Minimum age is 5 years old
Please note: parents DO NOT sit in on the classes
Our Junior Drama program offers young children an opportunity to take part in a themed lesson each week. Themes such as dinosaurs, pirates, animals, space, wizards and under the sea stimulate children’s imaginations and interest to participate in a variety of drama activities which include warm up games, speech and vocal work, movement and performance.
Warm Up Games
The class starts with drama games based around the theme of the day designed to warm up the children’s bodies and voices. These activities are presented to the children in the form of a game and although the children feel like they are playing they are learning and developing skills in vocal projection, confidence in presenting their own ideas and working together.
Scene Work
Each class culminates in a performance where the children perform for each other. At the beginning of the year this can often be the whole class working together at the same time. As the year progresses the performance is more often in pairs. The children perform a short scene related to the theme of the day in which they always have the opportunity to add their own ideas. As the children perform for each other every week their confidence and ability grows.
The performance work is different every week. As this is a skills based program it is not our objective to rehearse all term to put on a performance. We find it is most fun and rewarding for the children to have a fresh and new theme to work with each week.
Benefits of Drama
Working together in drama means listening to each other and accepting and extending each other’s ideas thus helping children develop good social skills and confidence in presenting their own ideas. Developing confidence, creativity and communication skills are very important tools at this critical stage of early school life.
The drama class is a personal experience for each individual and is not a graded or competitive activity. As the program is designed to build and extend skills the best results are achieved when students continue classes over a period of time. We have witnessed some amazing transformations with very shy children who have developed confidence and life skills through the drama classes which has helped them in all areas of their personal and school life.
Open Days
Parents are usually invited at the end of Term 2 and Term 4 to view their child’s work in the drama class. We do not spend the whole term rehearsing to put on a ‘show’ as we find that young children find doing the same thing every week boring. The Open Days are an opportunity for parents to come and join in the drama class and the children look forward to them very much.
(We do not want parents every week as it can inhibit and distract some children.)