Honors Dramatis

 

About AACS’s Advanced Acting Ensemble

Honors Dramatis is a 10-member auditioned acting and stage management ensemble at Annapolis Area Christian School, named for the Latin term Dramatis Personae (“the characters in a play”). This advanced course is designed for students who want to pursue theatre at a pre-professional level. The ensemble works collaboratively to produce bold, high-quality performances while developing acting and stage management skills that rival college-level training.

Each year, Dramatis stages:

  • A one-act competition piece in the fall semester.
  • A full-length production from the theatre canon in the spring semester, often a work by Shakespeare.

Members of the ensemble also compete in the Maryland Thespian Festival’s Thespy competitions, participate in professional-level masterclasses and clinics, and spend a weekend at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, VA, where they attend repertory performances and train with professionals.

How to Join

Auditions for Honors Dramatis are held each winter for the following school year.

  • Actors prepare two contrasting monologues (provided to auditioners).
  • Callbacks occur as needed.
  • Stage managers apply through a similarly rigorous application process.
  • Students who earn a spot keep their place until they graduate from high school.

The ensemble includes sophomores, juniors, and seniors, with expectations for high-level commitment, collaboration, and creative problem-solving.

Read about the achievements of the 2024-25 Dramatis ensemble at the Maryland Thespian Festival. The group is already preparing for their performances for the coming year.

 

Managers in Our Town
The two Managers speak to the audience in the 2025 production of 'Our Town.'

Recent Productions

One-Act Competition Pieces

  • Bottom’s Dream (2025) — Adapted from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
  • A Night Under the Stars (2024) — Tracy Wells
  • Tracks (2023) — Peter Tarsi
     

Full-Length Productions

  • Our Town — Thornton Wilder (Spring 2025)
  • Much Ado About Nothing — William Shakespeare (Spring 2024)
  • The Tempest — William Shakespeare (Spring 2023)
  • A Wrinkle in Time — Adapted by Morgan Gould (Spring 2022)
  • A Midsummer Night’s Dream — William Shakespeare (Spring 2021)
  • The Crucible — Arthur Miller (Winter 2019)
     

Watch Our Past Productions

Much Ado About Nothing (2024)

The Tempest (2023)

Scene from Much Ado
Students perform in the 2024 production of 'Much Ado.'
scene at the graveyard in the production of Our Town
Graveyard scene in the 2025 production of 'Our Town.'

Why Dramatis is Unique

Unlike the AACS Drama Club—open to all students—Dramatis is selective and competitive, designed for students who want focused, pre-professional training.

  • Uses Educational Theatre Association Thespy rubrics for skill-based feedback.
  • Emphasizes ensemble dynamics, student creative agency, and professional rehearsal practices.
  • Prepares students for college theatre programs and professional auditions.

Achievements

  • First-ever ensemble repertoire masterclass at the American Shakespeare Center (2024)
  • Superior ratings: One-Act Festival (2024, 2025), Solo Acting Thespy (2024, 2025), Solo Musical Theatre Thespy (2025)
  • Festival citations:
    • Outstanding Vocal Work (2025)
    • Outstanding Physical Work (2024)
    • Outstanding Ensemble (2023)
    • Outstanding Hair & Makeup (2023)
  • Outstanding Ensemble Focus – Annapolis Shakespeare Company’s High School Theatre Festival (2017)
     
scene from Much Ado
Students perform in the 2024 production of 'Much Ado.'

Alumni Success

Dramatis alumni have gone on to study theatre at competitive programs, including:

  • New York University
  • Coastal Carolina University
  • Elon University
  • University of Maryland
  • James Madison University
  • Liberty University

They have performed professionally with:

  • Chesapeake Shakespeare Company
  • Toby's Dinner Theatre
  • Maryland Renaissance Festival
  • Disney World
  • Other regional professional theatres

About the Dramatis Faculty

Nick Cherone

 

Nick Cherone is a Baltimore-based educator, director, and actor. He is the Upper School Dean of Instruction at Annapolis Area Christian School, where he also teaches an advanced acting class. For his work as a theatre educator, he was named the High School Educator of the Year by the Central Maryland Chamber of Commerce, and he was recognized by the Educational Theatre Association’s “Legendary Lesson Plan” collection. Nick has worked regionally with Silhouette Stages, Vest Pocket Productions, Spotlighters Theatre, Vagabond Players, Salem Players, Laurel Mill Playhouse, First Stage (Milwaukee), and Skylight Music Theatre (Milwaukee).

For more information about Honors Dramatis, please contact Mr. Cherone at ncherone@aacsonline.org. For more information about the AACS theatre program, please contact Ms. Sarah Bierc at sbierc@aacsonline.org.