Fine Arts

Theater Arts

Bishop Ireton’s Theater Arts Program produces two mainstage productions each year, one in the fall and one in the spring. Open to all students, the program welcomes those interested in all aspects of theater, including acting, stage crew, set design, costuming, makeup and more. 

Theater at Bishop Ireton

The Cappies award-winning Bishop Ireton Theater Arts Program emphasizes both the educational and creative benefits of theater. Led by a dedicated team of professional theater educators, the program encourages students to explore their unique talents and develop their skills in a supportive, collaborative environment. Recent productions include A Man For All Seasons, Guys & Dolls, Into the Woods, The Music Man, Anastasia, Radium Girls, Little Women and You Can’t Take It With You.

Classes and productions are held in the state-of-the-art Garwood Whaley Auditorium, one of the most expansive and well-equipped high school theaters in the Washington, DC metro area. In addition to on-stage roles, students can get involved in areas such as publicity, props, scenic art, and more, gaining a well-rounded theater experience.

Upcoming Productions

List of 1 items.

  • 2025-2026 School Year Productions

    Fall Show - Emma by Jane Austen
    November 14, 15, 21 and 22 at 7 pm; November 16 at 2 pm
     
    Spring Musical - Hello Dolly!
    March 20, 21, 27 and 28 at 7 pm; March 22 @ 2pm
     
    Evening of the Arts
    May 15, 2024 @ 6:30 pm

Theater Department

List of 6 members.

  • Photo of Kathryn Rice

    Ms. Kathryn "Katie" Rice 

    Director of Theater Arts
  • Photo of Laurie Candalor

    Mrs. Laurie Candalor 

    Theater Costuming Teacher
  • Photo of Courtney Foster

    Mrs. Courtney Foster 

    Librarian, Theater Costuming
  • Photo of Arianna Tilley

    Ms. Arianna Tilley 

    Technical Theater Director, English, Classroom Proctor

  • Kathryn Cunningham 

    Assistant Director of Theater Arts
  • Photo of Cathlene Shearon

    Cathlene Shearon 

    Mathematics Teacher, Technical Theater Assistant

Theater Clubs

List of 6 items.

  • Drama Club

    The Bishop Ireton Drama Club is an open and inclusive space designed for students interested in learning more about the aspects of theater including acting, stage crew, costuming, designing, or all of the above. The Drama Club regularly meets to do drama workshops, play improv games, attend local shows, and even create their own!

  • Cappies Program

    Bishop Ireton is a proud member of the National Capital Area Cappies program. The Cappies are a writing and awards program (100% student driven) that trains high school theater and journalism students to be expert writers, critical thinkers, creators and leaders. 

    Bishop Ireton Theater Arts has been nominated many times in multiple categories in previous years including several times for Best Musical.

    Fun Fact: Did you know Bishop Ireton was a charter member of the very first Cappies program in the United States?

  • Cappies Ambassador Club

    Our Cappies Ambassadors work with our Theater Department on our Cappies show, creating boards, shooting videos, and taking pictures, highlighting the performance and technical elements of the show. This club also dresses up to serve as ushers and ambassadors the night other Cappies critics from around the DMV come to review our show!

  • International Thespian Society

    The International Thespian Society (ITS), founded in 1929, is an honorary organization for high school and middle school theater students located at more than 4,200 affiliated secondary schools across America, Canada, and abroad. ITS is a division of the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) whose mission is to honor student achievement in the theater arts. 

    Our Thespian troupe is a subset of our theater arts program. Members of ITS meet to create service projects, like performing at senior homes and giving mini-lessons on acting and theater to elementary and middle school theater students in the Northern Virginia area. 

    This student honor society, though a separate student organization, is open to any student of the Bishop Ireton Theater Arts program, however, only students who have been officially inducted and registered with the EdTA national office are members of the International Thespian Society.
     

  • Props and Dramaturgy

    Props and Dramaturgy is a club that joins together researchers and set dressers to discover and design the historical details within the set and create the textile feel of the show. 

    The props team designs and makes numerous props for each show as well as treasure hunts for antiques specific to the time period and location of the show. 

    Dramaturgy is an exploration of the world of the play—both the text itself and how the text engages with the world in which we live. The dramaturgy team is a creative team whose primary task is to support the play's development creating written packets of notable information the cast needs to know for the show and their characters.
     

  • Scenic Art Club

    The Scenic Art Club is Bishop Ireton Theater Art’s newest club. Brought to fruition for a want to create and explore the theater world through visual art, the Scenic Art Club works closely with Bishop Ireton Theater Technical. Through painting, sculpting, and texturizing, the Scenic Art Club brings the sets of Bishop Ireton Theater Art’s productions to life on stage.
In the spirit of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop Ireton High School is a Catholic college preparatory school that promotes spiritual, intellectual, creative, social and physical development.
 
As a Salesian community of learning and service, Bishop Ireton High school prepares and inspires students to Advance Always with a Christ-centered focus to meet and surpass current and future global challenges.
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