Parents are always asking about Fairytale Acting Academy (FAA), what it is, what we do and who it is aimed at. This blog post will give you an insight into our classes, our goals and what we’re all about. The most important thing we want to get across is WE ARE NOT A STAGE SCHOOL. We don’t do exams, there is no pressure, it’s not a classroom environment and we definitely don’t want to be called Miss! FAA is a drama academy aimed at children between the ages of 3-11. We run weekly classes in 10 week blocks and the purpose of these classes is simple- come along, join in, have fun and leave us walking a little taller with a few more friends than before. The benefits of participating in the arts are plentiful and drama is no different. Studies have shown participating in drama can help children gather the tools to build confidence, participate in other activities, improve concentration, help with literacy and numeracy, improve communication and language skills as well as physical health, self expression and working as part of a team. Term after term we see these effects and we believe that is why FAA kids come back!
A Typical FAA Night
Each week we start our sessions with some circle time. This gives the children a chance to use their voice and tell us about something they’d like to share (you wouldn’t believe the things we hear!)
We then move on to vocal and physical warm ups. We always do a team game early on to encourage everyone to get involved and interact. Then the crux of our session begins. This changes every week and can be anything from storytelling, poetry, puppetry,dance, an element of stage craft or drama term. With our younger classes we love doing movement songs, exploration and making a lot of noise. Often our older classes split down and work on script, improvisation, dance or debate.
If we’re working towards a show we’ll have a chat about what we’re trying to achieve then put it into practice. We finish each session with a cool down and some mindfulness and stretching bringing ourselves back from the crazy creative journey we’ve experienced together. Throughout these sessions facilitators are constantly encouraging and provoking thought and action from the children inviting them to constructively criticize their performance but ALWAYS telling them when they’ve done something well. This leads to a sense of pride in their work and then transfers back as confidence.
The best thing about this set up is the children are having so much fun often they think we are just playing games.
Who Is FAA For?
Lots of people think drama classes are for the extroverts of the group, the kids who want to stick on a feather boua and shout musicals at the top of their lungs- which yes, we love those personalities bring them here. But, FAA is also for those with low self esteem or lack of confidence, the shy kids who want to back off into their shell at the sniff of attention. We especially want to help those kids see their unique talent and grow in self belief.
So often we get kids who come to us and struggle to make eye contact or even tell us their name the first week. We’re not expecting them all to leave here and go straight to Broadway but even to get them talking about themselves, their likes or dislikes and getting them to perform in showcases is a major achievement for them.
Another common myth is drama is just for girls. (rolls eyes). It’s true the majority of the kids come to sessions tend to be girls but we encourage all children to come along and give it a go. Boys often love the challenges, team work and movement elements and drama can be such a useful tool to get young boys to express themselves and communicate.
Our classes return on Thursday 12th September and we’d love to see our oldies and some newbies join the fun.