What classes will you be teaching at Simply Theatre?

We’ll mostly be teaching dance for the Performing Arts courses. We’re really looking forward to this, as we’ve choreographed quite a few musical theatre numbers in the past and that it’s a dance style which we really enjoy teaching.

We’re looking forward to working with a group of youngsters who have the same passion for the performing arts as we do. We love the fact that students in this school often not only dance but also sing and act, and we’d like to try and motivate pupils to really enjoy the dance part of the courses too. 

What would you say to anyone wanting to take up dance who hasn’t quite found the drive to go for it yet?

Give it a go! You might be surprised at how much you enjoy it. It’s not always easy to take up dance, as there are a lot of fundamentals you need to learn in the beginning. It might help to start with a dance style which really motivates you, and maybe from there on you can try and expand to other styles. That’s what happened to us! When we were younger we absolutely loved tap, but we refused to try ballet because we didn’t think of it as being fun. The director at our dance school finally managed to talk us into trying one ballet class, and now we couldn’t imagine our life without ballet! Sometimes you need to give it a try, you never know what might come out of it.

And what would you say to people who are wanting to take their dance to the next level?  What top tips do you have for them?

If you want to be a good dancer, you have to work for it. You have to remember that even though dancing is a lot of fun, it’s also very difficult and physically demanding. You can’t be a good dancer if you don’t practice, and that doesn’t mean only in the studio! We can remember spending hours when we were smaller practicing our steps in front of the mirror, or going over and over a difficult tap sequence which we couldn’t quite get until it was perfect. Sometimes, when people see dancers perform, they only see the finished product, and they don’t realize the hours of rehearsals that go into even a single performance. As a dance student there are always things you can improve on: learning new technique, improving your facial expressions, building your strength and stamina, working on your flexibility, etc. Just remember: ‘Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard’!

What would you be doing if you weren’t dancing or teaching dance?

We’re actually both qualified secondary school teachers in the Swiss school system. So if we weren’t doing anything dance-related (which we can’t imagine), we’d both still be teaching!

The post Part 2 of our interview with Swiss and World Tap Dance champions Olivia and Rebecca Grobety, who join the Simply Theatre team in September first appeared on Simply Theatre.

 1. We’re rooted in the same beliefs as Montessori

 Simply Theatre was founded in Geneva in 2005 by Jenna Melling, a qualified AMI Montessori teacher, a passionate performer; and lover of the performing arts.

 The Montessori principles of education for life are at the heart of Simply Theatre’s approach and our values and so, we place great importance on the work we do with even the youngest of our students.

 2. We bring a professional approach to our delivery and we provide unparalleled performance opportunities

 We run our rehearsal room run to professional standards, promoting values of equality, safety, respect, listening and co-operation.

Our students have the opportunity to take part in audition-based plays and musicals. By nature, the auditions are tough but we want the quality of the production to be high and for students to aspire to be in a production – and so we ask them to prepare meticulously, to read emails and blogs about preparing for auditions that will come out around the times of auditions.

We bring in well-known, external directors to direct our academy students (we recently had Chris Wheeler, producer at The Curve On Tour, to direct our students in Shrek The Musical which we put on at The Casino Theatre, Geneva).

3. Our curriculum has been developed to meet the specific needs of our students

We have a specially designed rolling curriculum across all age groups and course types. Each year, our choice of material, genre and focus changes, allowing students to spend three terms exploring and developing a specific set of new skills and experiences, and realise them through performance.

 Because we’re catering to English speaking children in Switzerland, we understand that many of our students may not be with us for years – our objective is to offer just as complete and exciting opportunities for those who may be with us for 1-2 years as well as those who may be with us for 10.

4. We play an important role in the community

One of the things we most frequently hear about from our students is the friendships that are nurtured at Simply Theatre. Our students are split across many schools –but one thing that they all experience is the out-of-school friendships they make. The rehearsal room encourages students to cast their inhibitions aside and so, there’s a sense of camaraderie as students learn to put themselves in someone else’s shoes – whether that be in the rehearsal room or on the stage. 

5. We passionately care about the future of our students

At Simply Theatre we’re actively interested in the future of all our students and we encourage every student to talk to us for careers advice – be that about a career in, or outside of the Performing Arts. We get involved in writing references for universities and giving interview coaching – particularly for Oxbridge candidates or other candidates where an interview is an inherent part of the selection process.

If they’re interested in going to drama school then we’ll help our students with that. (2 of our students have recently got into the Tisch School Of The Arts in New York!) Or, if students are interested in work experience or an internship– whether for a short or for longer time, there is no-one we’d rather have than a Simply Theatre trained member of the team!

6. We bring cultural experiences to Switzerland

To further build the sense of community, to make theatre accessible to English speakers who live in Geneva; and to inspire the young we bring a programme of children’s theatre from professional touring companies to families in Switzerland; and a Cabaret programme for the older members of the family!

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about our approach to the Performing Arts. If you’re based in Geneva, Zurich or Zug and know a child who could benefit from one of our courses take a look at what’s on offer at here – or contact us to discuss your requirements.

The post 6 Reasons why Simply Theatre’s approach to the Performing Arts is different first appeared on Simply Theatre.

At Simply Theatre Academy we call the soft skills that are referred to above “life skills” – and life skills are one of the key areas in which we seek to empower our students. Theatre classes give young people a safe environment in which to practice many life skills over a repeated duration of time – but how exactly do performing arts classes help address communication and resilience?

Communication and Team Working

To quote Justin Cash in his brilliant piece Drama’s Link To Employment Skills, “By their very nature, theatre-making and play building are group tasks, involving the ability to successfully work in team through collaboration with colleagues. This is where leaders are born, where the difficult skill of negotiation is carefully crafted, where compromise is viewed as a positive outcome instead of failure, and where oral communication skills are paramount”.[2]

Resilience

Most of us are not natural actors. Many aspiring actors have to learn their craft – which means putting it into practice often – and often getting it wrong, in front of other people. Performing Arts classes therefore build resilience in pupils, preparing them for life outside of the rehearsal room. In an article from WHO Communications on the benefits of drama for young people, Simply Theatre student Lisanne Hopkins, who was 17 at the time and had been a Simply Theatre student for 8 years said: “I have learned to not constantly put myself down for doing things wrong, but to pick myself up…”.[3] The article concludes that whether or not your child is destined for the stage, Performing Arts experience can translate into success in countless other aspects of life.

There surely can be little doubt that experiences in the Performing Arts give students detailed practice in life skills, giving them confidence in their chosen pursuits and goals later in life – and crucially address the lack of soft skills that are indicated in the British Chamber Of Commerce Workforce Survey.

If you are based in Geneva, Zurich or Zug then take a look at our Drama, Performing Arts and Dance classes for young people aged 4-14. From courses that cover an entire academic year to week-long summer camps, there’s something for everyone – visit www.simplytheatre.com to find out more.

[1] http://www.britishchambers.org.uk/assets/downloads/J4990%20-%20A4%20BCC%20WORKFORCE%20SURVEY%20INFOGRAPHIC%20final.pdf

[2] http://www.thedramateacher.com/dramas-link-to-employment-skills/

[3] https://simplytheatre.com/ArticleMedia/Files/WHO%20article.pdf

The post Why our children’s careers will depend on theatrical skills first appeared on Simply Theatre.

Paula and Floris managed to find 5 minutes to tell us about their experiences!

What made you decide to apply to Tisch?

PAULA: Ever since I went to NYC in grade 9 I was convinced I needed to study in New York. Now I know people say there are other schools besides NYU but NYU allows the possibility for me to study what I love and take a second Major in the College of Arts and Sciences – and it’s in Soho! So, close to Broadway and Times Square. The possibilities for auditions and castings are so much greater when you’re so close!

FLORIS: I’ve loved performing ever since my first theatre experience – Tarzan at age 9. I knew it was what I wanted to pursue and I pushed as high as I could – and I’m grateful it paid off!

What did you make of the audition process?

PAULA: I didn’t like the fact that I had to send audition tapes because I couldn’t afford to fly over for a weekend – and, since I sent out audition tapes to 6 universities, it was also expensive. I had to make the most of sending video tapes -the stress of this, however, is – when you have a technical problem (which I did with the dance part of NYU’s application because the camera filming me ran out of film and I didn’t realise till after the second recording and you can only watch the choreography twice before the link disappears)! So I had to make do with the footage I had despite not being able to show my second attempt when I actually knew the choreography!

 FLORIS: The whole thing was intense! I made sure to get outside help, knowing that “practise makes permanent”, and that I only had one big shot. I told myself to have fun and to make the most of the amazing experience.

 How do you feel your Simply Theatre experience has prepared you for the audition process?

PAULA: Doing LAMDA in previous years helped me with learning monologues and Jo (Simply Theatre Zurich) helped me choose a monologue for my audition process. Stefanie (Simply Theatre Zurich) also helped me make a modern dance routine to send off to other universities.

FLORIS: The performance experiences offered by Simply Theatre have been absolutely invaluable to me. I’ve been able to work with West End Directors (crazy!) and learn more from the incredible teachers I’ve had the past 8 years. I have been lucky enough to have Allison Bryan (Simply Theatre Geneva vocal coach) guide me every step of the way and I can truthfully say she has taught and inspired me more than anyone else on this planet.

What have been some of your favourite roles at Simply Theatre?

PAULA: One of my favourite roles was Hippolyta, it wasn’t a large one – but it was a fun and interesting character to play – especially my 2 minute costume change into a wedding dress and everything! Being a part of the Joseph And The Technicolor Dreamcoat cast was also a great and favourable experience as it was also my first with Simply!

FLORIS: My all -time favourite was Fagin! I also loved flying in Peter Pan and sweating off my moustache as the Pirate King. Being Shrek was an unforgettable experience overall, especially the 3 hour makeup process!

Now you have been through the process of “getting into drama school” what advice would you give to our younger up and coming students?

PAULA: Take every upcoming opportunity – every audition, every performance opportunity, take it! Don’t let anyone bring you down, you have to believe in yourself and work hard for the impossible because it might not be impossible, it might just look that way!

 FLORIS: Find material that truly speaks to you – it makes all the difference. Don’t pick it only because it shows you off. Take every opportunity offered to you – be it ensemble or lead – and just have fun!

What are your dreams now?

PAULA: To be on Broadway, hopefully maybe to play Elphaba one day or Cathy in an off-Broadway production in The Last Five Years – the music from that musical is my absolute favourite!

FLORIS: My dream is to one day be on Broadway and originate a role. I also hope that one day I’ll get to stand on stage again alongside some of the incredible friends I’ve made at Simply Theatre.

The post 2 Simply Theatre students gain places at prestigious New York University Tisch School of the Arts first appeared on Simply Theatre.

We always start by evaluating the success of the material for each stage and then formulate suggestions for the next year. Firstly we try to ensure that the piece chosen will offer a contrast to the pieces that were performed the year before. We do this to offer our students a wide range of experiences and the opportunity to work on a variety of texts. The scripts for each stage need to be carefully considered.

With Mini Drama we need to make sure that the story is clear and accessible and contains a certain amount of repetition for ease of learning. We also try to include music and movement so that the performance is not totally led by lines. Picture story books often provide us with great inspiration for our mini actors!

At Stage One we remember that our students are becoming much more sophisticated in their theatrical taste and their acting abilities are really starting to develop. We would no longer choose a storybook source material as the Stage One students would think this too childish. At this stage, students are more capable of learning lines and their level of characterisation can often be quite impressive. The students are also capable of exploring a range of theatrical techniques and often enjoy experimenting with style and form.

Stage Two students are much more confident in performing. Their understanding of character, plot and theme is often impressive and they can work fairly quickly. We try and choose material which is engaging and relevant to them as young performers. They can also handle different theatrical styles and staging techniques. We ensure that these young actors are stretched and challenged while still having fun.

Our Stage Three actors are busy young people with a full school life and many are committed to a variety of enrichment activities. We take this into consideration when selecting material for this stage. As actors, they are well developed and can handle plot, theme and character with sensitivity and maturity. At Stage Three we select material to contrast with the previous year and to provide an opportunity for the students to apply the work they have done in class through the year – for example, the advanced work they do on theatre style and theatre practitioners.

With all this in mind, we start to find the right material for each year group. My drama team are wonderful subject specialists and are superb at giving me detailed feedback about their students. They are instinctive and are experienced in identifying appropriate material and ‘throwing out’ ideas that will not work for a particular stage of students. They also research for ideas and exciting material.

The biggest challenge we have when putting scripts together is that very few published scripts have enough or equal parts for our class sizes. The scripts have to be adaptable to suit both a large and small class. Also, some brilliant material may not be available in script form. The answer to this problem is to adapt or write our own scripts. That way we can make sure that the plays:

• Are the right length
• Have enough parts
• Fit each teaching group
• Contain a selection of theatrical techniques
• Are fun!

We also ensure that the scripts offer clear opportunities for ensemble work. This is a central to our acting classes at Simply Theatre and a vital element to our theatre work.

Our Showcase performances are an important part of the Simply Theatre calendar. Our work throughout the first two terms gives our students the opportunity to explore and develop skills that will be utilised in the final Showcases. It is a joy to see how our students grow through the year and our teachers work hard in rehearsals to ensure that each one of them reaches their potential. Choosing and preparing material for Showcase is not a quick process but it is one that pays off when we see how much parents enjoy watching the pieces and, more importantly, how much the students enjoy performing them.

If you live in Geneva, Zurich or Zug and are interested in Performing Arts or Dance classes for your child head to www.simplytheatre.com to look at our range courses and summer camps.

The post From Page To Stage – Choosing the right showcase material for our students first appeared on Simply Theatre.