Theater Arts
Generations of students have found their home in the lower level of Ryken Center for the Arts, whether as an actor, a stage manager, a lighting technician, sound designer, or just a spectator supporting their friends. Theater at St. John's has a unique and inviting culture that is entirely its own.
Theater in the Classroom
Theater arts has a firm spot in the curriculum both in the Middle and High School. In sixth, seventh, and eighth grade, students take drama as part of their fine arts rotation. In the High School, students can take any number of theater arts-focused courses like play production, acting, or design for theater.
Classroom settings are primarily hands-on and workshop-style as learners investigate basic to advanced techniques of speaking, listening, scene-building, tactical interplay, and voice/body integration for stage. Across the program of studies, the focus is on students having the space and time to refine their acting, auditioning, and public speaking skills while taking advantage of opportunities that encourage collaboration and build self-confidence
Playwriting and directing instruction are also part of the curriculum, including playmaking, literary skills, character, and plot development. Lighting, sound, and set design for stage are also options as learners explore scenic painting, costume/wardrobe design, and technical theater skills. Through such diverse training, students receive a strong foundation that can help them transition into the professional arts or further study in higher education.
Fall Productions
Each fall the Drama Guild stages a musical, sometimes in collaboration with the Middle School Drama Guild. Musical productions give every student the opportunity to be a part of the process, from auditioning for acting roles to learning the ins-and-outs of technical, behind-the-scenes work.
Recent Performances
View galleries of past performances and see our students in action.
A Christmas Carol: The Musical
Grades 6 through 12
Unreal
Middle School Drama Guild
Nothing / Something
High School Drama Guild
Little Shop of Horrors
Grades 9 through 12
Theater Spaces
The Ryken Center for the Arts is a three-story building on the St. John's Prep campus that is entirely dedicated to the arts. On the first floor you'll find the first of three theater spaces, the Blackbox Theater, where theater classrooms, summer performances, concerts, and art shows all have taken place. Alumni Hall houses our 350-seat traditional theater, while the Middle School uses a unique and expansive classroom space to hold class and rehearsals.
Kroo
Shows at St. John's would be impossible without the masterful crew (or "kroo" as it's called here) team behind the scenes. Students regularly win awards at the METG Drama Festival for crew work, including lighting, sound design, and stage production. An on-campus wood shop allows students to build sets from scratch, and students lend their sewing skills each year for costumes and backdrops.
METG State Titles Since 1974
In the spring, both the Middle and High School Drama Guilds participate in the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild's Drama Festival, a tradition in the theater world dating back to 1974. The High School Drama Guild has won the competition a whopping 20 times, making the group St. John's Prep's winningest team.