Drama

The Drama program gives students the full theatrical experience, on stage and behind the scenes — from acting and directing to sets, tech, and pit orchestra. There’s a place for every experience level, from the introductory Acting I class through the advanced Acting II company (known as Broken Box), and no one who wants to participate is turned away.

Director: Lisa Battle.

The classes

• Acting I (grades 9–12) is a multi-level acting class open to all levels. Students build the fundamentals — physical theater, improvisation, and vocal projection and articulation — through scenes, monologues, and short plays, with an introduction to technical theater and design. Students present short plays to elementary schools and have the chance to perform in a full production in the spring.
• Acting II (grades 10–12, by audition and director recommendation) is the advanced class — the theater company known as Broken Box. It works as a company all year, mounting three full-length plays with tech weeks, dress rehearsals, and performances outside class. It’s an intense, rewarding commitment.

A year on stage

A typical season offers something for everyone:

• An Instant Play Festival where Broken Box produces plays from conception to production in just one week
• A fall play staged by Broken Box that welcomes elementary school students into the audience
• A student-directed Anthology Play produced by Broken Box in the winter
• An Acting I play where both sections of Acting I get the chance to shine on stage in the spring
• A spring play produced by Broken Box where the advanced class gets a chance to show what they’ve learned
• A senior showcase where our seniors take one last bow and are honored by their classmates

Every other year, the season also includes a musical — a major, full-department production with cast, crew, and a student pit orchestra. There is no musical in the 2026–27 school year; the next is expected in 2027–28.

Productions are supported by professional staff stipends and, for the musical, a hired accompanist, while students and parents handle much of the rest.

Broken Box: the 2026–27 season — In Her Own Words

• Thursday, August 20, 2026, 6:00 PM — Instant Play Festival. Broken Box presents plays created in one week — written, directed, and acted within seven days of receiving a prompt.
• November 6–7, 2026, 7:00 PM — Cinderella: A Dream Come True by Kristi Cunningham. The classic rags-to-riches fairytale, narrated by Jacques — “master storyteller, juggler and jester extraordinaire” — with a forgetful Fairy Godmother thrown in for an evening of classic fairytale fun.
• February 5–6, 2027, 7:00 PM — Two Classic Tales: Anne of Green Gables and Little Women, adapted by Jon Jory and Marisha Chamberlain. A double bill of beloved novels: irrepressible orphan Anne turns quiet Green Gables upside down, and the four March sisters hold their family together while Father is away in the Civil War.
• April 16–17, 2027, 7:00 PM — One Wife Too Many by Tony Howell. TV star James Holden returns from his honeymoon with wife number four, only to find his first three wives are not nearly as gone as he thought.
• Friday, May 14, 2027, 6:00 PM — Senior Showcase. Broken Box seniors take the stage one last time in a variety and awards show, welcoming new members and celebrating a year of hard work.

What the Boosters provide

Booster support helps fund production staff, sets and props, costumes, royalties, and the equipment that brings each show to life. Drama maintains its own program fund, directed by its teacher toward the needs of the students. Mounting the musical is ambitious — and growing parent involvement is key to making it sustainable.

Get involved

• Join the Drama Google Group for show dates, audition info, and volunteer sign-ups.
• Volunteer to help with set building, costumes, publicity, front-of-house, and more. A standing parent committee for the musical is a great way to make a big impact.
• Come to the monthly Boosters meeting on Zoom to hear from the director. The link is in the Google Group.

Support the program

Your tax-deductible gift directly supports our productions and the students who make theater happen at Los Altos.

Drama is supported through the Boosters’ Back-to-School campaign — choose Drama on the form when you give.