Our Achievements
Horizon’s Drama department is the largest in the Paradise Valley School District. It offers five levels of drama and has two full time instructors. Students can begin participating in the drama program at any time in their high school career.
Some achievements include:
- 100% college/university placement of seniors who have been in the program all four years including NYU Tisch School of Acting (1 of 11 in the Nation) and UCLA Musical Theatre Program (1 of 12 in the Nation)
- presenting sold out productions of musicals such as “Pirates of Penzance” and “Grease”
- receiving superiors at one act play competition
- collecting over 600 cans a year at our annual Haunted House of Horrors
- providing talent for ESPN2’s Out of the Classroom
- inclusion of the 56th Street Comedy Club on Arizona Teen Magazine’s Hot 100
- selling out two Comedy Club performances per quarter
- placing first in the National Comedy Theatre’s High School League Improv Competition
- dual enrollment for Drama 7-8 and Acting 1 at PVCC
- a Humanities block that includes theatre, history and english for juniors and seniors
- trips, outings and festivals
Production Club
The Production Club at Horizon High School is involved in many events and productions throughout year including a Haunted House of Horrors, a mainstage play and a spring musical. We are the home of the 56th Street Comedy Club–the National Comedy Theatre High School League High School State Champs for two years.
The drama program at Horizon is comprised of five levels of coursework, including Drama 1-2, 3-4 ,5-6, 7-8 and Theatre Production. This outstanding programhas been recognized by Examiner.com and the AZ Hot 100. Each class produces a specialized performance; for example, the 3-4 class produces the Renaissance Festival in the spring. Other classes perform in scene or monologue nights. The 7-8 class puts on their own student produced production each May. Past shows have included Dr Faustus, 10 Little Indians and last year’s self written drama Foster.
The students enrolled in Drama 7-8 are eligible for dual enrollment in classes at Rio Salado College. 100% of the seniors who have been enrolled in the acting classes at Horizon have earned placement in acting programs at Universities across the country, including the University of Arizona, New York University-Tisch School of Acting and CalArts in California! The technical theatre program at Horizon is completely student -run and student -led. Sets, costumes, lighting and more are designed and built by students. Safety is the utmost concern so the students go through the Horizon Tech Guild to be certified in all areas of technical theatre.
Past productions at Horizon include Seussical, The Good Doctor, Footloose, Romeo and Juliet, Once Upon A Mattress, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Wedding Singer and more!
There are many ways for students to get involved in drama at Horizon and the program is still growing! We hope you will join us in class or at one of our performances. Please see the calendar on this site for dates and shows!
Sponsors & Directors
Mrs. Joanie Colson is in her 22nd year as the drama teacher at Horizon High. She has enjoyed watching the program grow from two drama class to seven classes at five levels. Her bachelor’s degree in theatre performance with a vocal performance minor is from Grand Canyon University and her M.Ed. is from NAU. She has experience on and off stage in every aspect of theatre from the walk-on spear thrower to a lead in a musical and from a crew member to a stage manager. Mrs. Colson enjoys working with the students as they learn the skills to becoming well-rounded performers and as they build confidence in themselves. She is proud of the student run program that developed a level of excellence known through out the Valley. As we go forward in these tough times the program is developing an academy and partnership with Rio Salado College to help ensure theatre and the arts are offered to not only this but future generations.
Miss Elizabeth Oates is thrilled to return to her alma mater as the beginning drama and dance teacher. She graduated from Horizon after spending four years in the drama and choir programs as one of the top performers and choreographers. She holds a BA in Musical Theatre from the University of Arizona. She has worked with many groups around the Valley and in Tucson as an actress and choreographer. Her show credits include Seussical, Westside Story, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and The Taming of the Shrew. She has extensive training in many styles of acting and dance. Elizabeth is looking forward to bringing fresh new ideas to the program as well as continuing the tradition of excellence.