A new course was officially added to Bonita Vista High’s (BVH) course catalog at the start of the 2023-2024 school year, introducing the International Baccalaureate (IB) Theatre class. The class is offered to all students and is a two year course that offers a Standard level (Sl) and Higher level (Hl) taught by Drama and theater production teacher Rosamaria Sias.
“I have students right now, this is their first year in theater, and they are IB kids who have a required [number] of classes. So they enrolled because they are either curious about theater, or because a science class was not [their strong suit],” Sias said.
One of the several students enrolled in IB Theatre sharing an interest in drama is senior Kali Swanson. Swanson is in her fourth year of drama and an IB Diploma candidate who strongly expressed her hopes for an IB Theatre class to Sias. However, Swanson shares the slightly unexpected difference made to the class.
“The IB Theater class is combined with the theater production class. IB Theatre is like an extension of theater production where we’re doing a lot of outside work and there is a lot of independent work,” Swanson said. “Mrs. Sias has integrated a lot of the IB curriculum into the theater production class itself as we study world theater traditions and put ourselves in a director’s shoes.”
Furthermore, the IB Theatre class is a conjoined class offering all its students the same opportunities and coursework. As it can offer a wider study of production and perspective for students, junior Saphira Mensinger explains the number of opportunities offered.
“[This class] offers research skills as well as more knowledge about theater and how the logistics of theater work. We do not learn just how to do it but also how to include a larger audience, write a production proposal and make decisions related to theater,” Mensinger said.
Furthermore, with its unusual structure the conjoined class has brought on a few challenges in relation to students’ mandatory IB research. Whether students are IB diploma candidates or not, all students are required to complete the same research. This can pose a challenge to production students who are not able to continue on making productions in the class.
“[The class is] fun but also a lot of work. It is definitely interesting but I wish that it was a separate class from the normal production class,” Mensinger said. “I am an IB kid so I would have to do the IB coursework anyways but I know that there are students who are not IB diploma candidates and believe that it would be better if we were able to do a second production.”
With a focus on IB research, students have begun working towards completing a 4000 word essay and various presentations in relation to the world of theater. Swanson expresses her thoughts on the class as she completes the first semester in comparison to her other classes.
“It is different because we were doing a lot of production work, which is hands-on, on the stage. Now we are doing a lot more in the classroom, sitting down, studying a lot of written work. It is very similar to the rest of my classes but it is a fun and interesting class,” Swanson said.
Moreover, Swanson’s strong passion for theater allows her to enjoy the class and recognize the sense of community in the theater class. As Swanson looks to continue theater in higher education, she explains the importance of having an IB Theatre class.
“With the IB program, you get to learn about theater from different cultures, and I feel like that is really important because it opens up your worldview. I feel like learning about other cultures is always important and this addition to the IB program was positive,” Swanson said.
