TheatreBridge

TheatreBridge - Six Weeks of Immersive Theatre Study for High School Students

TheatreBridge offers a connecting link between high school and college theatre and encourages a commitment to a life of creative engagement. This highly selective pre-college company provides promising young actors an opportunity to stretch their imaginations and skills as they create new work under the mentorship of established theatre professionals.

Our gifted teachers nurture company members as they develop their acting, directing and writing skills in an intensive six-week residency. Rising high school juniors and seniors create original performance pieces inspired by a variety of creative workshops. Students work alongside the artists of the Brown/Trinity Playwrights Rep and the undergraduate Apprentice Company, and are encouraged to achieve their highest potential. Resident Advisors are carefully selected Brown Theatre Undergraduates. They serve as mentors and role models to help students make the most of their time at Brown.

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The Curriculum

The central experience of the pre-college program is an ongoing exploration of the creativity and craft of acting. Daily classes (including Saturdays) in text, improvisation, and movement make up the basic program. Students can expect to spend the majority of their evening and weekend hours rehearsing and preparing for classes. Some Mondays offer trips to popular destinations for Theater Bridge students and when time permits, students are encouraged to avail themselves of co-curricular and recreational programs offered in the pre-college program.

The Faculty

A highly accomplished core faculty ensures continuity and one-on-one mentoring throughout the program. To further enrich the foundation program, visiting artists offer workshops in specialized areas. The TheatreBridge summer finishes with a showcase of original performance pieces staged during the Festival Week.

A Network of Opportunities

TheatreBridge provides numerous opportunities for interaction with members of the undergraduate Apprentice Company, Brown theatre faculty, and other artists from the Playwrights Rep. in a variety of formal and informal settings. Students work front-of-house at Rep performances, attend special workshops and Q&A sessions with Brown faculty and visiting artists, and participate in post-performance talkbacks.

TheatreBridge Eligibility:

10th,11th and 12th grade students may apply.

SeniorBridge – For TheatreBridge Alumni

SeniorBridge offers outstanding TheatreBridge alumni the opportunity to come back to Brown for a second summer season. Returning TheatreBridge participants continue their training in movement and Meisner technique with TheatreBridge faculty. Members of the SeniorBridge Company offer leadership on a variety of creative projects as they work with the first year "Bridgers."

As an enhancement of their experience, each SeniorBridge student is assigned a staff or crew responsibility on one of the professional productions and is invited to work more closely with members of the undergraduate Apprentice Company - both individually and in shared activities.

SeniorBridgers were drafted to perform side by side with members of the professional and apprentice companies in the ensemble of the Playwrights Rep’s new musical, Torah! Torah!  Torah!.

In keeping with the program’s dedication to the creation of new work, SeniorBridgers create and perform their own original solo performance pieces under the guidance of Brown faculty and Brown alumni soloists. Solo projects comprise the SeniorBridger's primary creative focus throughout the summer and will culminate in a public performance during the Festival Week.

SeniorBridge Eligibility

Application to the SeniorBridge Company is limited to TheatreBridge alumni who have not yet begun their undergraduate experience.