Theatre Program at GDS

In my debut acting role at GDS, I played "Bud" in the Bottrell and Jones play, Dearly Departed, which opened tonight in the Bell Family Studio Theatre. It wasn't much of a part - I died in the opening scene without saying a word and, based on the audience reaction, it appears my death went rather well.

Actually, the point of this post is not to talk about my acting abilities, but rather to say that the theatre program is doing a lot better than my "Bud" character. It is alive, vibrant and prospering at Greensboro Day School.

Dearly Departed is the final major play of our dramatic season and features some of our great senior actors. All of our senior acting students have the talent to continue their passion and major in theatre beyond GDS, and two of them told me they are planning to major in theatre and voice after graduation. I have seen our students perform in six shows this year (three in the Lower, one in the Middle and two in the Upper), and they are all quite marvelous. They are marvelous for many reason, one of which is that they have the strong support of a theatre department staff that knows their stuff and dedicates themselves to educating the next generation of budding stars.

Ruthie Tutterow, our Upper School drama director and teacher, chooses plays that truly showcase our Upper School students and develop their talent. Led by the inventive and creative work of Dana Lowell, our theatre technical director, the behind-the-scenes crew runs the technical aspects of our shows with barely a word of direction from him. Many of our alumni say that our theatre and the instruction they received in the areas of acting and technical direction were far more superior and professional at GDS than their own colleges. In fact, one of our alumna, Kara Medoff '96, won a Tony award for her production of Long Day's Journey into Night.

We have a strong program, and we have much to be proud of in our theatre department. It starts with Sonny Willis '96, another alumnus, in the Lower School and then moves on to Beth Dunbar directing musicals in the Middle School and includes Judy McLaughlin as the musical director across all the divisions.

I believe that my acting career (Yes, I was an Acting/Directing major) taught me many lessons that I never would have learned in a classroom. The theatre program of my high school and college years taught me how to analyze stories and narratives, how to approach a character and determine motive and intent, how to work productively with others, and it also taught me how to deal with criticism.

GDS is well known throughout the Triad for its outstanding academic programs. Now, we are becoming known as a leader in the theatrical arts, both from the strength of our productions and from the success of our alumni who have prospered under the tutelage of our talented, professional teachers.