Workshops

1. Introduction to Theatre

Through a series of ice-breakers and warm-up activities, students are encouraged to speak English whilst being introduced to the basic elements of theatre. This workshop is physical and uses costumes as well as props. Students work in groups and have the opportunity to create and present short scenes on stage. (grade 5 and up)

2. Musical theatre

This workshop is where first time actors, singers and dancers can explore the amazing world of musical theatre (grade 5 and up). This workshop introduces first time performers to the magic of musical theatre through:

Physical and Vocal warm-ups
Vocal Coaching
Character choreography
Basic stage-craft and techniques

3. Storytelling

Using a combination of theater games, improv exercises and familiar stories students will tell stories, create characters and put them in a performance setting. Students will become more comfortable using their everyday English outside of the classroom, by starting with stories they already know and feel confident in telling. Then through various games and exercises, they will learn how to dramatize their stories, putting a new spin on a familiar tale and expanding their imagination and, potentially, their vocabulary. They will also grow the skills needed to be comfortable presenting in front of a group.

(grade 5 and up)

4. Improv theatre

Students can receive advice on how to stage their own pieces or are given impulses to create their own during the session. This is an impulse- based workshop where students are given the chance to work with a piece of text, music or pictures. All materials are provided as well as props and costumes. Focus is placed on creating a character and building a simple story. Particular themes can be set by the teachers. (grade 7 and up)

5. Theatre with Impact

In our Applied Drama Workshops, we want to cover the harder topics of today and our past. At the centre of the applied drama activities are the elements of role and story. Using drama and music therapy activities, we take steps from our own personal experiences, to that of a friend, perhaps back to the past, but hopefully ending with each individual realising the impact that they can make in today’s society. Participants will follow roles to tell a story or perform a part, thus embracing a new perspective of the character and themselves. Teaching covering topics such as compassion, basic human emotion, and human advocacy, we can learn to connect to stories and how to tell them better. The workshop is altered towards the school’s specific requests.

Possible Topic Choices: Modern/Historic Slavery, Apartheid, the Holocaust, The Refugee Crisis, Bystander Apathy, Homelessness etc. (grade 7 and up)

6. The Shakespeare Sessions

In this workshop the students will be both performer and audience.  They will focus on speaking the text, which gives them a more sensory understanding of the iambic pentameter. Through a series of imagination and group exercises they also gain a better understanding of the story’s plot, themes, and characters. As audience members they begin to understand how to listen to the classical text without being overwhelmed by it. Our Instructor, PJ Escobio, is the Artistic Director of Shakespeare Frankfurt and has directed and performed roles from all but 5 of Shakespeare’s plays. (grade 9 and up)

7. Workshop on Current

These workshops deal with plays that are currently running at our house. Your students will be prepared for the theatre visit in order to be able to follow the play. Workshops are available for our regular shows as well as for our Plays for Young Audiences.

There is also the possibility that you choose the drama text and we will provide an individualized workshop.

The ultimate goal of the workshop is to provide students with practical tools to better access, understand, and appreciate plays by approaching them from the inside, with the eye of a theatre practitioner and the question how we can relate to them today. (grade 9 and up)