Life at Ellis

Theater Arts

The Ellis School's Theater Arts program inspires girls to realize their authentic voice through the art of performance.

Whether taking center stage or working behind-the-scenes, all of our theater arts experiences are offered in an environment where students discover and nurture their own artistic affinities and discover their creative potential. While theater arts are incorporated into the school day in pre-kindergarten through grade 5, beginning in sixth grade, Ellis’ theater arts program becomes an extracurricular activity offered after the school day ends.

Pre-kindergarten to Grade 5

In the Lower School, the Theater Arts program is built into the daily curriculum and each grade practices and performs their own play throughout the course of the year.

In Middle School, students build upon the foundational skills students learn in Lower School. In grade 5, students write, produce, and perform their own production as part of the curriculum.

Grades 6 to 12

In grade 6, the Theater Arts become an extracurricular activity. Students with a desire to learn more about the art of performance are encouraged to take part in the productions available to them after the school day ends. Students are invited to take on a more active role in varying areas of theater production including costuming, set design, live sound reinforcement, and stage management and direction. These experiences have proven to unite students through a shared investment in the final product as well as a deeply emotional bonding experience.

The Upper School provides students with three formal performance opportunities throughout the year. Students are given the opportunity to perform in a full-length play, a full-length musical, and one show that is chosen, produced and directed by a senior student. Each of these experiences inspires students to improve the skills they have been working on throughout the course of their theatrical career at Ellis.