Yorktown High School Theatre
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Yorktown High School's theatre department is under guidance of Carol Cadby, and has taken numerous victories at the local, regional, and state levels of VHSL theatre competition. Cadby bases her theatre on self-sacrifice and ensemble work, making extensive use of echo and pantomime in addition to unique editing of scripts to create new effects. The year 2005 also saw the conversion of the theatre classroom into the Black box theatre.
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[edit] Class Structure
The theatre arts program at Yorktown is broken down into 5 different classes. They range from Theatre I through Theatre IV, as well as a technical theatre program. The skills taught in each numbered level of theatre build on the years previous, with tryouts available in some cases. The technical theatre class is unique among high schools in Arlington and features a master/apprentice style of learning.
[edit] Clubs and Organizations
Yorktown theatre is supported by several student and parent run organizations. These include the 28th Street Improv troupe (an improv comedy group consisting of a dozen or so students with frequent meetings and infrequent performances), International Thespian Society Troupe 1515 (a honor society Cadby uses to recognise the contributions of actors and technicians to the department), and Theatre Arts Parents (TAP, the parental support group critical in procurement of funds, resources, and publicity for YHS Theatre). An experimental theatre club also exists at Yorktown, but has lacked noticeable activity in recent months.
Every two years when Yorktown produces a musical in the spring, it functions as a de facto club, bringing in students from outside the theatre department to take part in the play. Some of these students are from H. B. Woodlawn, a high-school style "program" which Yorktown enjoys close relations with. Yorktown students can and have participated in H.B. plays and vice versa.
[edit] Shakeup
Following the impalement of one student during the run of "Seussical: The Musical" in spring of 2006, a county-wide crack-down on high school theaters has begun, resulting in Yorktown loosing access to all of its power saws and ladder privileges for students under 16 as well as stripping away student's ability to do electrical wiring despite the fact that no student has ever suffered serious injury from any of these procedures or items. In fact, the stage, the one thing which has severely injured a student, remains in the same condition it was when the incident occurred despite repeated promises by the school board to paint and sand the stage. This has left the department, especially the technical theatre department, with a deep resentment for the school board's actions but also with a strange unity as a result of having lost so much to act as a sort of vanguard of that which remains.
[edit] Awards
[edit] VHSL one act play competition
- 2005-2006 Ovid's Metamorphoses won 1st place and best actress (Natalie Koski-Karrell) at the district level. The production continued to the regional level, where it received third place after an initial tie for second place.
- 2004-2005 Governing Alice won 1st Place and Best Actress (Grace Folsom) at the district level
- 2003-2004 The Tempest won 2nd place at the district level and received awards for Outstanding Ensemble and Best Actor (Tim Nielsen) at the district level.
- 2002-2003 Mosquito won 2nd place at the district level and 4th place at the regional level
- 2001-2002 East of the Sun, West of the Moon, an Adaptation of a Norwegian Folktale won 3rd place at the state level and 1st place at the district and Regional levels
- 2000–2001 Subway Dreams won Outstanding Ensemble Award at the district level
- 1999–2000 Bury the Dead won 2nd place at district & regional levels, competed at state level
- 1998–1999 Julius Caesar won 1st place at the District level, 2nd place at the regional level and 1st place at the state level. This was the first time an Arlington County School was a state Champion in the One Act Play Competition
- 1997–1998 Definitely Eric Geddis won 1st place at the district level
[edit] Faculty
- Carol Cadby - Director of the department and primary teacher for all Theatre II, III, IV, and technical theatre students.
- Becket "8-Ball" Warren- Primary teacher of the Theatre I students and sponsor of the 28th Street Improv Troupe
- Faisal Hasan - An assistant to Carol Cadby as well as a very effective acting coach.
- Jono Fallone - Carol Cadby's technical assistant.
