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Academy Boys Take the Stage

At San Antonio Academy boys learn to demonstrate poise and confidence and express themselves clearly and expressively as a result of the numerous opportunities they have to perform in front of an audience.

One of the most powerful ways SAA taps into the instinctive kinetic tendencies of young boys is through the school's strong theatrical thrust into every aspect of its curriculum. Because performance and public speaking is an integral part in every grade-level, boys experience prolonged and comprehensive exposure to skills that enhance the development of poise, confidence, and rhetorical assurance." – Brendan Moore, English Dept. Chair

8th grade shakespeare play

Shakespeare Play

One of the unique aspects of San Antonio Academy’s approach to teaching Shakespeare is that stage performance of his work is an integral component of the 8th grade language arts curriculum. In other schools, if The Bard’s plays are produced, they are usually sponsored by drama clubs, theatre classes, or fine arts electives, a methodology that inevitably attracts only those students who have theatrical talent (or at least those who are drawn to the performance arts).

At SAA, the 8th grade Shakespeare unit encompasses every student in the graduating class, leading boys who initially had little or no interest in drama or Shakespeare to actually thrive in the play, discovering talents they had not known they possessed. Even more significant, as a curricular unit, the annual Shakespeare production provides an invaluable instructional tool for unlocking the relevancy of classic work, through a combination of classroom study and a great deal of kinetic activity: a perfect educational approach for middle school boys.

kindergarten play

Kindergarten Zootopia

Zootopia is the Kindergarten public speaking event. The boys select an animal to research and complete a written and oral presentation in the classroom. The boys select different texts and even use iPads to research online. They present posters giving facts including, habitat, diet, animal family, and more on their posters and orally present them to their peers. They also decorate their own costumes and present their research to a packed Ellison Hall! 

pre-kindergarten play

Pre-Kindergarten Play

Every year, the boys in Pre-Kindergarten wow parents, friends, and students with outstanding performances. In addition to memorizing their lines, the boys also decorate their own masks, paint backdrops and design programs for the event. Following the performances, guests and actors gather outside Ellison Hall to celebrate "a job well done" with cookies and juice.