MECC Summer Drama Classes Offer Hands-On Experience

Students who enroll in a summer drama class at Mountain Empire Community College will have the opportunity to gain first-hand experience through their involvement with actual theater productions.  Outdoor Drama (SPD 266-1D) will be offered during the first summer term at MECC.  In this course, students will study production techniques through participation as actors or technicians in the outdoor drama, The Trail of the Lonesome Pine.  The drama is performed each summer in Big Stone Gap during the months of July and August.

The course will also feature classroom learning about the history, nature, and current state of outdoor theater dramas.  Through an accelerated format, students will spend six hours per week in the classroom with lectures and discussions, and a minimum of six hours per week in the practicum component of the course where students will earn experience working as interns for The Trail production. 

"We will discuss the process of translating a novel or folk story into a viable dramatic piece, as well as the challenges offered by doing theater in the elements," says Instructor Jill Stapleton-Bergeron.  "From my own personal experience of being in and directing The Trail, I can honestly say that you haven't done theater until you've done outdoor theater." 

Outdoor Drama is a three-credit course that will be taught on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 4 p.m. to 5:55 p.m., plus the weekly internship experience beginning Tuesday, May 30 and ending Friday, June 30.  Students must be 16 years of age to enroll or have permission of the instructor.  Tests and class projects will assess the students' work in class.  Internship work must meet the director's standards in terms of quality, deadlines, and a cooperative attitude.

"We have so many talented young people in the drama every summer," states Stapleton-Bergeron.  "This will give them a chance to learn more deeply from their participation and also receive valuable college credit for their work." 

MECC will offer Acting I (SPD 131-1D) during the first summer term.  The course will enable students to study acting and production techniques through participation as actors or technicians in a children's theater performance.  It will allow students to explore creative approaches to dramatic production through class improvisations, exercises, games, and the mounting of a play for the public. 

Stapleton-Bergeron will also teach this course, which is worth three credits and will take place on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 2 p.m. to 3:55 p.m. with a lab component of the course on Tuesday and Thursday from 2 p.m. to 5:55 p.m., beginning Tuesday, May 30 and ending Friday, June 30.  Students must be a rising senior to enroll or have permission of the instructor.

 "In class, we will explore playwriting, acting, and production techniques, which will all culminate with a public performance near the end of our term.  It will be extremely creative and expressive, and I hope students have a lot of fun while they are learning."

Individuals who enroll in MECC's Outdoor Drama course this summer will study production techniques through participation as actors or technicians in The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, performed annually in Big Stone Gap during the months of July and August.