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CONTRA COSTA SCHOOL OF PERFORMING ARTS
SCHOOL OF THEATRE

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FROM THE DIRECTOR OF THEATRE

AEJAY MITCHELL

Welcome to Contra Costa School of Performing Arts Department of Theatre. As a conservatory of this fine arts discipline, we honor the traditions of the actors, playwrights, directors, and philosophers that have defined and refind this practice since the Ancient West African Griots transformed the history of their people into performative storytelling.


Throughout these pages, you will be introduced to our hopes for the artist-scholars training in this program. These  hopes are detailed through the following: Artist Credo, Department Mission Statement, Tenets of the Theatre, and Student Expectations.

You will also be introduced to our programmatic structure. Currently offering specific and leveled training through sixteen courses, we are strengthening the skill and scholarship of each of our young artists - preparing them from any conservative program in this country.

At SPA  Theatre, we are committed to building community through rigorous and daring explorations of the form! From field trips to productions, our young artists are strengthening their understanding of ensemble!

We welcome you to come be bold with us!

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OUR MISSION

The vision of COCOSPA’S Department of Theatre is four-fold.


1) To provide equitable education in theatre artistry through rigorous, intensive, multi-level, and continuous curricula in acting, voice, movement, dance, history, dramatic literature, theory and criticism - preparing artist-scholars for entry into the professional theatre field or collegiate conservatory programs;


2) To inspire, challenge, and empower our artist-scholars and community through a series of productions, written and composed by richly diverse voices, that awaken a more compassionate and conscious COCOSPA and Contra Costa community


3) To provide opportunities for students to have access to teaching artists currently working in their field and to masterclasses from acclaimed theatre artists within and outside of the Bay Area community

4) To invigorate the current theatre zeitgeist through the creation of original works written, directed, performed, and produced by our young artist-scholars.

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TENETS OF THEATRE

The COCOSPA Department of Theatre BELIEVES:
1) Theatre is a SACRED and HONORED practice with the power to heal, to restore, to nurture, to entertain, and to awaken.
2) Theatre is a PROCESS of self-reflection and ensemble-building. Often vulnerable, sometimes uncomfortable, but always a safe-space for personal investigation.
3) Theatre is IMAGINATIVE PLAY with voice and body.
4) Theatre is a SUBJECTIVE form with SPECIFICITY of technique.
5) Theatre is the constant INVESTIGATION of EMOTIONAL TRUTHS.
6) Theatre is the SOFT SKILLS an employer seeks in their employees.
7) Theatre is an EMPATHY builder, giving one useful tools to navigate through their microcosms and connect with the diversity of macrocosms.
8) Theatre is ACADEMIC, INTERDISCIPLINARY, and TECHNIQUE BASED. The work in the theatre course is refinement of the fine art, the quest for applause is futile to the development of well-rounded and articulate theatre artist-scholars.
9) Theatre is POLITICAL, always.
10) Theatre is FUN.
11) Theatre is ACCESSIBLE to all who wish to investigate its form.
12) Theatre is LIVING; ever-changing, never static.
13) Theatre is YOU - every interaction, every gesture, every stillness.

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ARTIST CREDO

As an artist-scholar at SPA:
1) I humble myself by entering each space with the mind of the beginner.
2) I believe that talent is not a substitute for training.
3) I understand that disappointment and discomfort can lead towards mastery and self-discovery.
4) I commit myself to the creation of meaningful, shared experiences.
5) I am always auditioning.

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STUDENT EXPECTATIONS

Our students are expected to display a commitment to theatre exploration, evaluation, and creation. 


Within the conservatory structure, students have chosen a pathway, at this moment, towards theatre artistry. 


They, as artists-scholars, are theatre advocates,  theatre facilitators, and theatre creators in training.


We believe that every artist-scholar at SPA has the potential to meet and exceed all aligned expectations. The drive towards, dedication to, and investigation of the form is the goal. The goal is not a mastered product, but a continuous process.


As an artist-scholar, I understand that I am am expected to do and/or maintain the following:


  1. Punctuality to all courses.

  2. Daily attendance and participation in courses with the understanding that cell phones and other electronic devices distract from participation and must be off AND away in class.

  3. Full engagement in their academic coursework and campus culture.

  4. Audition for all mainstage and/or studio series productions as indicated within your course syllabi.

  5. Attend or support productions both on-campus and outside of SPA. According to grade level, the number of shows required to attend for a grade varies.

  6. Commit 2-10 hours per week to theater course preparation outside of class, according to the level of study. If not at home, this can be done in the Learning Lab or through arranged office hours with faculty.

  7. Wear the appropriate attire for coursework when specified. As detailed in our syllabus, the campus will provide proper garments for movement, if and when requested. 

  8. Say “yes” to various techniques, forms, and styles with an understanding that intellectual or artistic discomfort can sometimes be necessary for artistic growth. It is the work of the lecturer and their ensemble to ensure a safe and trusting atmosphere to explore those moments if and when they arise.

  9. Observe and follow a standard of behavior that is respectful to their instructor and to their fellow students. If continued interventions, inclusive of collaboration with case-workers, administrators, and parent/guardians, are not showing improvement of ensemble driven behavior, a student may be temporarily disinvited from the training space, until a behavior contract is defined and agreed upon by a full student support team. 

  10. Positively represent the Department of Theatre both on and off-campus.


We welcome all bodies and voices into our conservatory space, and we understand that based on various needs identified within IEPs, 504s or through conversation with Student Support Services, some adjustments to punctuality and participation may be necessary. In accordance with the Education Code, we will provide alternative assignments for graded tasks requiring outside of school commitments.


It is the conservatory’s goal to provide a high standard of training to all who walk through its doors, preparing them for the rigorous and evolving world of professional and collegiate theatre.

COME BE BOLD WITH US!

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VOLUNTEER

2730 Mitchell Dr, Walnut Creek, CA 94598, USA

(925) 235-1130

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