The Theatre Arts Standards of Learning identify the essential content and skills required in the theatre arts curriculum for the middle school and core high school courses in Virginia's public schools. The standards are designed to be cumulative and progress in complexity by course from the middle school through the secondary level. Throughout theatre arts education, course content is organized into four specific content strands or topics: Performance and Production, Cultural Context and Theatre History, Judgment and Criticism, and Aesthetics. It is through the acquisition of the concepts, content, and skills that the goals for theatre arts education can be realized. These goals include: (1) Thinking and acting creatively by solving problems individually or collaboratively and by employing originality, flexibility, and imagination; (2) Developing the acting skills necessary for creative dramatic performance; (3) Demonstrating knowledge of the elements of theatre production; (4) Demonstrating understanding of theatre arts in relation to history and culture; (5) Developing critical skills to evaluate one's own work and the work of others; (6) Demonstrating awareness of and responsibility for the safe and ethical use of materials, methods, and technologies; (7) Making connections between theatre arts and other fields of knowledge; (8) Demonstrating ability to apply aesthetic criteria for making artistic choices; and (9) Developing awareness of copyright and royalty requirements when rehearsing, performing, or otherwise using the works of others. A comprehensive theatre arts program provides students with the ability to understand their own responses and the responses of others to the many forms of theatrical experience. The standards are not intended to encompass the entire curriculum for a grade level or course, nor to prescribe how the content should be taught. Teachers are encouraged to go beyond these standards and select instructional strategies and assessment methods appropriate for their students.