Switch Drama On!

In this world taken over by technology and gadgets one might wonder why we bother with developing the creativity, confidence and communication skills of our children.

Some may even say face to face interaction is “dying out” and think a worse fate awaits theater.

At Helen O’ Grady we do our best to stay relevant, “with it” and connected to the times. That said, we believe our principles and core values are timeless.

Connection, stories, expression are things people long for. A wise man said, “No man is an island”. We may be able to survive on our own but boy what a boring time that’ll be.

Imagination and dreams are what drives us. Having something to strive for and reach for helps us get through our every day.

Reflections shape us and teach us.

Without these things, where would we be? Who would we be?

Well, all of these things are brought to you by DRAMA. Drama gives students the space to play, explore, discover, reflect and express. Drama is a gift and a safe place to go to grow.

Drama: the best invention yet ;)

Drama Day Is Our Favourite Day!

The students at Bellville Christian Academy have for years looked forward to Monday afternoons.

Every Monday the centre auditorium comes alive with vibrant drama activities that teach the students invaluable lessons in communication, encourages creativity and builds their confidence.

The Upper Primary Group at BCA full of dramatic expressions

The students in this class have through the years shown tremendous growth, increased vibrancy and a keen knack for drama the Helen O’ Grady way.

When new students join they are quickly welcomed and made comfortable. They soon learn the drama activities in class are not only leading them to become great performers on stage but also good people off stage.

Helen O’ Grady Drama comes to Bellville Christian Academy every Monday at 2pm.

Youth Theatre: A Place to Grow, A Place to Shine

Many of our Youth Theatre students are part of the programme after growing with and progressing through from the younger group stages.

This means several of them are well exposed to and well acquainted with the principals of our world-renowned curriculum. A scenario like this presents us with interesting opportunities:

·  The student is well versed in Helen O’ Grady techniques and brings a strong level of participation and enthusiasm.

·  The student is uncomfortable and sees the new activities as a challenge and stretch of their abilities – thus rising above this obstacle to grow even more!

There are also students who join our programme for the first time at the Youth Theatre level. With this comes a fresh perspective and new outlook in terms of drama the Helen O’ Grady way. This gives us unique opportunities:

·  The student is introduced to Helen O’ Grady techniques and principals at the highest level.

·  While it may be a “baptism of fire” of sorts, students are quickly guided to new heights of dramatic performance.

Whichever way you look at it, Youth Theatre is a great place for new and nurtured students to find and further develop their drama!

Dynamically Verbal

If you do a search to see the meaning or definition of Verbal Dynamics you will often stumble upon the phrase: “The Words Come Alive!”

And how true! At least in the case of our Upper Primary Group’s Parent Day Verbal Dynamics

Every year teachers are excited to guide their students on this journey of verbal adventure.

While learning and rehearsing the verbal dynamics presentation students learn more about pace, volume, delivery details and other speech performance practices.

Pace plays a role in how speech is received and understood. You can change the meaning of a line or sentence simply by playing around with the speech. It’s so important to get the pace just right!

Volume control is another important aspect of any verbal showcase. Knowing when to drop into a stage whisper and combining it with projected exclamations gives the piece colour, shades and nuances.

Other practices include pronunciation, gestures and pitch. Every week the class will practise these and others as we bring together the features of a fun, interesting and lively verbal dynamics piece.

We hope you’ll be there to see the final product.

Speak to your teacher and keep your eyes on this page for your Parent Day dates.

TWO Cheers for TERM II

Term two got off to an incredible start. 

It’s an exciting time for students, teachers and parents as we gear up for our annual Parent Days.

Returning students were excited to share stories of their Easter breaks and new students were happy to get stuck into the dramatic world of Helen O’ Grady. Old and new students alike were over the moon to learn about new curriculum features for the term. And teachers? We’re just so thrilled to be part of each student’s development journey.

Our Kindy groups will this term get to explore space and be part of a circus troupe.

Lower Primary students get the opportunity to create their own plays using Helen O’ Grady scene starters. Our Upper Primary stars will try their hands at script work while the Youth get to explore and enjoy all sorts of theatre development activities.

We can’t wait to get into full swing and we can’t wait to show our parents. 

Be sure to read our start of term newsletter and keep your eyes glued to this page and our Facebook page to be sure you don’t miss out.

Speak For Yourself

The speech elements of the Helen O’Grady curriculum prepares students for so many tasks and challenges presented throughout their school career.

Together we explore ways students can enhance their speech delivery, enunciation and eloquence. We also teach them new ways to express themselves using their voices.

Hebron Christian Academy LP students performing a poem: The Lion

Our speech curriculum covers projection, articulation, tone and resonance exercises. These are taught using fun speech lines accompanied by energetic actions, expressions and sometimes we’ll throw in an accent too.

De Tyger's LP students showing their verbal skills

Speech is a critical part of communication and expression. The lessons learnt during our drama programme will benefit our students well into their careers and life.

Speak up!

Being afraid of public speaking is a fear acknowledged by so many adults. It’s no surprise then that children are afraid of it too.

Rather than having these children grow into adults holding onto that fear, drama gives them the opportunity to develop their speech and gain confidence in speaking publicly.

The speech activities in the Helen O’ Grady Drama Academy is a great, if not the best way to develop your child’s speech and build their confidence.

For 20 years we’ve seen amazing results. And not only that, it’s sooooo much fun!

From Articulation to Projection to Resonance and Expression, our students are exposed to and experience a wide range of exercises that prepare them for whatever task school, tertiary and adulthood brings.