Patricia Sexton

As the instructor and drama director of SOCSA at Dana Hills High School for over 10 years now, Ms. Sexton teaches an extremely diverse and large drama program. Her classes include Freshman Advanced Drama, Sophomore Advanced Drama, Actors Repertory, Musical Theater, and a regular Dana Hills Drama class. Working through the SOCSA program, she has helped establish a curriculum that allows each student to build on their knowledge of the arts from their freshman year on. Unlike a regular high school drama program, the SOCSA classes demand a higher level of advanced work.

Her advanced studies of classical drama translates into enriched curriculum for her students. In the first two years students are immersed in the world of Greek theater, Shakespeare, and the romantic period of Rostand. Acting techniques and a sound knowledge of basics come to life as Freshman students prepare for their first performances. Sophomore students are heavily involved in an outreach program to the elementary schools that allow them to perform for the younger students, often recreating skits from elementary student written papers. Performance becomes a priority for the Juniors and Seniors as these students prepare for their college auditions. Audition techniques, monologue work, script writing, the use of accents and a diversity of plays prepare the older students for college.

A graduate of California State University at Long Beach, her advanced graduate studies in Dramatic Literature were taken at Cal State University at Fullerton. She began her teaching career with the Orange Unified School District in 1973. Prior to joining the Dana Hills High School teaching staff and it's new SOSCA Program in 1998, she taught in the El Rancho and Whittier Unified School Districts, where she was the Director of Theatre Arts. Ms. Sexton has been very active in Community Theater serving as the Executive Producer for the La Habra Depot Theater for eight years. She worked intensively with the DARE program creating a group of elementary performers called the Safety Kids, an anti-drug performance group that toured southern California. She is a member of the NEA, the International Thespian Assoc. and participates in both the Macy's and the Cappies where her shows have competed quite successfully.

Recent directing credits include, Fiddler on the Roof, Urinetown, Beauty and the Beast, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Haunting of Hill House and many others.