Holidays with drama

I’ve been going to the Theatresaurus summer courses for two years now – as long as it has been running. On my first visit, I was surprised how quickly I made friends with everyone there, even the children quite a few years younger than me!

On our first day, we did ice-breakers. Games that all of a sudden made us become friends, work as a team, and find out a little bit about each other, without us even knowing it. We played games for the first half of the day, and then we got to ‘work’. I put this in inverted commas for it didn’t feel like work, it still felt like a game, devising an improvisation from three words (such as Key, Police and Cheese Sandwich – and it was actually quite good!).

The next day we did even more games, to get us to start exercising our vocal chords, making sure we were using intonation, projecting our voices, hand gestures, body language etc. We also started thinking about what type of examination we would do; Single: single Shakespeare, single modern, Duo: duo Shakespeare, duo scripted, duo devised (Where you come up with an improvisation from a stimulus) Group: group Shakespeare, group scripted, group devised.

The first  year, I chose to do a duo scripted piece. We passed our Grade 4 (Ros chooses which grade) with a distinction. I was really sad to go as the friends I had made had strengthened over time. Sure, it hadn’t been for that long, however spending so much time together every day for ten days does that kind of thing.

The next year, I was feeling much more confident, because I knew what to expect. Do you know what? It was better. I came back greeting all of my old friends, and the new. I had no qualms at instantly being friends with them this run around– instead of the shy thing in the corner I was the last time!

Spurred on by last year’s success, I opted to do a singular Shakespeare piece. My task at Grade 5 was: To do two Shakespeare monologues from different genres, to be ‘hot seated’ (asked questions in the role of a character). I chose to do Puck’s ‘Thou speakest aright!’ Act 2 scene 1 and Juliet’s ‘The clock struck nine’ Act 2 scene 5. Again I got a distinction.

What is funny is how everyone who did this course did really well, distinctions all round.

Rosa aged 12.