Fine Arts

Theater Arts

Our Theater Program produces two main stage productions each year in the Fall and in the Spring. Past shows have included Music Man, You Can't Take It With You, Anastasia, Little Women, Radium Girls, The Addams Family, and Godspell. All students, regardless of experience, are taught  the basics of acting, character development, and communication on stage. BI Theater Clubs and Organizations are also open to all students who are interested in any aspect of theater, including acting, stage crew, set design, costuming, make-up and more.

About Theater Arts

The Bishop Ireton Theater Arts Program is a Cappies award-winning program that highlights both the educational and recreational benefits of Theater. Our faculty and staff of professional theater artist educators help students find their niche within theater and hone their craft. Creative, dynamic and all-inclusive, the Theater Arts program offers concentrations in state-of-the-art Garwood Whaley Auditorium, one of the most expansive and sophisticated high school theaters in the Metro DC area. In addition to theater classes, students may participate in multiple areas of theater, including publicity, props and scenic art.

Upcoming Productions

List of 1 items.

Theater Staff

List of 4 members.

  • Photo of Kathryn Rice

    Kathryn Rice 

    Director of Theater Arts
    703-212-5195
  • Photo of Laurie Candalor

    Laurie Candalor 

    Theater Costuming Teacher
  • Photo of Courtney Foster

    Courtney Foster 

  • Photo of Arianna Tilley

    Arianna Tilley 

    Assistant Director of Theater Arts, Classroom Proctor

Trip Down Broadway

Every year, the Drama Club spends a weekend in New York City learning about various plays and shows. A few highlights include visiting local attractions, such as St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Rockefeller Center, and getting a behind-the-scenes tour of current Broadway productions. Participants also have the chance to attend workshops and rehearsals with actors and actresses from Broadway shows.

Theater Clubs

List of 6 items.

  • Drama Club

    The Bishop Ireton Drama Club is an open and inclusive space designed for students interested in learning more about the aspects of theater including acting, stage crew, costuming, designing, or all of the above. The Drama Club regularly meets to do drama workshops, play improv games, attend local shows, and even create their own!
     
    Drama Club Officers 2023-2024
    President: Larissa Yaksic
    Vice President: Ellie Viana
    Secretary: Josè Franco
    Treasurer: Hallie Crawford
    Underclassmen Representative: Julien Goulet
    Social Media Coordinator: Lauren Allen

  • Cappies Program

    Bishop Ireton is a proud member of the National Capital Area Cappies program. The Cappies are a writing and awards program (100% student driven) that trains high school theater and journalism students to be expert writers, critical thinkers, creators and leaders. 

    Bishop Ireton Theater Arts has been nominated many times in multiple categories, including last year, when it was nominated for Best Costumes, Best Choreography, Best Male Vocalist, Best Supporting Actor is a Female Role (Winner), Best Supporting Actor is a Male Role, and Best Musical. 

    Fun Fact: Did you know Bishop Ireton was a charter member of the very first Cappies program in the United States?

    Bishop Ireton Cappies Team 2023-2024
    Lauren Allen, Lead Critic
    Donovan Furey, Lead Critic- In Training
    Julien Goulet
    Isaac Nienaber
    Maria Cleary
    Alison Nienaber
    Hallie Crawford
    Sabrina Cruz
    Alternate: Sarah Petz

  • Cappies Ambassador Club

    Our Cappies Ambassadors work with our Theater Department on our Cappies show, creating boards, shooting videos, and taking pictures, highlighting the performance and technical elements of the show. This club also dresses up to serve as ushers and ambassadors the night other Cappies critics from around the DMV come to review our show!
     
    Cappies Ambassador Leadership 2023-2024
    Eleanor Schmutz

  • International Thespian Society

    The International Thespian Society (ITS), founded in 1929, is an honorary organization for high school and middle school theater students located at more than 4,200 affiliated secondary schools across America, Canada, and abroad. ITS is a division of the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) whose mission is to honor student achievement in the theater arts. 

    Our Thespian troupe is a subset of our theater arts program. Members of ITS meet to create service projects, like performing at senior homes and giving mini- lessons on acting and theater to elementary and middle school theater students in the Northern Virginia area. 

    This student honor society, though a separate student organization, is open to any student of the Bishop Ireton Theater Arts program, however, only students who have been officially inducted and registered with the EdTA national office are members of the International Thespian Society.

    Troupe 3418 Members 2023-2024
    President: Lauren Allen
    Vice President: Ellie Viana
    Secretary: Elizabeth D'Souza
    Treasurer: Hallie Crawford
     

  • Props and Dramaturgy

    Props and Dramaturgy is a club that joins together researchers and set dressers to discover and design the historical details within the set and create the textile feel of the show. 

    The props team designs and makes numerous props for each show as well as treasure hunts for antiques specific to the time period and location of the show. 

    Dramaturgy is an exploration of the world of the play—both the text itself and how the text engages with the world in which we live.The dramaturgy team is a creative team whose primary task is to support the play's development creating written packets of notable information the cast needs to know for the show and their characters.
     
    Props and Dramaturgy Leadership 2023-2024
    Aidan Kelleher
    Kat Skowronek
    Paige Martin
    Hallie Crawford
    Diana Modu Atogo




  • Scenic Art Club

    The Bishop Ireton Scenic Art Club is Bishop Ireton Theater Art’s newest club. Brought to fruition for a want to create and explore the theater world through visual art, the Scenic Art Club works closely with Bishop Ireton Theater Technical. Through painting, sculpting, and texturizing, the Scenic Art Club brings the sets of  Bishop Ireton Theater Art’s productions to life on stage.

Bishop Ireton High School

Contact

P: (703) 751-7606
F: (703) 212-8173
info@poscoop.com
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