About Us
TheatreCHS has consistently remained an important and vital fine arts force at Charlottesville High School. The program invites students to work collaboratively, develop critical thinking and public speaking skills, and engage in creative dialogues. An array of courses are taught with the intention of providing enrichment for students interested in these skills all of which encompass dramatic arts. Numerous students have gone on to pursue advanced studies in theater/cinema, technical theater, stage management, and lighting design.
The department is a student-centered community that emphasizes the process of artistic collaboration and instills a disciplined work ethic. By practicing professionalism, collaboration and emphasizing individual development, we will continue to bring to the stage high quality theater productions.
The department is a student-centered community that emphasizes the process of artistic collaboration and instills a disciplined work ethic. By practicing professionalism, collaboration and emphasizing individual development, we will continue to bring to the stage high quality theater productions.
2025-2026 Featured Staff
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DANCE INSTRUCTOR | Shania Lee Thorpe
"I am a proud Afro-Latina! I grew up singing, acting and dancing. When I was 7 years old I was a finalist for Nala in the Broadway show The Lion King. I continued to pursue dance as a career and recently launched my own choreography business, Shania Lee Choreography. I am so excited to be able to combine all three passions of mine on stage with so many amazing people who are close to my heart! I love being a part of this cast because everyone always shows so much love, they really helped boost my confidence in this show. Also being able to share the love of my culture and proudly display my Puerto Rican side has been so rewarding!" |
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PIANO, ACCOMPANIST | Calvin Hurst
Calvin Hurst received his B.M. and M.M. degrees magna cum laude in Piano Performance from Ithaca College, with additional studies in conducting, most notably at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. He has performed at the Kennedy Center, the Philadelphia Academy of Music, and throughout the People’s Republic of China. Calvin is the accompanist for the Unitarian Universalist Church in Concord and the Suncook Valley Chorale and founding pianist of the Larksong Trio. He has been a faculty member of the Ithaca College School of Music, the Community Music Center of Boston, and the Buckingham Browne and Nichols School. |
Meet the Director
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OUR DIRECTOR | David Becker
David Becker is the drama teacher at Charlottesville High School, where he has taught for the past 16 years. He holds a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from Shenandoah University and an M.F.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University. He has appeared in multiple musical theatre productions throughout the country; his most recent roles include Man 3 in Putting It Together, Amiens in Shakespeare at the Ruins’ production of As You Like It, and Buddy Plummer in Follies at Live Arts. He has served on the board of the Virginia Theatre Association and as the Virginia state representative for the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC). David has directed numerous productions at Charlottesville High School (TheatreCHS) during his tenure. Upcoming productions scheduled for 2026 include West Side Story, Children of Eden, and Mary Zimmerman’s The Odyssey. Recent productions include A Chorus Line (2024), which was also performed in France through a cultural exchange between Charlottesville and its sister city Besançon, Hadestown: Teen Edition, and Les Misérables. The current One Act Play, scenes selected from Mary Zimmerman’s The Secret in the Wings, was just chosen to represent Virginia at the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) this March. |
