audiences of all ages to enjoy. The theater is truly a great collaboration, consisting of wonderful directing, acting, and crew work. On stage, actors and actresses work very long hours to prepare for their roles--a typical mainstage production calls for roughly 80 hours per student. Acting is not simply being on stage, reciting a few words; acting requires character analysis, stage directions, constantly being in the character’s mindset, and complying with what the director is telling you to do. It sometimes means having to wear extravagant or uncomfortable costumes. Of course, every actor (male and female) MUST wear the dreaded stage make-up, and sometimes beards & moustaches. Behind the curtain, many people are responsible for the look and feel of the production. Although most audiences are focused on the actual acting during the play, the other elements are being run by the many crews. Some of these crews include: make-up, costumes, sound, lights, set design, and props. Set construction crews spend many laboring hours building the sets, and making sure the set pieces correspond perfectly with the script. Light and sound crews have to follow along with what the actors are doing on stage in order to listen for their cues; the sound crew is also responsible for the microphones & background music which is used during any productions. Costume and make-up crews help with making sure each actor is ready before the show, assists in all costume changes, and retouches an actor's make-up before, and during, the show. The props crew, like sound and lights, has to listen for cues; they also have to organize the props, making sure they are available to actors & set crews and are divided up by act & scene number before and after each show--if a prop is misplaced, it can cause the entire show to flop. All of the crews work just as hard as the actors and have a great responsibility in the theater. The process of staging a production requires a long, creative process. The end result is a wonderful play--one that warms the hearts of the audience and gives all of the actors and crew members a magnificent feeling of accomplishment. Working with such a great organization is just like having a second family. During productions, every person practically lives in the theater for the 6 weeks before the show premieres. Prayer Circles before each show allow each individual member of the company a chance to reflect, acknowledge, thank, and appreciate everyone involved--it's invigorating. Many actors and crew members experience a “theater withdrawal” after productions. Being in the theater and being with fellow theater members instills an indescribable sense of unity, support, and family.

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Theater is a verb before it is a noun, an act before it is a place.
-Martha Graham

About the Theater Written by: Ms. Felicia Miller, Bea Chahin, and Ashleigh Terrazas

Saint Agnes Theater is one of Saint Agnes' largest student organizations, headed by theater sponsor and director, Felicia Miller. Every year, the theater department puts on a Fall Play, Winter Student One Act Plays and a Spring Play. The St. Agnes Theater is also very privileged to have actors from Strake participate in all productions, both on stage and on crew. In conjunction with the Music Department, many drama students participate in the Spring Musical, which is directed by Arthur Buckley. Students not only work on stage, but behind the scenes to put together productions for audiences of all ages to enjoy. The theater is truly a great collaboration, consisting of wonderful directing, acting, and crew work.

On stage, actors and actresses work very long hours to prepare for their roles--a typical mainstage production calls for roughly 80 hours per student. Acting is not simply being on stage, reciting a few words; acting requires character analysis, stage directions, constantly being in the character’s mindset, and complying with what the director is telling you to do. It sometimes means having to wear extravagant or uncomfortable costumes. Of course, every actor (male and female) MUST wear the dreaded stage make-up, and sometimes beards & moustaches.

Behind the curtain, many people are responsible for the look and feel of the production. Although most audiences are focused on the actual acting during the play, the other elements are being run by the many crews. Some of these crews include: make-up, costumes, sound, lights, set design, and props. Set construction crews spend many laboring hours building the sets, and making sure the set pieces correspond perfectly with the script. Light and sound crews have to follow along with what the actors are doing on stage in order to listen for their cues; the sound crew is also responsible for the microphones & background music which is used during any productions. Costume and make-up crews help with making sure each actor is ready before the show, assists in all costume changes, and retouches an actor's make-up before, and during, the show. The props crew, like sound and lights, has to listen for cues; they also have to organize the props, making sure they are available to actors & set crews and are divided up by act & scene number before and after each show--if a prop is misplaced, it can cause the entire show to flop. All of the crews work just as hard as the actors and have a great responsibility in the theater.

The process of staging a production requires a long, creative process. The end result is a wonderful play--one that warms the hearts of the audience and gives all of the actors and crew members a magnificent feeling of accomplishment. Working with such a great organization is just like having a second family. During productions, every person practically lives in the theater for the 6 weeks before the show premieres. Prayer Circles before each show allow each individual member of the company a chance to reflect, acknowledge, thank, and appreciate everyone involved--it's invigorating. Many actors and crew members experience a “theater withdrawal” after productions. Being in the theater and being with fellow theater members instills an indescribable sense of unity, support, and family.