Anoka Middle School for the Arts Theater Boosters

AMSA Theater Boosters Keep Theater Arts Education Fee-Free for Middle School Students

For fourteen years Anoka Middle School for the Arts has been providing students the opportunity to learn and experience the best in theater arts! The theater program is fee-free to students thanks in large part to the efforts of the AMSA Theater Boosters who run fundraisers throughout the year and donate their time and talent to keep the program accessible to any student with an interest in exploring theater arts. Read on to learn about this unique program and all it offers:

AMSA produces four full-scale productions a year and works to provide its young artists with a semi-professional theater experience while partnering them with professional artists so that they may learn about all the elements of theatrical design, production and performance. AMSA Theater is student focused and the students take pride in their ownership of the productions and demonstrate this by not only acting in their productions but by serving in the roles of Stage Managers, Light Board Operators, Sound Board Operators, Costume Crew, Set Crew and Stage Crew for each show.

Academically, students have access to three levels of theater arts which teach students all areas of theater from acting, directing, design, puppetry, make up, musical theater, improvisation and more. Beyond the academics and theater productions, students have many other theater opportunities at AMSA to experience theater. Our school boasts a very active and large Thespian Troupe, which meets monthly, and we are the only middle school in the state to annually attend the Minnesota State Thespian Conference. Regularly throughout the year our theater students attend various locally produced professional theater productions and Broadway tours. Every other year, theater students are given the opportunity to spend Spring Break on the AMSA New York City Broadway Trip! The students look forward to the annual theater social events of the End-of-the-Year Theater Department Dance, Theater Department Holiday Party, Scare School at ValleyScare and more.

In 2017 Anoka Middle School for the Arts received its 3rd national Magnet School of Distinctions Award. The Chair of the AMSA Theater Department, Jefferson Fietek, has directed professionally for over 20 years and has been awarded Ordway Center's Education Award for Community Commitment, the Center for Excellence in School Counseling and Leadership's (CESCaL) Educator of the Year Award, and the Anoka-Hennepin District 11's TOP Teacher Award. 

AMSA students have gone on to perform professionally at such places as the Ordway Theater, the Guthrie Theater, the History Theater, the Children's Theater, the Orpheum and have also been accepted into some of the top performing arts high schools and colleges in the country! Visit our website at www.amsatheater.org 

   AMSA Theater volunteers built this 1st-place winning Anoka Halloween Parade float, October 2017!