Seniors S1 - S4

Sometimes you can have the smallest role in the smallest production, and it can still have the biggest impact

Katie 14

Where:- Strachur Memorial Hall

When:- Monday term-time 4.30 pm to 6 pm

Who:- SYD Seniors - P1 to P4 age group

Our Senior Team ...

sessions run weekly during term time on a Monday from 4.30 pm - 6 pm for children in S1 - S4 and most children attending Dunoon Grammar School come straight off the school bus and snacks are provided.

We continue to promote positive self-esteem and confidence as well as offer a challenging creative outlet where young people can continue to develop, grow and have fun.

We’ll be encouraging our members to have confidence in how they come across and present themselves as they grow into their bodies and get comfortable with themselves.

Development......

We will be developing improvisation skills and further look at different acting techniques and styles.

Our emotional acting toolbox will be developed with different methods and approaches using a wider range of technique and skills.

Devised theatre, physical theatre and styles such as comedy or musical theatre are much more heavily explored.

Different stimulus including music, scripts, imagery or real life experiences as well as looking at different creative work by well known playwrights are discussed as a group.

We’ll encourage the group to think about why they want to create a drama piece, what it can be used to say and why it matters.

Where possible we will be encouraging them to go to the theatre with family and would hope to arrange several trips to see professional productions.

Its a fantastic opportunity to discuss what they’ve seen and promote critical thinking.

This is an important age for encouraging each child to explore the theatre and what it can bring to their lives and what they can bring to the group.

The feeling of trust and companionship grows enormously.

Senior Team Productions....

Expanding on the opportunities for public performance there really is the chance to participate in many productions both big and small.

Carrying a good portion of the workload of major productions, our Seniors have showcased their talents and skills over many different types of genres including combined whole club musical productions, to murder mysteries, dramas with a handful of cast members to solo performances.

Children who prefer a behind the scenes role, will have started to develop skills and preferences for a particular role where they can excel at putting on the shows, using learned skills they can carry forward for a lifetime and really starting to become our expert in a particular field.

Often using the audition process, we encourage our seniors to try out for a major role by proving their enthusiasm, commitment, and a strong work ethic.

This is expected of every child who takes on a role, either as a main, one line or part of the chorus, their commitment to us and the rest of the team to show up for rehearsals and try their best is essential. This never goes unrewarded and the greatest fun and enjoyment is had during these performances, along with the biggest sense of achievement possible, which is always present in bucket loads at the end of a production, not just for themselves but for the whole team.

We are very aware for our Senior and Senior Plus teams, the type of commitment that school exams can take up and are totally supportive of our members during these times. A commitment to a large part may not be appropriate at certain times, but on the other hand a smaller role can be a wonderful distraction and stress reliever for our more experienced members.

Opportunities....

Our Senior Team has many opportunities presented to them throughout their years at SYD.

From participating in fund-raising events and learning the whole process of how our clubs are run, to participating in charity events and supporting other community events there is every opportunity to contribute and get involved through drama in their community.

Being taken on trips to see a play or the chance to see street theatre, to participating in puppet theatre or singing in a choir for the Christmas performance, it's all about taking part and having fun.

Huge benefits can be had by all involved in such activities and it all builds to a bigger picture of community and friendship.

Key skills covered...

Developing creativity, voice, the language of movement, character, improvisation, emotions, theatre styles, critical analysis, presentation skills, text interpretation and writing skills, delivering a performance, discussion, debate, monologue and audition skills.

Confidence, self-expression, group work, collaboration, ensemble building, listening, leading, concentration, focus and trust.

We really grow as a group at these ages and the kids develop into amazing young people - we build on skills and tackle tricky projects and we have an absolute blast Sheena x