Performing Arts
Tell your story.
From Pre-K through Grade 12, students learn to express themselves with confidence, collaborate with others, and bring creative ideas to life. Whether they are acting, directing, writing, designing sets, filming, or running the lights, every student plays an important role in the creative process.
Lower School
In Lower School, students build confidence through storytelling, movement, and play while discovering the joy of performing. Milestone experiences, including the Second Grade Changemakers Presentations and the student-designed and produced Fifth Grade Play, give students opportunities to share their ideas and take ownership of the creative process.
Middle School
Our Middle School students explore every side of performance. They act, write, direct, design, and create original work while building skills in storytelling, collaboration, and technical theater. As they grow, students take on greater creative ownership and begin to see how every part of a production comes together. Their coursework includes improv performances, filmmaking units, and multiple full-stage productions.
Upper School
Upper School students deepen their craft through advanced productions and student-led projects. They can perform on stage, direct, design sets, create costumes, produce films, or lead technical crews—all while working alongside experienced faculty mentors. There are three big stage productions each year: fall and winter plays directed by a teacher, and the student-directed and produced spring show. Through these productions, students create performances that are ambitious, collaborative, and personal.
Every role matters.
There is no single way to be part of theater at OES. Some students find their home on stage. Others discover a passion for lighting, sound, costume design, filmmaking, stage management, or scenic design. Many explore several roles, developing a broad understanding of what it takes to bring a production to life. Every experience helps students build creativity, confidence, and the ability to work as part of a team.
Space to explore.
From the Great Hall to our black box theater and flexible performance spaces across campus, students learn in environments that adapt to every production. Sets are designed and built by students, transforming familiar spaces into imaginative worlds and making each performance part of the life of the school.
Beyond the show.
The performing arts help students discover the power of their voice. They learn how to communicate with confidence, listen closely, solve problems creatively, and support one another through a shared goal. Whether they perform on stage, create in the studio, or work behind the scenes in the control booth, students carry those skills with them wherever they go.