Club Activities
Whether your passion for theatre lies on or off the stage, Dexter Drama Club has lots of opportunities to get involved!
Bonding Events
Bonding events are optional events where the cast, crew, and pit of a production can have fun and get to know each other better! They are typically after rehearsals or on weekends and can be anything from movie nights in the CPA to museum visits! They are a great opportunity for people from different areas of theater to connect with one another in a fun, stress-free environment.
Set Build
Set Builds are held every Saturday (see calendar) throughout the process of a show. The full company of a show (minus the pit) is required to do three hours set build every show they participate in. Set Build is not only mandatory, but it is a great chance to learn more about set design, scene shop etiquette, stage painting, and more.
Master Classes
A recent addition to the DDC experience, masterclasses happen a couple times a year. We offer masterclasses on many areas of theatre, including costume design, stage management, and even directing. Masterclasses are led by local and nationwide professionals who interact and lead informative sessions with present club members, leaving room for discussion afterwards. They are a great way to help demonstrate how the skills that a Dexter Drama Club member learns can be used in a real world profession!
Tech Workshops
Tech workshops are a great way to earn set-build hours and new skills! Each tech workshop focuses on a new area of tech. Tech workshops are NOT mandatory; however, each tech workshop you attend counts for one hour of set build (if you attend three tech workshops, you have earned all your set build hours). Tech workshops are a great opportunity for a student in any area of theatre.
International Thespian Society
The International Thespian Society (ITS) is the Educational Theatre Association’s (EdTA) student honorary organization. Michigan's largest annual theatre event is the Michigan Thespian Festival. The Michigan Festival is always held the first Friday and Saturday of December. Over the course of the two days at festival, students are able to see multiple shows, choose from over 50 different workshops (in various areas of performance and technical theatre), compete in a variety of Individual Events, audition for scholarships from colleges, and visit information booths and theatrical vendors. Members of ITS also receive EdTA’s publication, Dramatics, a monthly magazine that features new plays, practical articles on acting, directing, design, production, and profiles of working theatre professionals. In December, Dramatics releases a directory of college theatre programs to help the aspiring Thespian make the transition to college. Thespians also receive member pricing on resources and Thespian spirit items.
Off-Q Improv
Improv is behaving in an unscripted way. Whether it’s with our words, movement, or mannerisms, we are constantly improvising. You probably improvised today! (Unless you had everything you said scripted out, in which case- impressive!) At Off-Q Improv, we have fun by honing this innate ability to think spontaneously. Each meeting, attendees are invited to play short games within a fictional scene where all of the dialogue and blocking is made up on the spot!
Sound intimidating? Participation in the improv games is fully optional, and interested students are welcome and encouraged to attend meetings just to watch! We foster a completely no-judgement zone at Off-Q Improv, where everyone is welcome to participate, all feedback is constructive, all members feel supported, and everyone feels free to laugh and have a good time.
Meetings are available to all students from grade 7-12. Meetings will start at 3:00, but middle schoolers are free to join meetings whenever possible.
Annual Awards Gala
The Awards Gala is a great opportunity to celebrate and share memories of the amazing season! The live announcement of the next season's shows is an exciting finale to the night!
Film Festival
This year marks the fifth annual Film Festival, after being introduced during COVID-19 by the 2020-2021 group of officers. Originally created as a way for art and creative performance to continue in a time where theater was difficult, it functions as a way for DDC members to try new forms of performance and explore their own creative ideas.
Annual New York City Trip
Dexter Drama is very excited and fortunate to coordinate a trip to New York City each year. It is our belief that taking theater students to New York is a culturally enriching experience that matters! Field trips of this nature produces significant benefits for students on a variety of educational and character or personal development outcomes that our program and community cares about. Field trips are an effective way to teach academic content; increase student tolerance by providing exposure to a broader, more diverse world; and improve the ability of students to recognize what other people are thinking or feeling. This is to say nothing of the incredible experience historic New York City offers. As a student of theater, seeing the professional productions on a Broadway stage is invaluable.
Sutton Foster Awards
Dexter Drama Club is proud to participate in the The Sutton Foster Awards! These awards are a prestigious annual recognition celebrating exceptional talent and dedication in high school musical theatre across the state of Michigan. Named after the Tony Award-winning Broadway actress and Michigan native Sutton Foster, these awards honor two outstanding student performers for their individual artistry in vocal, dance, and acting performances in leading roles. The program seeks to recognize not only the talent of student performers but also the vital role that teachers and schools play in nurturing artistic excellence. Schools throughout Michigan are acknowledged for their commitment to high-quality performing arts education, with special emphasis on fostering creativity, discipline, and passion in their students. The two top performers selected through the Sutton Foster Awards go on to represent Michigan at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, also known as the Jimmy Awards, held annually in New York City.