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Spend you Easter and Summer holidays doing something worthwhile – and fun!

If you enjoy theatre, but have never been to a Youth Academy or Summer School, make 2010 the year to try something new, you could be pleasantly surprised!

A Youth Academy is generally aimed at 12 – 17 year olds and Summer School is for the 18+ age group.

Spending the holidays at a Youth Academy or Summer School is a great opportunity to explore your dramatic side! Students take part in daily workshops using fun drama games and exercises to develop all aspects of performing drama; using voice and movement, improvisation and devising, and working with words. They should give you the opportunity to explore energetic and inspiring ways of working in a fun and relaxed environment.

The musical theatre courses are likely to include a series of fun and exciting workshops focusing on dancing, acting and singing, led by professional tutors. The workshops will use materials from your favourite shows to help you improve your skills in all three disciplines.

Using various well known musicals, students will spend their week developing vocal and dance technique and stamina in practical performance classes geared towards the presentation of selected numbers from the show at the end of the week. You will be able to work through and rehearsing various musical numbers, exploring the skills involved in working as an ensemble, successful auditions, physical and vocal technique, spacing, style and performance energy.

In practical performance classes, you will learn more about acting through song and fully explore the show in exciting and challenging ways, building skills and confidence as an actor in a musical. The singing voice will be developed using the powerful songs from the show as a vehicle to discover the dramatic and technical requirements of story telling through song. This will give you an insight into the particular demands of the sung-through musical where text is inextricably linked to music.

If you prefer, you could choose a course that specialises in acting, rather than singing or dancing. This type of course should include fun and supportive workshops providing the opportunity to focus on the basic skills an actor needs to approach a realistic performance and develop the technical skills of voice and movement. It should explore different approaches to devising theatre and give you a tool-box to take away that will empower you to create your own devised theatre when you get back home.

But then again, not everyone wants to be out the front, on stage! Whatever you want to do, whether it’s directing a show, being a Musical Director, Set Designer, Costume Designer, Lighting Designer or Stage Manager you want to be, there is something for everyone!

There are plenty of courses to choose from, so make sure you pick the one that’s right for you. Here are a few things to consider when making your choice:

  • What age group is the course aimed at?
  • Is there a program that has the classes you need and also looks like a fun place to spend a summer?
  • Are bursaries available to help pay for the course?
  • Location. Are you prepared to travel, or do you want one close to home?
  • Are the courses offered appropriate?
  • What do past students say about the course they attended? Are their comments available for you to read?
  • Contact the organisers and have an informal chat about what is on offer

Most Youth Academies and Summer Schools are residential, with responsible and approved chaperones to take care of the students while they are there. This is a great way of making new friends and having lots of fun, while learning new skills and building confidence.

Here are some of the things that students at the NODA Summer School said about their experiences in 2009:

“Inspiring! Motivating! Will keep me going with ideas for years”

“Every day has been a journey. It was pure magic”

“The whole experience has been fantastic”

“I’ve felt like I’m at Fame school”

“Tutor was an incredible fount of inspirational ideas”

NODA (National Operatic and Dramatic Association) is running a Youth Academy during the Easter holidays (6 – 9 April 2010) at Oakham, Rutland and a Summer School (31 July – 7 August 2010) at Loughborough University.

For details visit www.noda.org.uk or call 01733 865 790