Weekly classes/Primary
The training begins with the process of learning the building blocks of dramatic skill designed for children and primary school students. Through our teaching students will be prepared to pursue drama and theatre studies throughout their schooling while feeling confident and excited about their own natural abilities. They will: have fun as they improvise, role play, use costume, props, puppets and mask, shape character, dance, focus on voice production, communicate ideas, practise listening and work to a wider audience as they perform their self- devised end of year show.What makes our program unique is that our staff tailor weekly classes to suit the cohort and individual need! In fact, our end of year show is written and shaped by the children so it is meaningful, relevant and engaging. Students are able to join at any time during the year as our sessions assume that most children are in the business of discovering their favourite thing to do!
Weekly classes/Kinder
The Drama School now offers your centre weekly drama sessions. These workshops are expertly designed to suit your children while addressing The Early Learning Framework for Australia of BELONGING, BEING and BECOMING.
Our individually tailored drama sessions are exciting and highly successful as:- We ASK children to think 'outside the square', to be imaginative and creative
- We CHALLENGE children to solve problems through collaboration, negotiation and mutual respect.
- We PROVIDE an environment where children feel safe to explore their world through music, props and costume.
- We NURTURE each child as we praise their achievements and build self-confidence.
- We BUILD self-esteem as children experience success through dramatic play.
- We ENCOURAGE children to experiment with language and how they communicate to their peers and a wider circle of adults.
The Drama School expects children to thrive through the discipline of structured play! The company aims to have each child feel connected, challenged and inspired as they role play, improvise and immerse themselves in the magical world of drama.
OUR COMPANY IS UNIQUE AS WE CAN TAILOR SESSIONS TO SUIT YOUR CLASS OR YOU CAN SELECT THEMES PREVIOUSLY CONDUCTED AND POPULAR IN OTHER
Session Examples
THE ROYAL CASTLE
The world of fantasy opens up in our workshop set in a magnificent castle where The Royal Family, Knights, Princes and Princesses come face to face with a fierce Dragon! The ancient creature roars in pain as the Queen discovers a thorn in his paw. What will the children decide to do? As they remove the nasty prickle the Royal Dragon decides to become The Castles best friend and protector. In return the King saves the precious Royal Dragon Forest.THE LA DE DA RESTAURANT
Experience the wonders of a very, very fancy restaurant where the waiters, chefs and customers all enjoy a delightful meal and all help wash the dishes! Sit at your own table, enjoy using the table setting especially the cup of tea. But what will happen when one of the waitresses spills a drop of milk on a very posh customer wearing her new dress?CIRCUS FUN
Have the choice of being a colourful clown, roaring lion, tight rope walker or juggler. Everyone has the opportunity to become a circus character as they march in the opening procession and perform for an excited audience.TO MARKET TO MARKET
There are stalls, market sellers and lots of buyers at the Merry Melbourne Market Place. Learn rhymes to attract people to your stall, inspect the merchandise or simply come to browse, it's sure to be a vibrant, lively experience.Payment Options
We have a range of Payment options:
The centre can choose to pay The Drama School
A 45 minute weekly Drama session will cost $150 + GST
OR We can arrange a Parent Pay System.
$9 Per child, per session (sessions run in school terms only)
OR Choose one of our incursions
A one hour Incursion will cost $215 + GST
- WE COME TO YOU
- WE CATER FOR MOST CLASS SIZES
- TAILOR YOUR SESSIONS TO SUIT YOUR NEEDS
Dance class
This weekly class focuses on the development of movement & dance through the styles of Contemporary, Jazz & Musical Theatre. The Drama School's philosophy has at it's core the whole development of the child and therefore each session is not only shaped for those who may want to further their interest in Dance but for children who simply love to dance and sing. A one hour class includes a fun, fast moving warm up activity, stagecraft tuition and a time to reflect on the learning. At the end of each term the students perform the result of their terms work. It is a low key performance that celebrates a child's commitment, confidence and skill. The first class is obligation free.
Kinder/Primary Incursions
The Magic Carpet Ride
The Magic Carpet Ride has been shaped to be an exciting, creative, dramatic experience that caters for up to 30 children at any one time.It has a multi-cultural theme that transports children to a variety of colourful destinations. Their travels will include having cups of tea with the Queen while trying not to disturb the grumpy Royal Dragon, flying to Hawaii for exotic hula lessons and then visiting a pirate ship. Our final stop is the pyramids of ancient Egypt.
Each child will use props, wear costumes, experience music, movement and role play a range of characters.
Running time: 60 minutes
Jungle Quest
Children will enjoy and adventure filled hour searching for prehistoric creatures never before seen by man! They must overcome many challenging obstacles in a jungle full of quicksand, swamp nets, perilous bridges and dangerous caves before reporting their findings to The Melbourne Times.My Many Coloured Days
We'll visit the Circus of Colour, the cool green of the sea, the freedom of blue, the 'buzziness' of yellow and the dark, howling creatures of the Black Forest! It will be a fun, joyous experience based on Dr Seuss's poem, 'My Many Coloured Days'.Cost
$250 plus GST. This includes all costume pieces, props and a certificate for each child.School Productions
There's little time for school's to shape their own school production and the expectations from the community are huge these days! Having written and directed countless highly successful shows we are able to work with principals and teachers to tailor a performance that suit their school's unique requirements.
Schools can choose a script that is virtually ready-made, select their own or have us help the children write a piece that is based on educationally sound principles.
The Drama School is able to deliver costume and set if required.We are flexible and feel sure the students will not only learn stagecraft, build healthy relationships, take risks, develop both personal and social skill but create a memory that they'll treasure for life. Having directed both Balwyn and Camberwell South's primary school production in 2015 & 2017 we invite you to ask the schools for their feedback on our work. "We've been fortunate in having The Drama School direct our 5/6 musical this year and it has been a pleasure to watch them interact with the students and guide them in enhancing their confidence and collaboration with each other. "The 2015 musical was one of the most successful yet." Balwyn Primary School
Cost is negotiated depending on rehearsal time, script choice and extra stagecraft requirements such as costume etc. Email us to discuss your specific needs.Holiday Workshops
The drama school offers children drama workshop's during the school holiday's. The themes we cover vary and are based on our philosophy of making drama an inclusive, fun, creative experience. If you'd like your child to participate in one of these sessions, contact us for detailed information.
Through out the year we also operate Drama workshop's internally & for vacation care providers.
A Global Perspective
Cambodia
The Drama School is committed to building friendships between children of different age, genders, social backgrounds and cultural differences. Drama is a perfect tool for encouraging communication, developing listening skills, sharing ideas and experiences. These are the essential ingredients for building a healthy life. Due to the tourist industry 90% of the jobs available in Siem Reap, Cambodia require English to be spoken. The children are very keen to be taught and to speak good English. It is their 'ticket' out of poverty. We spent 10 days teaching over 100 children in and around Siem Reap providing a 'Performing Arts' based project that addressed the philosophy of three volunteer organisations committed to supporting the children to overcome poverty and use our skills to enhance the lives of the children in their care. We wanted to know if drama would transcend the cultural and language barrier and give children the same pleasure and learning experience. We also wanted to know whether our teaching expertise would be effective in this context. We hoped the experience would respect and extend the artistic conventions of Cambodian culture to provide a vehicle for self-expression, the learning of English and a channel for increased communication. Our time in Cambodia certainly met some of our objectives but on reflection we decided that if we had simply put a smile on a child's face it was worth every second!BIOGRAPHIES
Sharon Foley
Sharon Foley originally worked in the theatre industry before moving into education. She has taught Prep - VCE, directed and developed curriculum in Melbourne's leading schools and Theatre Training companies for over 20 years. Her travels have led her to taking over 40 children performing around Europe and to running drama workshops in Cambodia. One of her aspirations is to take a group of children from The Drama School into Asia to perform and share each other's cultures. She has also presented at State Conferences, been the Director of Drama for The Children's Performing Company of Australia and has been the founder and director of The Drama School for over 12 years.
Carla Gilzean
Carla graduated from Deakin University, Melbourne, with high distinctions in the Performing Arts and her qualification in Management is an asset to The Drama School as she oversees the successful day to day operation of the company. Carla has been involved in numerous stage shows as a writer, actor and director. She now works extensively across Melbourne with young people in educating them through drama and the arts. Her passion for achieving excellence in curriculum delivery and for children to experience the enormous personal benefits of drama education drives her teaching. Students enrolled in The Drama School enjoy her warmth and unique talent.