MMS Drama

Students begin their course study by learning to incorporate sensory and emotional experiences and observation techniques into presentational theatre activities. They apply vocal and movement techniques appropriate to theatre activities and presentations. The students learn beginning technical theatre skills, such as lighting and staging.

Students also begin performing in local school productions and participate in drama club activities and workshops to enhance drama skills. Students study the art of improvisation, monologues and dialogues, storytelling, fairy tales, and fables. This exploratory course meets every day for nine weeks.

Theatre arts students in the seventh grade incorporate sensory and emotional experiences and observation techniques into presentational theatre activities. They apply vocal and movement techniques appropriate to their theatre activities and presentations. The students learn beginning technical theatre skills, such as lighting and staging design. Students study the art of improvisation, monologues and dialogues, storytelling, fairy tales, and fables; as well as script writing and how to be a reflective yet respectful audience member. Students may perform in local district-wide school productions and participate in outside activities and workshops to enhance theatre attributes needed for the next level. Students in this group will represent MMS at local, state, and national events throughout the school year.

Theatre Arts students in the eighth grade continue to apply ensemble skills through pantomime, improvisation, and acting. They design and create simple scenery, costumes, props, lighting, sound, music and/or makeup for theatrical presentation. Students also use research skills (or Ethnography) as needed to gather resources for a final presentation. Students begin to create original scripts and adapt appropriate literature into scripted material for presentation. Students in this group will represent MMS at local, state, and national events throughout the school year.

Prerequisite: Students must meet entrance criteria indicated by the placement matrix. This course earns Carnegie Unit credit. Students taking this course need to be aware that while the credit counts toward graduation, the grade is NOT included in the high school Grade Point Average (GPA). Students may not decline credit for these courses, and students will not be allowed to retake the course at the high school if credit is earned.

This course provides eighth-grade students the opportunity to earn a Fine Arts Carnegie credit. Students must be enrolled in the course for the full year and complete all requirements for the course to receive High School credit. Entry into this performance-based course is by audition only and allows students hands-on practical application of the Acting I curriculum. This course is a prerequisite for upper-level theater courses at Marietta High School.

Ms. Haley Walter is proud to serve as the Theatre Director at Marietta Middle School, bringing more than 23 years of teaching experience the program.

A graduate of the University of Alabama, Ms. Walter has spent her career helping young artists discover their voices, build confidence, and experience the magic of creating theatre together. She believes that while excellence matters, some of the most important things students gain through theatre happen long before opening night—learning to take risks, work as an ensemble, support one another, and discover just how much they are capable of accomplishing.

Under Ms. Walter's direction, student productions have earned recognition at the local, state, and national levels, including a GHSA Regional One Act Championship, two Georgia Theatre Conference Overall Festival Awards, and multiple awards at the Junior Theater Festival (JTF). While she is incredibly proud of those accomplishments, she is even more proud of the students behind them and the creativity, courage, dedication, and teamwork they bring to every production.

At MMS, Ms. Walter teaches students across acting, musical theatre, and technical theatre, giving young artists opportunities to discover where they belong—whether that's center stage, backstage, in the wings, or somewhere they haven't discovered yet.

Her goal is to create a theatre program where students feel safe to be brave, try something new, make mistakes, work hard, laugh often, and be completely themselves. She wants every student who walks through the theatre doors to know that there is a place for them in the MMS Theatre family.

For Ms. Walter, theatre has never been only about producing great shows. It's about building great humans, creating unforgettable experiences, and giving students a place where they can find their people, their confidence, and their voice.

Be brave. Be kind. Tell the story.

Contact: hwalter@marietta-city.k12.ga.us

Leila Wheaton joined MCS in 2026. She is from Columbus, Georgia, where she grew up as a competitive dancer and performer. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Theatre Performance and Communications from Columbus State University in 2025 and is currently pursuing her Master's Degree in Theatre Education. She has been teaching dance for 6 years and theatre for the past 4 years. She has choreographed for middle schools and high schools in Columbus, Newnan, and LaGrange since 2021, and taught musical theatre, voice and movement, and scene study at the Springer Theatre Academy in Columbus, Georgia since 2022.

Contact: lwheaton@marietta-city.k12.ga.us