Drama

We’ve got exceptional teachers at the College, as well as great facilities and resources to work with. The David Chu Theatre, for example, is better equipped than many professional theatres I’ve seen.
—Theo Lordache ’17

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Brendon Allen

Drama and Theatre coordinator

We live for the applause

Our reputation for professional-calibre standards is well-deserved.

Throughout all years at UCC, students undertake major theatrical productions, including musicals. Many Prep students enjoy being involved in the fall play and winter musical, and smaller theatrical productions in which young students portray their favourite characters are very popular.

Curricular theatre begins in Year 9, with a course that explores dramatic forms, conventions and techniques using a variety of dramatic sources from various cultures. Students complete the course by devising an original piece of theatre making creative use of the skills developed throughout the year, including research and reflection.

The Year 10 course shifts to the art of theatre. Students are introduced to the demands of the theatre space in producing shows, considering all technical aspects. They devise original productions as a result of in-depth analysis of Shakespeare, Chekhov and Canadian playwrights. They develop stage-combat work and staging considerations to advance the story, and make use of theorists and theatre practitioners in refining their work.

Year 11 and 12 theatre courses focus on international-mindedness as students devise, direct, design and perform original presentations based on various theatre traditions and theorists. They focus on the role of the dramaturge as they apply research to their work, direct shows, and design sets and lighting.

"Going into my first play, I didn’t know what to expect. Over eight diligent weeks we learned much about both the art of theatre, and the Battle of Vimy Ridge. I remember studying the event in Grade 9 Canadian history and heard stories of my great-grandfather as a highlander at Vimy, but never had I understood how the soldiers felt during and in the days leading up to the famous battle. Playing soldiers and a nurse, in Vern Thiessen’s VIMY, showed us all the different Canadian perspectives of the war. It was wonderful to be part of a significant Canadian play for the fall production."

—Angus Webb '19

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Brendon Allen

We live for the applause