Young Actors Program – Secondary
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DEVELOP YOUR
CREATIVE VOICE
The National Drama School’s Young Actors Program offers a supportive environment of creative play for secondary school students.
Young Actors Program - Secondary
Welcome
Expert industry teachers at The National Drama School support budding young actors to develop their creative voices. We nurture young talents, celebrate and champion diversity, and actively value inclusion and respect. Creative play, confidence and ensemble are central to all our classes – building skills for life.
For young actors in secondary school, we offer two streams: The Stage Performance Ensemble and Screen Acting: Skills for Life. In our programs, students learn professional acting techniques and use self-reflection to develop their skills and understanding of creative processes.
Students are guided to identify and analyse how the elements of drama are used, combined and manipulated in different styles, and apply this knowledge to the drama they make and perform. They use their growing performance skills, stagecraft and design elements to shape and focus relationships with an audience. Through stage acting processes, students develop empathy and understanding of the impact of live performance. In our Stage Performance Ensembles young actors have the opportunity to perform on The National Theatre mainstage and to create a new performance that is presented in The Blackbox theatre.
All of our classes establish a supportive environment of creative play. Enrol your child now to nurture and extend their creative journey!
Dr Jaime Dörner Director of Drama
Stage Performance Ensembles
The stage awaits.
Your dreams of being a stage actor start here.
Course Overview
Join the Young Actors Ensemble at The National Drama School to learn the craft of acting and stage a performance for a live audience in our black box theatre. Over four school terms, passionate young actors will work together to develop their performance skills and find their creative voice in a highly focussed environment led by expert industry professionals and teachers. First term sets the foundation for your ensemble with a focus on improvisation, movement and teamwork skills. In second term you will work with a selected script to develop voice and character skills. In your third and fourth terms you will work together to prepare a scripted performance for an audience, culminating in a public showcase in our heritage-listed theatre.
Course Details
Term 1 Creating the Ensemble
Ensemble, Improvisation and Movement.
Term 2 Creating Character
Working with scripts, developing voice and character skills.
Terms one and two culminate in an open class for parents and family to attend.
Term 3 Scripted Performance
Preparing for Public Performance
Term 4 Devised Performance
This term culminates in a performance in our heritage-listed theatre.
Key Dates
2024 Young Actors Program Term Dates
Term 1: Mon 29 January – Thu 28 March
Term 2: Mon 15 April – Sat 29 June
Term 3: Mon 15 July – Sat 21 September
Term 4: Mon 7 October – Sat 7 December
Class Details
Stage Performance Ensembles
Secondary School
Intermediate (Yrs 7-9) Saturday 11:00am-1:00pm 10-week term fees $470
Senior (Yrs 10-12) Saturday 9:00-11:00am10-week term fees $470
Screen Acting skills for life
This innovative program for budding young thespians, develops screen acting skills alongside skills for life within a creative, playful and supportive environment.
Course Overview
Ensemble, authenticity, confidence and individuality are among the many disciplines required from a successful screen actor. Exceptional screen actors are also highly disciplined and responsive to feedback, bringing ideas to the table and working with a high level of focus and determination.
Over four school terms, our Screen Acting classes for secondary school students will help improve focus and listening skills, while building confidence and creativity.
Course Details
Term 1 Teamwork
Learn to work as an ensemble building skills in collaboration, problem solving and communication.
Term 2 Authenticity
Develop self-awareness, empathy and emotional intelligence and learn how to apply this to developing a character.
Term 3 Confidence
Develop self-assurance without ego. Learn how to trust your creative ideas, take risks and clarify your ambitions.
Term 4 Individuality
Develop your creative capabilities and self-expression. Learn how to apply your creativity to developing a character and scene.
Key Dates
2024 Young Actors Program Term Dates
Term 1: Mon 29 January – Thu 28 March
Term 2: Mon 15 April – Sat 29 June
Term 3: Mon 15 July – Sat 21 September
Term 4: Mon 7 October – Sat 7 December
Class Details
Secondary School
Intermediate (Yrs 7-9) Saturday 9:00-11:00am 10-week term fees $470
Senior (Yrs 10-12) Saturday 11:00am-1:00pm 10-week term fees $470