Who We Are:
The Penn Yan Academy Drama Club has been performing, in some form, dating back as far as 1944. Today, we are a group of dedicated, fun-loving students and adults who involve ourselves in the theatre arts as often and in as many ways as possible. We love the stage, we love spending time together, and we love putting on fantastic productions for our families, friends, and community.
What we do:
The Penn Yan Academy Club holds two formal productions during most school years - a fall play and a spring musical. In addition, we provide a number of other theatre experiences including workshops, access to tickets to see professional productions, a 24-hour play festival, and community fundraisers like our "Wizarding Afternoon."
Our Group's Philosophy - This we believe:
- What we do is not “just” high school theatre. We want our students to feel challenged and to grow through rigorous expectations.
- Learning and practicing stagecraft is a critical element of any theatre experience, regardless of a student’s age or experience.
- Students deserve to be exposed to as many elements and aspects of theatre as possible.
- Every student has the right to a fair audition. No student should already be considered for a part before auditions begin, and production team members must always be open to casting the best actor for a particular role.
- A production cannot be successful without clear, effective communication between production team members, students, and parents.
- The production team must have a clear, well-thought out plan for all aspects of a production before students even become involved, communicate that plan clearly to parents and students as the production begins, and follow through with that plan with as few alterations as possible throughout the process.
- Being in a production is a serious commitment for all involved - no one should take it lightly or commit to any aspect of a production without a willingness to follow through in all respects.
- Every aspect of a production is a team effort. No member of the production works in a vacuum - they should feel that they can (and should) reach out to the people around them, within and beyond the team, if they need help. They must also understand that it is critical they do what they can to be prepared and to support everyone else.
- The theatre is full of role models - actors, crew, and production team members must be encouraged to be good models and teachers to those around them and to treat one another with compassion and respect.
- It is important to be sensitive to the various backgrounds of our students and our audience - including race, culture, ability, socio-economic status, sexual orientation and other factors - and to ensure our productions and production process reflect this sensitivity.
- Theatre MUST be safe space for everyone involved. Cast, crew, production team, and everyone else involved need to feel that they can express themselves and their ideas and that they will be supported by everyone around them. Everyone must feel that they can take risks in their craft.
- We are a family - we must never lose sight of that, regardless of how crazy or stressful things get.