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Theater

From Backstage to the Spotlight

At Trinity Prep, our vibrant theater program invites students to explore their creativity both on stage and behind the scenes. We offer a rich variety of opportunities for middle and upper school students, including acting, directing, and roles in lighting, sound, and set design. Throughout the year, students engage in numerous productions, culminating in our celebrated all-school musical in the spring. Our program's excellence has earned us invitations to perform at the prestigious American High School Theater Festival at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. 

Our theater program not only nurtures students' artistic talents but also fosters a sense of community and collaboration among aspiring performers and creators. With six to eight productions each year, students can participate in middle and upper school plays, a summer intensive, and a one-act play for competition. We also encourage student leadership through directing opportunities for juniors and seniors. Additionally, our dedicated thespian troupe competes in district and state festivals and partners with the Boys and Girls Club of Central Florida for community performances. 

To enhance their learning, students benefit from masterclasses led by talented alumni and industry professionals, including visits from notable performing groups like the Yale University a cappella group, the Whiffenpoofs.

   

A group of people huddle together in the foreground, illuminated by stage lights, with a dark background featuring a sign that reads %22Stage 1 - Denial.%22
A group of performers in colorful costumes are on a stage with large letter blocks in the foreground and a purple and blue gradient background.
A group of actors in elaborate costumes, featuring playing card motifs, stand on a dark stage with a backdrop of a large, ornate screen.
Two young women face each other in the foreground, with two other figures blurred in the dark background.
A young woman in a white t-shirt expresses distress in the foreground, while another person in a striped shirt holds up a green object in the dimly lit background.
Four performers in theatrical costumes, with the central figure in a ruffled shirt and leather pants, stand on a stage with a painted backdrop of a village scene.
A group of performers in historical costumes, holding up framed pictures, stand on a stage with a purple backdrop.
A young performer in a wolf costume with blue overalls and a furry armpiece sings into a microphone against a black background.
A young girl in a green polka-dot dress with her hair in buns dances center stage with other performers in the background against a purple and blue gradient backdrop.
Four children in animal costumes perform on a stage with wooden scaffolding and netting in the background.
A young boy in a Robin Hood costume stands center stage with two girls in medieval attire, against a backdrop of painted trees and a red stage curtain.
Three young women in period costumes stand on a rustic wooden stage set with hay bales and wooden crates, while a fourth person is partially visible in a crate in the foreground.
A young man in a suit looks up in the foreground, while a woman in a sparkly dress sits behind him in the background.
A person with wild red hair and glasses, wearing a tweed jacket and a red polka-dot tie, gestures with their right hand against a dark, out-of-focus background.
A young woman in a sparkly dress sits on a couch in the foreground, while a man in a tuxedo leans towards her in front of a minimalist stage set.
Three young girls in costume, two dressed as sheep, stand on a stage with a rustic wooden backdrop.
Two people in period clothing stand over a third person lying on a richly patterned bed, with a dark background.
What I’ve learned with some of these big successes like the Tony nominations is that my voice is actually my most consistent companion. The same voice I had on my first day at Trinity Prep, when I didn't know anyone.  Whether you know what you want to do or not, you imagine where you want to be when you get to be in charge of yourself."
Denée Benton '10, 2017 Tony & 2023 Screen actors guild awards recipient

Theater Faculty

A smiling woman with curly hair is in the foreground, with a plain gray background behind her.

 

Janine Papin

With a master’s degree in theater/musical theater from the University of Central Florida, Ms. Papin has been an active member of Central Florida’s theater community since the 1980s as an actor, singer, dancer, choreographer, and director. She was one of two teachers nationwide named a “2018 Inspiring Teacher” by the Broadway League Foundation Jimmy Awards. Ms. Papin received a fellowship from the Central Florida English Speaking Union and had the honor of studying and performing on the stage of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London during the summer of 2015. In 2006, she was awarded the H. Benton Ellis Award for Excellence in Teaching. During the summers of 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2022, she took Trinity Prep students to London and Edinburgh to perform at the American High School Theatre Festival at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and looks forward to bringing another group next summer. Ms. Papin enjoys sharing her passion for the stage with her students. When she is not teaching or directing at Trinity Prep, you can find her performing at local regional theaters.

 

 

Carlos Raul Acevedo

An accomplished, award-winning producer, director, actor, and writer in theater, film, and television, Carlos has been the artistic director of his theater company, Dramarama, Inc., for more than 25 years (with more than 70 shows in Puerto Rico, Miami and Dallas). Some credits include the world premiere of renowned author Paulo Coelho’s best-selling book adaptation; “Eleven Minutes”; the Americas (north, south) premiere of Pedro Almodovar’s Best Foreign Film Oscar winner adaptation; “All About My Mother”; Pulitzer and Tony Award winners such as “Angels in America,” “Death of a Salesman,” “The Crucible,” and “Glengarry Glen Ross,” and eight Shakespeare plays. As a playwright, Carlos is the only three-time winner of the “Playwright of the Year’ award by the I.C.P. in his native Puerto Rico. Teaching since 2017, Carlos ran two Jesuit school theater programs in Dallas and Miami, staging 22 shows.

 

A smiling, bald man with a patterned shirt and beaded necklace is framed within a white circular background.