Curriculum Detail

Theater

The Theater Program at Kimball Union couples a passionate drive for excellence with a sincere love of fun. We believe that the greatest learning and joy occur as we work purposefully together, and for that reason, virtually all theater classes and programs ask students to actively create. Regardless of your experience, you will find a place within this thriving theatrical program where you will be both challenged and at home.

You may choose from classes in a wide range of theatrical disciplines, including Acting, Design, and Stagecraft, or you may participate in a theater activity. Or both! With a fall play and winter musical as well as opportunities to create and perform throughout the school year, aspiring thespians have a wide variety of ways to shine in front of or behind the curtain.

Most theater classes earn a performing arts credit, with the exception of Stagecraft and Puppetry, which may earn a visual arts credit.

Learn more about the Arts at KUA.

Acting I

(1/3 credit)

In this introductory course, students explore the essential skills of acting, including projection, articulation, physicalization, and memorization and gain a working vocabulary of the art of theater and the stage. Individual and partnered scene work, along with techniques such as Laban Movement Analysis, mask work, and improvisation, help students develop as confident and compelling performers.
Acting II

(1/3 credit; Prerequisite - Acting I)

Acting II is a natural extension of Acting I, offering students the chance to continue their quest of honest, organically fueled characters, supported by appropriate physical technique. Students may receive more challenging texts from the point of view of both character analysis and character development. (Shakespeare and/or Greek texts are usually included.)
Design for the Stage

(1/3 credit; Prerequisite - Acting, Stagecraft, or participation in the Fall Play or the Winter Musical)

This course is designed to introduce students to the tools, techniques, and terminology of scenic design and to give them hands-on experience in creating designs for dynamic stage sets. Students read a selection of scenes and full-length plays which they discuss and then create sketches, drawings, and scale models. Students with a strong background in theater expand on their existing knowledge, and students relatively new to the theater get the chance to stretch their creative muscles and learn more about the stage and its traditions in the process.
Musical Theater Studies

1/3 credit

Musical Theater Studies is a course that explores the skills needed for learning and performing musical theater repertoire. The course has a strong focus on the vocal elements of musical theater, but also explores artistic interpretation, character development, and style. Students learn songs from a wide range of musical theater styles including solos and duets or small group pieces. The course also covers topics such as the basics of vocal technique, diction, and audition technique. The course is challenging and fun, and it is a great opportunity to develop skills as a musical theater performer.
Public Speaking

(1/3 credit)

Students in this class learn how to stand before a group of people and speak clearly in a poised and concentrated manner. Primarily, students acquire these skills by researching, preparing, and presenting a series of speeches, including informative, demonstrative, persuasive, after-dinner, announcements, and storytelling.
Puppetry

(1/3 credit)

This course introduces students to the foundations and forms of puppetry. Students gain an appreciation for the historical and cultural contexts of various puppetry styles, as well as inspiration from modern-day masters. In the first phase of the course, students explore each form of puppetry with an opportunity to design, build, and perform. Students then select a specific form in which to craft an in-depth final project, culminating in an original performance. Open to all students interested in advancing their skills in design, building, directing, acting, and/or performance.
Theater Lab

(1/3 credit; Prerequisite - Acting, Stagecraft, or participation in the Fall Play or the Winter Musical)

This course is designed to expose students to a wide variety of theatrical media to expand their understanding of what constitutes “theater” beyond a traditional acting or directing class. Ancient Italian clowning, modern long-form improvisation, protest theater used to spark a Brazilian revolution, giant Bunraku puppets dancing in tandem with a team of puppeteers, dialect training for radio drama, are examples of some of the immersive “labs” students may engage with. In each lab, students focus on a specific form of theater, exploring its context both historically and globally, and then dive into hands-on training and experimentation. This course is open to students with prior theater experience and a passion for expanding their understanding and expertise. It is highly recommended for all students who have an interest in future theater study. Students who take this course have the opportunity for advanced independent study in any of the media explored.
Stagecraft

(1/3 credit)

This class explores the myriad techniques and tools with which scenic artists and theater craftspeople create their designs. Students learn aspects of scenic painting, construction, sculpting, lighting, and basic sound. Credit is given for main stage production-related assignments as well, if they are above and beyond standard tasks in complexity and/or commitment. Students are given the opportunity to pursue their specific interests.

Select a Department

Department

Department Faculty

Noah Harrell

Director of Theatre and Theatre Teacher

603 469-2133

nharrell@kua.org
Bio
Noah Harrell, Director of Theatre and Theatre Teacher, is originally from southeastern North Carolina. He studied theater at Trinity College in Hartford, CT and received his MFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia. He has been an active member of the Bread & Puppet Theater of Vermont since 2007 and toured full time with the company in 2008 and 2009. In 2012 he and his brother Gabriel co-founded the Rural Academy Theater, a horse-pulled theatrical company based in North Carolina, which toured original works at low speed through southern Appalachia. He has worked as performer, stage manager, teacher, director, builder, and puppeteer both in the US and abroad. In 2013 and 2014 he worked in Chihuahua, Mexico with the indigenous farmers’ theater El Teatro Indigena de la Sierra Tarahumara promoting farmers’ rights and seed sovereignty. Noah relishes any time spent on the water; enjoys kites, frisbees, and other things that fly; and loves cooking for family and friends.
Christine Britton

Costume Designer and Instructor

cbritton@kua.org
Bio
Christine has an extensive background in costume design and construction for theatre, dance & film. Her designs and creations have been seen in hundreds of productions. Her experience includes all level of school productions, college and university programs, community organizations, regional and Broadway shows, as well as TV and feature films.

Foothills Theatre, Wood & Poplyk Costume Design, Fenwick Theatre at College of the Holy Cross, Trinity Rep, Worcester Forum Theatre, Massachusetts Children’s Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, Costume World, Inc, Costumes By Illusion, Providence College Blackfriars Theatre, Northern Stage and Dartmouth College are just some of the institutions, theatres and professional costume houses where she has worked.

Christine has lived in Meriden since 1996. She has provided custom dressmaking and alterations services though her company, Double Take Design Studio, for over 40 years.
Dustin Meltzer '05

Visual Arts Teacher, Theater Technical Director

603-469-2138

dmeltzer@kua.org
Bio
A 2005 KUA graduate, Dustin returned to The Hilltop in 2016 to serve the Marketing and Communications team, largely as school photographer. In the fall of 2023, his role transitioned to full-time Arts Department Faculty, where he serves as Technical Director for the Theater, Co-Director of the Arts Scholars Program, teaches Film & Video Production, and oversees the Academy’s Broadcasting program. Dustin earned a BA in Theater from Denison University and, in the years following, worked in the fashion industry in Chicago and London while studying business at DePaul University, and pursuing design training at London College of Fashion.

Dustin and his wife Tong, the Academy’s Director of Wellness and Counseling Services, live nearby in Lebanon, where, in his free time, he continues to take photos and put his fashion education to use through his vintage clothing business, Enfield Cottage.

7 Campus Center Drive
Meriden NH, 03770
phone: (603) 469-2000
info@kua.org