Founding of Cougar Theatre
As the new theatre director for HHS, I founded Cougar Theatre and changed our name from "Drama Club" as a way to legitimize the work these students do. We changed the name of the theatre department to signify to the school and community-at-large that this is a new program. After changing the name, we hired an artist to create a new logo that honored the 'old' space we work in and cultivate a spirit of both renewal and resilience.
This year, Cougar Theatre has accomplished a great deal, beginning with the production of our main-stage shows; (1) Lovecraft:Nightmare Suite and (2) The Wedding Singer, a Musical Comedy. With theatre, as for any art or technical course, learning that takes place away from the classroom is just as important as what happens indoors. With that in mind, I worked this year to ensure that scholar-artists were provided ample work-based learning and industry related opportunities. This includes, but is not limited to, professional trainings, field trips, exposure to professional theatre, college credit-bearing courses, auditions and interviews within the industry, internships, festivals, competitions, conferences and conventions, guest speakers, tours, and college preperation with a focus on visual and performing arts.
Check out Cougar Theatre at it's online home here.
This year, Cougar Theatre has accomplished a great deal, beginning with the production of our main-stage shows; (1) Lovecraft:Nightmare Suite and (2) The Wedding Singer, a Musical Comedy. With theatre, as for any art or technical course, learning that takes place away from the classroom is just as important as what happens indoors. With that in mind, I worked this year to ensure that scholar-artists were provided ample work-based learning and industry related opportunities. This includes, but is not limited to, professional trainings, field trips, exposure to professional theatre, college credit-bearing courses, auditions and interviews within the industry, internships, festivals, competitions, conferences and conventions, guest speakers, tours, and college preperation with a focus on visual and performing arts.
Check out Cougar Theatre at it's online home here.
Work-Based Learning & Industry Related Programming
Plays we've seen this year:
Festivals & Competitions
Specialized Training & Trips
Guest Speakers & Partners:
Project-Based Learning:
Internship Opportunities:
Theatre Department Awards & Recognitions (2014-2015):
- Immediate Family, The Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, CA - Directed by Phylicia Rashad, students were able to meet the cast and crew post show. Students were also able to meet and speak with the playwright one-on-one.
- Chavez Ravine, The Kirk Douglas Theatre, Culver City, CA - Written and performed by legendary Chicano theatre troupe, Culture Clash, students were able to meet the cast and crew post show. Students were also allowed to stay behind and speak with the production stage manager one-on-one. Culture Clash offered to visit students at HHS for a collaboration.
- Call of Cuthulu, The Lex Theatre, Hollywood, CA - As students were rehearsing their fall production, Lovecraft: Nightmare Suite, students received a special invite form the playwright to visit his theatre and watch volume two of the original production. Students were able to meet the cast and crew post show, receiving invaluable acting advice from the show's lead. Students were also coached through their production by cast and crew members of the Hollywood premier cast of Lovecraft: Nightmare Suite. Students were even visited by the playwright and other crew members on their opening night.
- Bye Bye Birdie, El Camino College, Gardena, CA - Professor of theatre at El Camino has been very supportive of our students, offering comped tickets to several shows this school year.
- Laramie Project, El Camino College, Gardena, CA - Professor of theatre at El Camino has been very supportive of our students, offering comped tickets to several shows this school year.
- As You Like It, El Camino College, Gardena, CA - Professor of theatre at El Camino has been very supportive of our students, offering comped tickets to several shows this school year.
- King Lear, The Broad Stage featuring The Globe's Shakespeare Company, Santa Monica, CA - Students had a once in a lifetime opportunity to witness a performance of a Shakespeare play performed by the one and only Globe Theatre Players. Students also had a chance to speak with the cast members post show.
Festivals & Competitions
- ComedySportz L.A. High School League, GameCon I (September)
- Drama Teacher Association of So Cal, Fall Festival (October)
- The Center Theatre Group, National August Wilson Monologue Competition (October)
- The Center Theatre Group, Outdoor Festival at August Wilson Monologue Preliminary Round (October)
- The Music Center, International Spotlight Audition & Competition (November)
- Drama Teacher Association of So Cal, Spring Shakespeare Festival (April)
- ComedySportz L.A. High School League, GameCon II (February)
Specialized Training & Trips
- The Music Center, Spotlight Master Classes
- The Center Theatre Group, Tour of the Ahmanson Theatre & the Mark Taper Forum
- The Center Theatre Group, Behind the Scenes with Matilda the Musical and it's composer
- TakePART Art Festival, Leuzinger High School
- ComedySportz L.A. High School League Workshop Series
- Stagecraft, Thea 184 at El Camino Community College for both high school and college credits
Guest Speakers & Partners:
- Deverau Chumrau
- Sean Hill
- Amy Urbina
- Blanca Villagomez
- Karly Benke
- Crhistopher Erazo
- Amir Abdullah
- Jasmin Young
- Spotlight Academy
- The Music Center
- Center Theatre Group
- The Robert Kennedy Center for Human Right and Justice
- ComedySportz L.A. Theatre Members
Project-Based Learning:
- Verbatim Theatre Project (Advanced Drama)
- Children's Theatre Project (Beginning Drama)
- Portfolios & Resumes (Advanced Drama & Stagecraft)
- Poetry Anthology (English 10)
Internship Opportunities:
- Old Friends, Hollywood Fringe Festival, Hollywood, CA
- The Historic El Portal Theatre, North Hollywood, CA
Theatre Department Awards & Recognitions (2014-2015):
- Honorable Mention, DTASC Fall Festival for Set & Light Design, Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
- Semi-Finalists, DTASC Fall Festival for Plays of Social Conscious, Speak Truth to Power by Ariel Doorman
- Honored at California Youth in Theatre Day for Excellence in Theatre
- California Theatre of Excellence, California Educators in Theatre Association
- Honored by Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom for Excellence in Theatre
- Honored by Sen. Isidor Hall III for Excellence in Theatre & Arts Advocacy
- Hawthorne/Lennox/LAX Rotary Grant Recipient
- Excellence and Innovation in Arts Grant Semi-Finalists, College Board
Community Building Through Visual & Performing Arts
This past fall, as Theatre Director, I lead a group of students in the renaming and branding of their theatre program at Hawthorne High School. We changed the name of the theatre club and department to Cougar Theatre. The rationale behind this was to , one, give students a more official and prestigious feeling when saying the name of their program. Two, to give the program a name that also bests represents the best theatre performers our school and community have to offer. Below is a micro-documentary, written and produced by a former Cougar Theatre student. The short film features the cast and crew from the fall production, Lovecraft: Nightmare Suite. 90% of the students in the film are in one of my courses; Advanced Drama, Stagecraft, Technical Theatre, English 10 (VAPA), or Beginning Drama. The remaining participating students are members of our club, Cougar Theatre.
HHS Participates in the 95 year DTASC Tradition For the First Time
Advanced theatre students, from Advanced Drama & Stagecraft, participated in the Drama Teacher's Association of Southern California (DTASC) Fall & Spring Festivals. DTASC is a 95 year tradition and Hawthorne has never participated. For the first time in our school's history, students went on to represent our neighborhood against nearly 200 schools (2,900 students) in 8 categories; 3 technical theatre and 5 acting. For more information regarding DTASC, click here.
In addition to entering in the acting categories, we also entered in technical theatre. Below are concept designs for our technical theatre entry in Court Costumes. Students are tasked with designing, budgeting, and fabricating costumes during the years Shakespeare lived. Artists must select a place in the world and conduct research on the attire typically worn by "royal court members". This year, Cougar Theatre members chose Egypt and Mexico. In their research, students discovered that the Ottoman Empire, with the support of Queen Elizabeth I, occupied Egypt during the life of William Shakespeare; in Mexico, the Aztecs were at the height of their power.
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National Core Art Standard(s) Addressed:
- TH:Cn11.1.HSII. Integrate conventions and knowledge from different art forms and other disciplines to develop a cross-cultural drama/theatre work.
- TH:Cn11.2.HSIII. (a) Justify the creative choices made in a devised or scripted drama/theatre work, based on a critical interpretation of specific data from theatre research. (b)Present and support an opinion about the social, cultural, and historical understandings of a drama/theatre work, based on critical research.
- TH:Cr1.1.HSII. (a) Investigate historical and cultural conventions and their impact on the visual composition of a drama/theatre work. (b) Understand and apply technology to design solutions for a drama/theatre work.
- TH:Cr2.1.HSIII (a) Develop and synthesize original ideas in a drama/theatre work utilizing critical analysis, historical and cultural context, research, and western or non-western theatre traditions. (b) Collaborate as a creative team to discover artistic solutions and make interpretive choices in a devised or scripted drama/theatre work.
- TH:Cr3.1.HSII (a)Use the rehearsal process to analyze the dramatic concept and technical design elements of a devised or scripted drama/theatre work. (b) Use research and script analysis to revise physical, vocal, and physiological choices impacting the believability and relevance of a drama/ theatre work. (c) Re-imagine and revise technical design choices during the course of a rehearsal process to enhance the story and emotional impact of a devised or scripted drama/theatre work.
- TH:Pr6.1.HSIII (a) Present a drama/theatre production for a specific audience that employs research and analysis grounded in the creative perspectives of the playwright, director, designer, and dramaturg.
- TH:Re9.1.HSIII (a) Research and synthesize cultural and historical information related to a drama/theatre work to support or evaluate artistic choices. (b) Analyze and evaluate varied aesthetic interpretations of production elements for the same drama/theatre work. (c) Compare and debate the connection between a drama/theatre work and contemporary issues that may impact audiences.
HHS Joins ComedySportz, L.A. High School League
ComedySportz L.A. is an internationally known improv comedy theatre troupe. They host a high school league in the state of California and for the first time in HHS' history, the theatre department has charted a team. Students train with a professional comedian and improv artitist for more than 7 months. They attend two large conferences known as GameCon where they further their training with like-minded peers and more professional comedians.
California Youth in Theatre Day, 2015
Cougar Theatre students were honored by California Educators Theatre Association this year at the 18th annual California Youth in Theatre Day for their Excellence in theatre. Students had a chance to perform their winning scene in front of a huge crowd which included more than 400 theatre students from across the state, parents, educators, and C.A. lawmakers. Below is a video of students performing a compilation scene from "Speak Truth to Power".
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Advanced Drama: Verbatim Theatre Project
Advanced Drama, has been studying Verbatim Theatre and works such as Laramie Project, Chavez Ravine, and Twilight 1992. Students are also working on Stanivslaski's method of acting. As such, they are working on composing their own Verbatim piece on the issue of profiling & police brutality. The concept behind verbatim theatre is simple. Students conduct extensive research and a number of interviews on a major issue or event affecting their community. Their job is to tell all sides of the story; to tell the truth; to honor the humanity of every community member; and to give voice to everyone who can relate to the issue. This is a long process which they have been working on for the past three months. Once their research and interviews are finished, they move on to composing their script and pulling together the final production. After their show goes up, it will culminate with a town-hall style Q&A between community/audience members and the cast/crew.
National Core Art Standard(s) Addressed:
- TH:Cn10.1.HSIII. Collaborate on a drama/theatre work that examines a critical global issue using multiple personal, community, and cultural perspectives.
- TH:Cn10.2.HSIII. Develop a drama/theatre work that identifies and questions cultural, global, and historic belief systems.
- TH:Cn11.2.HSIII (a) Justify the creative choices made in a devised or scripted drama/theatre work, based on a critical interpretation of specific data from theatre research. (b) Present and support an opinion about the social, cultural, and historical understandings of a drama/theatre work, based on critical research.
- TH:Cr1.1.HSIII (a) Synthesize knowledge from a variety of dramatic forms, theatrical conventions, and technologies to create the visual composition of a drama/ theatre work. (b) Create a complete design for a drama/theatre work that incorporates all elements of technology.
- TH:Cr2.1.HSIII (a) Develop and synthesize original ideas in a drama/theatre work utilizing critical analysis, historical and cultural context, research, and western or non-western theatre traditions. (b) Collaborate as a creative team to discover artistic solutions and make interpretive choices in a devised or scripted drama/theatre work.
- TH:Cr3.1.HSIII (a) Refine, transform, and re-imagine a devised or scripted drama/theatre work using the rehearsal process to invent or re-imagine style, genre, form, and conventions. (b) Synthesize ideas from research, script analysis, and context to create a performance that is believable, authentic, and relevant in a drama/theatre work. (c) Apply a high level of technical proficiencies to the rehearsal process to support the story and emotional impact of a devised or scripted drama/theatre work.
- TH:Pr4.1.HSIII (a) Apply reliable research of directors’ styles to form unique choices for a directorial concept in a drama/theatre work. (b) Apply a variety of researched acting techniques as an approach to character choices in a drama/theatre work.
- TH:Pr5.1.HSIII (a) Use and justify a collection of acting exercises from reliable resources to prepare a believable and sustainable performance. (b) Explain and justify the selection of technical elements used to build a design that communicates the concept of a drama/theatre production.
- TH:Pr6.1.HSIII (a) Present a drama/theatre production for a specific audience that employs research and analysis grounded in the creative perspectives of the playwright, director, designer, and dramaturg.
- TH:Re7.1.HSIII (a) Use historical and cultural context to structure and justify personal responses to a drama/theatre work.
- TH:Re8.1.HSIII (a) Use detailed supporting evidence and appropriate criteria to revise personal work and interpret the work of others when participating in or observing a drama/ theatre work. (b) Use new understandings of cultures and contexts to shape personal responses to drama/theatre work.
- TH:Re9.1.HSIII (a) Research and synthesize cultural and historical information related to a drama/theatre work to support or evaluate artistic choices.(b) Analyze and evaluate varied aesthetic interpretations of production elements for the same drama/theatre work. (c) Compare and debate the connection between a drama/theatre work and contemporary issues that may impact audiences.
Beginning Drama: Students Write, Produce & Perform Original Children's Plays
Beginning Drama students were tasked with adapting a children's book into a 10-minute play complete with props and costumes. Students spent a few weeks studying children's theatre and important differences between it and other genres of theatre. Students spent the following few weeks selecting a book and writing their scripts. After their scripts were completed, student performed on stage in a final dress rehearsal.
National Core Art Standard(s) Addressed:
- TH:Cn11.2.HSI (a) Research how other theatre artists apply creative processes to tell stories in a devised or scripted drama/theatre work, using theatre research methods. (b) Use basic theatre research methods to better understand the social and cultural background of a drama/theatre work.
- TH:Cr1.1.HSI (a) Apply basic research to construct ideas about the visual composition of a drama/theatre work. (b) Explore the impact of technology on design choices in a drama/theatre work.
- TH:Cr2.1.HSI (a) Explore the function of history and culture in the development of a dramatic concept through a critical analysis of original ideas in a drama/theatre work. (b) Investigate the collaborative nature of the actor, director, playwright, and designers and explore their interdependent roles in a drama/theatre work.
- TH:Cr3.1.HSI (a) Practice and revise a devised or scripted drama/theatre work using theatrical staging conventions. (b) Explore physical, vocal and physiological choices to develop a performance that is believable, authentic, and relevant to a drama/theatre work. (c) Refine technical design choices to support the story and emotional impact of a devised or scripted drama/ theatre work.
- TH:Pr4.1.HSI (a) Examine how character relationships assist in telling the story of a drama/theatre work. (b) Shape character choices using given circumstances in a drama/theatre work.
- TH:Pr6.1.HSI (a) Perform a scripted drama/theatre work for a specific audience.
- TH:Re7.1.HSI (a) Respond to what is seen, felt, and heard in a drama/theatre work to develop criteria for artistic choices.
English 10: Poetry Anthology & Performances
Students have spent the final months of school conducting an in-depth study on poetry, its various styles, and techniques. To culminate their progress and work, they have composed an original poetry anthology displaying all they have learned. The full anthology will is now available . Below are a few excerpts from the book and their cover design.
Full Anthology is Now Available.
See file to the right or click below to download.
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Common Core, English Language Art Standard(s) Addressed:
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.6 Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.7 Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment (e.g., Auden's "Musée des Beaux Arts" and Breughel's Landscape with the Fall of Icarus).
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.9 Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work (e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare).
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.10 By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.7 Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person's life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.D Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3.C Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3.D Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grades 9-10 here.)
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology's capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.A Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.B Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making (e.g., informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of alternate views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.D Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.2 Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.3 Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.5 Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grades 9-10 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.3 Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.5.A Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.5.B Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.6 Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.