Confidence soars in annual productions
2007-11-29
THE annual production of the Paarl studio of the Helen O’Grady Drama Academy was held recently to give the opportunity for all its students to show their development in confidence and communication skills. The Lower Primary (ages 5-8) performed a play called ‘Pirate Joe’ which was a delightful play about shipmates getting their revenge on the evil Pirate Joe, with an interesting twist at the end. The play for the Upper Primary students was ‘Circus Capers’, which plotted the course of a failing circus and their unhappy ringmaster. The play ended with a spectacular grand finale. The Youth Theatre always attempts a challenging dramatic piece to teach the students about acting in a particular theatrical form. This year’s production was written by the teacher and local celebrity, Jeffrey Moss, and focused on the challenges that the youth of South Africa face today. This hard-hitting drama kept the audience riveted. The Academy will take this production to some of the national festivals next year. Says Duncan Rice, principal of the Academy which operates in 24 accessible locations: “It was wonderful to see the breadth of talent across the different age groups. “All our students have shown development in their confidence in verbal communication and their self-esteem which is what our unique programme offers. We are developing valuable life skills.” “Most importantly, though, was to see the children having fun and enjoying the experience of being on a stage in front of a large audience. “Many parents have commented on how their children are now more able to speak out in public and the improvement in the quality of speech which has had a direct effect on their school work. “The Academy has been delighted with the support they have received from school principals throughout the Western Cape who see the programme as an invaluable addition to the work they are endeavouring to achieve in this field but often, through certain constraints, unable to dedicate the necessary resources. “The Academy, initially started in Australia, is now a vast international organisation, and using an innovative curriculum which has been developed over 30 years, allows its students to progress from 5 through to 18 without ever repeating a lesson. ”We are a truly communitybased drama project, with over 1000 students attending throughout the Western Cape. We work on the principle that we go to the people rather than they come to us. “Locally the Academy is based at the Old Mill Theare on Tuesday afternoons.” The Helen O’Grady Drama Academy is currently enrolling for ages 5-18 in January. For details more, call 021-674-7478.
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