Dominican Theatre

Welcome!

Whether you are a student, prospective student, audience member, or alum, the Dominican Theatre Department welcomes you to the 2007-2008 season and to a theatre where you will be inspired, entertained, and moved by the energy and talent of our students!

Dominican opened it 2007-08 season to rave reviews with CLUE, the hilarious murder mystery/comedy based on the board game. Our Theatre students then went on to take top honors at the State Theatre Festival in November 2007 with the one-act play, HAMLETTE. Click here to learn about the awards for HAMLETTE and how Dominican also swept the Festival's Technical Theatre Competition.

Our spring 2008 production was be the musical sensation, LES MISERABLES, the beautiful and spiritual play which has touched audiences worldwide for over 20 years.  LES MIS ran from Feb. 29 - Mar. 9.  Click on the links provided for the following forms:

DVD Order Form

Les Mis T-Shirt Order Form

Our final production will be a musical revue in May entitled, INSPIRATIONS.  This two-act show will highlight a collection of musical theatre songs and dances from the Broadway collection, showcasing Dominican’s dance and choral talent.  You’ll delight to songs from such Broadway hits as “Spring Awakening,” “The Color Purple” and “Hairspray.”  Check the calendar below for performance dates and times.

The Fine Arts Boosters (FAB) is a volunteer organization which supports Dominican High School’s award-winning theatre program through volunteer activities and fundraising efforts.  To learn more about upcoming and recent FAB meetings, or to get officer contact information, click here.

Let Your Light Shine!

Theatre Director Jeff Schaetzke leads the Dominican Theatre program. In his 10th year at Dominican, Mr. Schaetzke has created an environment of excellence, community, cooperation and compassion, which stretches students to be the best they can be. Two theme statements best exemplify the Dominican theatre experience – one from the Bible and one from Konstantin Staninslavsky. The first comes from Matthew 5 in which Jesus tells the people, “You are the light of the world… let your light SHINE before men.” The second, from Russian theatre giant Staninslavsky, says, “Love the art in yourself, not yourself in the art.”

Applause, Applause

Dominican Theatre is committed to presenting Broadway-caliber shows and productions and giving students a chance to work on new, exciting, collaborative efforts. It is the vision of the Theatre Department to produce a variety of styles and pieces. In the past few years, Dominican has presented:

Get Involved

All shows are open audition. Auditions occur in late May for upcoming fall productions and in early December for the spring musicals. (See Calendar for more information.) Stage crew is open to all and there are sign-ups for each show at the beginning of each production process. Rehearsal times for actors are after school, usually from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 or 6:00 p.m. Stage crew meets each week day except Wednesdays in the theatre from 3:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday gatherings sometimes go late with pizza and an evening movie or activity. For musicals, actors are called in the evening for dance rehearsals from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on selected nights.

Our stage crew is a vital and integral part of our theatre experience. Led by DHS Alum Bryn Van Beek, stage crew is responsible for the creation, building, execution, painting, constructing, wiring, lighting and running of each show. Students with or without experience have a chance to share their talents by painting, cutting, assembling, rigging, pulling curtains, running sound, hanging lights, running a spot light, finding props, designing and working back stage during a show. There is a camaraderie and pride in the stage crew that works with actors, directors and each other to put on the best show possible. With so many shows that incorporate technical elements, the stage crew’s work is equal to and sometimes above the creative work seen in professional productions.

At Dominican, we are committed to providing a wide range of theatre experiences for the actor, the singer, the technician, the set builder and the directors. In any four-year period, students can expect to work on a huge show, an intimate show, musicals from different styles, plays that make you laugh or cry, and continue to learn about different times and styles. Come join us for the experience of a lifetime!

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