Performing Arts

Students interested in the performing arts (both on and off the stage) have numerous opportunities to participate in dramatic and musical performances throughout the year. First semester opportunities include the annual production and performance of Doane’s Dungeon and The Christmas Mystery.

Doane’s Dungeon gives a literary twist to the traditional Halloween haunted house. Scary, spooky, and Shakespearean, the basement and corridors of our old school are turned into a haunted dungeon for an entire weekend. Drama students as well as those interested in set design and lighting, work together to create scenes from classic scary novels such as Frankenstein, The Crucible, and Macbeth.

Written in the early 1930s by St. Mary’s Hall boarding students who were unable to travel home for the holidays, the Christmas Mystery is a play celebrating the birth of Jesus. Performed word for word as it was written so long ago, the Christmas Mystery is one of our most beloved traditions. Decorated in garland and lights the chapel is transformed into a beautiful theater in the round, as the actors and actress perform the play using all parts of the chapel. Each year Upper School students vie for a part in the performance, with the parts of Mary and Joseph reserved for the senior boy and girl who have been at the school the longest.

During the second semester, the Upper School puts on an annual spring musical, past performances include Bye, Bye Birdie; You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Practice and rehearsal schedules accommodate our athletes and other clubs so all students who wish to participate may do so.

For more information regarding this program please contact Patti Keaton at pkeaton@doaneacademy.org or Sharis Swartley at sswartley@doaneacademy.org