Explore the actor's craft and learn how to work as part of a creative team.

Our summer Drama programs are built for the most passionate, energetic, and motivated young artists and include studies in acting, voice, singing, dance, and movement. Students live and work among ambitious and dedicated classmates and are taught by teachers who've spent their lives in the profession.

Students are challenged physically, vocally, and imaginatively in a community where art is not just one of the courses, but the main course. For some, it's the first step in their journey to our world-class Residential High School program. For many, it's the most important, fulfilling, and exhilarating of their young lives. 

Arts Odyssey Program
Rising 8th & 9th-Graders
June 20 - 25 / June 27 - July 2, 2021

Explore, imagine, create, and discover: that's what students do every day in our introductory Drama program. Rising 8th and 9th graders become members of the Arts Odyssey ensemble and experience the freedom and power of collaboration. In acting, voice, singing, movement, and dance classes, they grasp the values necessary for excellence in the theatre and life. Students who complete the one-week challenge emerge with a clearer sense of possibilities and enter their next school year with increased artistry and confidence. The Arts Odyssey one-week intensive culminates in a showcase of student work for parents and family.  

Students apply in the 7th or 8th grade and must be legal residents of South Carolina to apply. 

Academy Program
Rising 10th-Graders
July 11- 24, 2021

Academy Drama is where things begin to get serious. Rising sophomores are challenged to work from the top of their physical, emotional, and intellectual aptitude. Classes taught by professional artists engage students in an advanced study of acting, voice, singing, movement, and dance. By immersing themselves wholeheartedly in the pursuit of artistic excellence, students acquire fundamental skills, gain essential self-awareness, and glimpse new horizons. The two-week intensive culminates in a presentation of student work for parents and family.

Students apply in the 9th grade and must be legal residents of South Carolina to apply. 

Drama student performing a monologue
Photo of sword fighting
Summer drama students standing in a circle

Academy Application

Apply Now! 

First Application Deadline: $25 application fee automatically waived if application form is submitted by November 30, 2020

Final Application & Video Submission Deadline: January 6, 2021

Components for Online Application Process

Inquiry & Login Credentials

Application Form

Passport-Style ID Photo

Drama Experience

Monologue & Character Questions *see details below*

Art Area Recommendation

Academic Recommendation

Current Report Card

Current Attendance Record

Audition Video *see Academy Audition tab*

Monologue & Character Questions

You will be asked to answer the following questions in paragraph form for one (1) of the monologues you plan to use at your audition, not to exceed 300 words total.

  • Who is my character? Give information about their age, experiences, cultural background, values, and needs.
  • What is the environment where this monologue occurs? (Location, surroundings, etc.)
  • Who is my character talking to? What is my character's relationship to this person/these people, and what is the purpose of my character speaking to them in this monologue?
  • What is it about this specific play and character that you feel connected to, particularly in terms of your chosen monologue.

Arts Odyssey Application

Apply Now!

Final Application & Video Submission Deadline: December 11, 2020

Components for Online Application Process

Inquiry & Login Credentials

Application Form

Passport-Style ID Photo

Drama Experience

Monologue & Character Questions *see details below*

Art Area Recommendation

Current Report Card

Arts Odyssey Application Video *see Arts Odyssey Application Video tab*

Monologue & Character Questions

You will be asked to answer the following questions in paragraph form for the monologue you plan to use in your audition video (see Arts Odyssey Application Video drop down below for more information), not to exceed 300 words total.

  • Who is my character? Give information about their age, experiences, cultural background, values, and needs.
  • What is the environment where this monologue occurs? (Location, surroundings, etc.)
  • Who is my character talking to? What is my character's relationship to this person/these people, and what is the purpose of my character speaking to them in this monologue?
  • What is it about this specific play and character that you feel connected to, particularly in terms of your chosen monologue.

Academy Audition

The Academy Drama Auditions will be held virtually this year.

Phase 1: Submit a 4-minute video recording of two contrasting monologues and one song (details below). This video must be submitted by January 6, 2021.

Phase 2: Selected applicants will be invited to this phase based on their application materials and video audition. During this 15 minute virtual audition, students will perform their monologues and song, will be interviewed by SCGSAH adjudicators, and a coaching session may take place. These will take place on various Saturdays during late January & early February.

Two Contrasting Monologues

Select two contrasting monologues from modern playwrights (after 1920) that are 60 seconds long and reflect your age, experience, and understanding. This should be material you connect with personally.

Check out the list of modern/contemporary plays (published after 1920) below. These plays contain one or more monologues suitable for audition purposes, though some may need to be cut together or edited somewhat. You may use the list as a guide, or choose material not on the list by written by established professional playwrights.

If you have difficulty finding material, note that the modern classics listed below with an * should be easy to find in many school and local libraries. 

For Women 
   The Red Coat, John Patrick Shanley 
   A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry * 
   The Piano Lesson, August Wilson * 
   Jitney, August Wilson 
   Crimes of the Heart, Beth Henley 
   The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams * 
   I Oughta Be in Pictures, Neil Simon 
   Barefoot in the Park, Neil Simon 
   Collected Stories, Donald Marguiles 
   Sight Unseen, Donald Marguiles 
   A Young Lady of Property, Horton Foote 
   A View from the Bridge, Arthur Miller * 
   All My Sons, Arthur Miller * 
   Eleemosynary, Lee Blessing 
   Sally’s Gone, She Left Her Name, Russell Davis 
   You Can’t Take it With You, Kauffman and Hart * 
   Picnic, William Inge * 
   Inherit the Wind, Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee 

For Men 
   Biloxi Blues, Neil Simon 
   Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller * 
   A View from the Bridge, Arthur Miller * 
   The Crucible, Arthur Miller * 
   The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams * 
   The Dark at the Top of the Stairs, William Inge * 
   Picnic, William Inge * 
   Bus Stop, William Inge * 
   The Piano Lesson, August Wilson * 
   Jitney, August Wilson 
   A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry * 
   In a Northern Landscape, Timothy Mason 
   Conversations with My Father, Herb Gardner 
   Sally’s Porch, Russell Davis 
   The Red Coat, John Patrick Shanley 
   Rabbit Hole, David Lindsay Abaire 
   Proof, David Auburn 
   Catfish Moon, Laddy Sartin 
   Master Harold…and the Boys, Athol Fugard 

One Song

Memorize a short selection from a song – preferably 16 bars. Be prepared to sing this selection without accompaniment.

Audition Video & Submission Guidelines

Audition Video Guidelines Video Submission Guidelines

Arts Odyssey Application Video

As part of the Arts Odyssey Drama application process all applicants must submit a 5-minute video that includes a 60 - 90 second monologue, 16 bars of a song, and student responses to interview questions.

The Application Video must be submitted by the Arts Odyssey Deadline on December 11, 2020.

The Monologue

These plays contain one or more monologues suitable for audition purposes.  Feel free to choose from this list or use it as a guide to select works by quality, published playwrights.  Please avoid monologues extracted from monologue books or online resources.  It is important to have read the whole play.

Monologues for Young Men

 

Monologues for Young Women

The Song

You should sing 16 bars (one to two musical phrases, no more than 30 seconds) of a song that you enjoy and are comfortable singing. The song is not about testing your skills as a singer, but to hear your vocal quality for the stage. You can sing from a musical, a folk song, or popular music; whatever feels right to you and instills confidence in the performance.

The Interview Questions

You'll briefly answer each of the following questions as part of the video. Remember, after the monologue and if you choose to sing, you'll only have about two minutes left on the video, so time your answers accordingly.

  1. Tell us three things you're passionate about.
  2. Reveal one of the most challenging things you've done all by yourself.
  3. What do you hope to gain by coming to the Odyssey Drama program?
  4. (OPTIONAL) Is there anything else you'd like us to know about you related to Arts Odyssey Drama?
Application Video & Submission Guidelines

Application Video Guidelines Video Submission Guidelines