The move to a hybrid model at Flint Hill has impacted various activities like sports, the classics, and, the subject of this article, the Theater Program. Unfortunately, while the annual play was able to shift to a socially distanced format, all theater classes had to be canceled, a shame for many of Flint Hill’s actors and actresses, like Junior Rachel Coe, who expressed her sadness over the lack of theater classes this year: 

“It was hard at first, seeing as since 6th grade I’ve loved participating in all the activities the theater program had to offer, but I was overjoyed to hear the recent news!,” said Coe.

The “recent news” Coe mentioned is about the two new Theater classes offered next year: Improvisation and Acting Workshop. When talking with James Venhaus, Flint Hill’s new Director of Fine Arts, he relayed his enthusiasm over the new classes: 

“I’m thrilled that Theatre courses are coming back to the Upper School. We are starting with two classes that are great for absolute beginners or the veteran actors,” said Venhaus.

According to Mr. Venhaus, the new improvisation class is “great for students who are good at thinking on their feet (or want to be) and for students who love creativity, spontaneity, and the thrill of performing without a safety net.” On the other hand, the acting workshop class “allows students to dive deeper into acting techniques with monologues and scenes from classic and contemporary plays,” he said. 

Venhaus stated that these classes are coming back because of high demand from students like Coe, who he said “love to act and have had limited opportunities to do so recently. I want these classes to be fun and accessible while simultaneously helping us build up a full slate of Theatre classes in the near future.” 

Whatever the class, students both new and old to the theater program will get the opportunity to grow as actors and actresses. Mr.Venhaus ended the conversation with a recommendation for all to consider taking one of these classes: “If you are an actor who loves to perform, or you want to learn to act and increase your confidence performing in front of others, these classes are for you!”