THE AVONDALE THEATRE COMPANY
Extra-Curricular Program and Opportunities
The ATC mounts three or four mainstage productions each season, involving up to 150 students at any given time during the school year. The Company is lead by an elected Board of four or five students who, working with the ATC Director, select the season of shows to be produced, set the itinerary for the school year, choose lead staff positions for each production, and update the ATC rules and regulations as needs dictate.
ATC productions are fully student-lead and student-created (with however intense leadership from above), with members of the ATC serving as director, producer, stage manager, choreographer and music coordinator as productions require. This lead staff then selects crew chiefs for each production based on interest from the Company.
GOALS
Educational: all ATC members should be able to walk away from daily rehearsal, a production or event knowing something more about anything;
Theatrical: we are a theatre company--we must provide our company and our audiences with a positive and affecting quality theatrical experience;
Social: building the company, meeting new people, having fun, and creating lasting memories go hand in hand with the artistic experience.
PRODUCTIONS
Fall Play: usually hits the boards first weekend of November with auditions around Labor Day; style of show varies from year to year depending on overall vision of the season; all students are eligible for all backstage and cast parts.
ATC Lunchtime Children's Theatre: show for the youngest of our drama patrons; types of shows include simple musicals and fairy tales; auditions in November for production and traveling December and early January; during some seasons, this production is mounted through the Acting and Production Classes--when that is the case, the performance schedule varies.
MIFA Theatre Festival and Dinner Theatre Production: centerpiece of ATC season; competitive one-act play, usually a musical, which becomes Avondale's entry into the annual state-wide festival; style of shows vary from year to year and must meet MIFA guidelines; auditions in November, begins rehearsals in December, Festival beings in late January with dinner theatre in early February; state finals usually held third weekend in February; additional application and eligibility to participate.
Spring Musical: the biggest production of the year auditions in February for two-weekend run in late April and early May; style of shows vary from year to year; all students are eligible for all roles and leadership positions.
BASIC ELIGIBILITY
The ATC is an extra-curricular activity that requires academic prowess in the classroom before the student becomes eligible to participate.
ATC members...
...must maintain a 2.0 or C average in order to remain active;
...cannot miss more than two rehearsals for the entire run of a production;
...must maintain strong attendance in school to continue to participate;
...must have a willingness to work on projects in a group setting;
...must maintain the integrity of the department in and out of rehearsals;
...must be willing to work hard to have a great time!!!
OTHER EVENTS
The ATC is not just a production house. We often find new and exciting things to do outside of rehearsals.
Dramathon: through-the-night fundraiser and improv game extravanganza staged at the start of the year
NYC trip: bi-annual week-long excursion to the Big Apple focusing on Broadway shows and workshops
Productions/Field Trips: as opportunities arise, we try to see as much in the area as we can afford time and money for
Scotland: twice since 1997, the ATC has been selected to peform with other American high schools at Edinburgh's Fringe Festival
Drama Day: Western Michigan University, Meadowbrook and U-M have often sponsored day-long workshops for students intensely interested in theatre
School-Wide Events: the ATC is active in Homecoming and other celebrations throughout the year.
