Helen O'Grady Drama Academy

We want to make happy children who take part in life. Using drama as the medium we want to build children’s confidence, focusing on their verbal and movement skills. We do this by focusing on the lessons being really good fun and allowing the children to develop at their own pace.

We normally fun a verbal section, a movement section and a whole class improvisation.

It is important that children are able to communicate effectively and eloquently. Our verbal section allows the children to use simple techniques to improve their projection, articulation, jaw movement and confidence with the spoken word.

The movement section of each lesson introduces the children to the idea of body control and awareness of their movements. This is done through a series of really good fun exercises that practice these skills. One week we might be trying to walk around the room with our cheek as the highest part of the body or the next we will be pretending to be bats and moving to music. These exercises create an exciting atmosphere where the children can really be themselves and have enormous amounts of fun.

The main part of each lesson is creative, improvised drama. This improvisation is focused around a story that is different each week. The children are allocated roles and have simple actions to undertake. This process of learning lines and movements is done in one lesson and performed to the teacher.

The year is broken up into the same pattern as a school year and that means we have three terms. In the first two terms we make the activities slightly more complex building to the final term where we put on a production for family and friends.

At the academy we find that children tend to react very differently when there is a grown up in the room. Some go over the top and start to show off and others tend to get very quiet. To counter this we offer an opportunity for the adults to come to a parent's day where we can give prizes, certificates and allow you to see the antics that your children have been getting up too.