For Arts Students, School’s a Production

Set construction, dance rehearsal, costume changes, makeup checks and vocal exercises are all part of the curriculum for students at the new South Orange County School of the Arts, which is staging its first theater production this weekend.

The academy, which opened this fall at Dana Hills High School, is designed to give high school students an opportunity to study performing and visual arts in depth.

“It’s been really successful so far,” said administrator and drama teacher Robb Rigg, who this week helped students prepare for Friday’s opening of the Thornton Wilder play “The Alcestiad.”

The art school concentrates on five areas of study: vocal and instrumental music, drama, visual arts, dance and theater. The curriculum is integrated, incorporating art into students’ general education classes in social studies, science and English.

Students also are introduced to related fields such as theater management, public relations, fund-raising, lighting and stagecraft.

“You also learn a lot about social skills,” said Jennifer Meyers, 17, who hopes to study theater at New York University next fall.

The program is demanding. Students are required to attend five hours of regular school in the morning, followed by five hours of intensive art study in the afternoon.

Academy members also must perform community service.

“You have to have a love for it to stand a chance,” said Bodger Millerd, 16. “It’s not easy.”

Though most of the academy’s 200 students live in the Capistrano Unified School District, a few have transferred from schools elsewhere, including one young woman who came from Michigan to participate. Students must audition or submit portfolios to enroll in the program.

Planning for the arts school started four years ago when Rigg and others realized that South County students were commuting to Huntington Beach and Los Alamitos high schools to participate in theater programs.

The academy won final approval from Capistrano Unified last year, Rigg said.

Performances of “The Alcestiad,” a spoof of classical Greek drama, are tonight, Nov. 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. in the school’s Porthole Theatre.

Information: (714) 240-1994.