Bronx Theatre High School is a high school in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, on the border of the Marble Hill neighborhood of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

and the Spuyten Duyvil neighborhood of

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...

. It is currently a small school located within the John F. Kennedy High School building (99 Terrace View Avenue, 7th Floor, Bronx, NY 10463). The enrollment is about 435 students. A large proportion of these students are women, approximately 70%.

History

The school was opened in September 2003 under the leadership of Principal Debi Effinger in collaboration with the

Roundabout Theater Company The Roundabout Theatre Company is a leading non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. History The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist, Michael Fried and Elizabet ...

. The first freshman class entered with an estimated 100 kids. These students were the first graduating class of Bronx Theatre High School in the spring of 2007.

Curriculum

Along with required academic classes (Math, English, Science, and History), Bronx Theatre High School offers theatre arts classes such as

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

costume design Costume design is the creation of clothing for the overall appearance of a character or performer. Costume may refer to the style of dress particular to a nation, a class, or a period. In many cases, it may contribute to the fullness of the arti ...

set design Scenic design (also known as scenography, stage design, or set design) is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but in recent years, are mostly trai ...

, and theatre business. All four of these arts classes work as an ensemble to put on a final production. The script used for the current production usually ties with the academic curriculum. In the students' history class, they study the time era of the text, and in English they have a chance to analyze the text to achieve a greater understanding of the story.

Past productions

The following are past productions performed at Bronx Theatre high School: (2018-2019) * Senior Ensemble ** "Black and Blue" By: Kevin Demoan Edwards and Katherine George * Junior Ensemble ** "The Crucible" By: Arthur Miller * Spring Musical ** Original Jukebox Musicals created by 11th and 12th Graders - "Locked in Love" and "Blinded by Love" (2014-2015) * Student written play "Dead of Night: A Cinderella Tragedy" by Lena Smith * The Crucible * In the Heights (2013-2014) * A Murder is Announced * Chicago (2007–2010) *Juniors ** ''

Metamorphoses The ''Metamorphoses'' ( la, Metamorphōsēs, from grc, μεταμορφώσεις: "Transformations") is a Latin narrative poem from 8 CE by the Roman poet Ovid. It is considered his '' magnum opus''. The poem chronicles the history of the ...

'' ** '' Ti-jean and his brothers'' Changed to ''Ti-jean and her brothers'' (2006–2007) * Seniors ** ''Studio 99'' An Original Piece Directed by James Coles Assistant Director/Stage Manager Julia Rivera *Musical Theatre **
Extraordinary: The First Musical
' An Original Piece Written by Anthony Colon *Juniors ** ''

To Kill a Mockingbird ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' is a novel by the American author Harper Lee. It was published in 1960 and was instantly successful. In the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' has become ...

'' ** ''

The Laramie Project ''The Laramie Project'' is a 2000 play by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project (specifically, Leigh Fondakowski, writer-director; Stephen Belber, Greg Pierotti, Barbara Pitts, Stephen Wangh, Amanda Gronich, Sara Lambert, ...

'' * Freshmen ** '' Monkey Magic'' ** '' The Birds'' ** ''

Marco Polo Marco Polo (, , ; 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in '' The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known as ''Book of the Marv ...

'' ** '' The Adventures of Harlequin'' (2005–2006) * Juniors ** ''

The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692–93. Miller wrote the play as ...

'' ** ''

A Raisin in the Sun ''A Raisin in the Sun'' is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959. The title comes from the poem "Harlem" (also known as "A Dream Deferred") by Langston Hughes. The story tells of a black family's experiences in south Chi ...

'' * Sophomores ** ** '' Rising Star Cafe'' * Freshmen ** ** ''

1001 Arabian Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' ( ar, أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ, italic=yes, ) is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the ''Arabian ...

'' ** ''

Everyman The everyman is a stock character of fiction. An ordinary and humble character, the everyman is generally a protagonist whose benign conduct fosters the audience's identification with them. Origin The term ''everyman'' was used as early as ...

'' ** '' Shakespears Clowns'' (2004–2005) * Sophomores ** ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict a ...

'' ** ''O Brave New World'' (an adaptation of ''

Brave New World ''Brave New World'' is a dystopian novel by English author Aldous Huxley, written in 1931 and published in 1932. Largely set in a futuristic World State, whose citizens are environmentally engineered into an intelligence-based social hiera ...

'', a book by

Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley (26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. He wrote nearly 50 books, both novels and non-fiction works, as well as wide-ranging essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the prominent Huxle ...

) * Freshmen ** '' Most Powerful JuJu'' ** ''

Antigone In Greek mythology, Antigone ( ; Ancient Greek: Ἀντιγόνη) is the daughter of Oedipus and either his mother Jocasta or, in another variation of the myth, Euryganeia. She is a sister of Polynices, Eteocles, and Ismene.Roman, L., ...

'' ** ''

'' ** '' Sir Gawain And The Loathly Lady'' (2003–2004) * Freshmen ** '' The Epic of and Enkidu Gilgamesh'' ** ''

Oedipus Rex ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' ( grc, Οἰδίπους Τύραννος, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC. Originally, to the ancient Gr ...

'' ** ''

The Canterbury Tales ''The Canterbury Tales'' ( enm, Tales of Caunterbury) is a collection of twenty-four stories that runs to over 17,000 lines written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. It is widely regarded as Chaucer's '' magnum opus ...

'' ** '' Androcles and the Lion''

General Information

School Leader: Daniel Albetta, Principal Parent Coordinator: Meighan Ackon, Zena Cordero Space: Shares building with other schools District Borough Number: 10X546 School Number: X546 Accessibility: Partially Accessible Grades: 09,10,11,12,SE Students: 340 Geographic District: 10 Borough: Bronx

The arts

Acting

Students of the acting class learn to trust each other and work as an ensemble towards one shared goal. They go through an extensive vocal and physical warm-up to prepare their bodies, an actors instrument, for their class. After the play has been cast, rehearsals begin. The students learn the art of telling a story with their bodies, blocking, and the proper way to move on a stage. Acting techniques and coaching are given by the acting teacher who is also the director of the production.

Costume design

Students of the costume design class first learn how to improve their sketching abilities of the human form and proportion. This enables them to present an effective design for the production. They research the style of clothing of the particular era the play is set in. After research, students are encouraged to create their own inspired designs from what they have seen. After the sketches are drawn and the play has been cast, a student or a group of students are assigned to one or more characters costumes. From there students learn pattern making and professional construction of a costume.

Set design

Students of the set design class first learn how to improve their sketching abilities of a certain space. They also learn the art of perspective and how to create realistic drawings. Doing this also enables them to draw or create models of the set based on their research of the time era. Each student has a hand in building the set and designing the look.

Theatre business

The students involved in theatre business are responsible for funding and promoting the production. Some students are in charge of marketing and the budget, others are in charge of poster design and presentation. The students are required to come up with ideas for the show's promotion and how to make money.

References

{{authority control Public high schools in the Bronx Marble Hill, Manhattan Spuyten Duyvil, Bronx