To work on your existing skills of imagination, voice, body, movement and space in order to develop character relationships and create scenes from the play. Relevant section/s of the play will be made available in class and there are some copies in the library. Please get your own copy if you can. The course is for people who: have little or no experience; who want to refresh skills; more experienced practitioners. The emphasis, where possible, is on larger scenes and the collaborative work demanded by them.
You will need to complete an Individual Learning Plan and be prepared to work in a group. You must be prepared to work with other people.
Improve the quality of your voice and standard of speech through relaxation, stance, breath capacity/control, articulation, forward placing and expression. This course will be delivered in the college.
What is the course about?
To improve the quality of your voice for increased confidence in communication. To develop vocal skills and an understanding of how the voice works with practical focus on relaxation, stance, breath capacity/control, articulation, forward placement and expression.
What will we cover?
Relaxation, alignment and posture, breath support, control and pressure, resonance, pitch awareness, articulation and techniques of communication.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
Demonstrate more confidence in your voice and how you use it.
Display an awareness of the technique of supporting your voice and controlling your breath.
Practise articulation exercises to improve clarity and diction.
Discover how to return your body to its natural state of balance and poise in this beginners' guide to the Alexander Technique. Learn how to relieve stress by becoming mindful of muscular and mental tension.
What is the course about?
This course is a general introduction to Alexander Technique, which is concerned with how a person uses themselves as a whole - mind and body - in everything they do. The technique can help you move and breathe with less effort, improve posture, be more focused and efficient, cope with stress better and be calmer and more confident. The Alexander Technique involves no specific exercises, requires no special equipment and can be practised wherever you are. It is suitable for people of all ages and levels of physical fitness.
What will we cover?
- How to become mindful of and how to use your body better during everyday activities, including sitting and standing, walking, lifting, bending, sitting at desks, lying down, speaking and breathing.
- Spatial awareness, balance, co-ordination, developing powers of observation and focusing.
- Anatomy and physiology where applicable.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Identify the Alexander principle that the way you use yourself influences how you function in everyday life
- Recognise at least two habitual patterns of posture and movement which may be causing excessive tension, aches and pains, shallow breathing, restricted movement or stiff joints.
- Recognise how applying the Alexander Technique can help eliminate tension habits that interfere with poised natural body alignment and overall functioning and well-being
- Practise the Alexander Technique in the classic semi-supine lying-down position.
How to speak with confidence and authenticity in a North American (or Broadcast Standard) accent as well as a couple of other regional American accents This course will be taught in the college.
What is the course about?
Learn how to speak with confidence and authenticity in a North American Broadcast Standard or General American Accent. This course will give you an effective framework, based in simple Phonetics, for studying and learning a North American accent for audition or performance. Acouple of regional American accents wil be included, and the choice of these can be negotiated with the tutor.
What will we cover?
North American Broadcast Standard plus a couple of regional American accents. Knowledge of phonetics is ideal but not essential.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
Break down an accent into its component parts for self-study.
Significantly increase your confidence with American accents.
Increase flexibility of articulators and improve ear training.
Investigate the role and function of Dramatherapy as a working model on this intensive course. Looking at a range of drama tools that can be used in therapeutic settings, you will develop some of the essential skills and use a range of methods to engage with others. Fun and insightful and packed with tools you can use, this is a great introduction to applying theatrical processes to therapy.
What is the course about?
An introductory course in Dramatherapy which gives you a clear and concise insight into the profession. A very practical course which aims to make you feel comfortable enough to explore Dramatherapy for yourself.
Dramatherapy is a form of psychological therapy in which all of the performance arts are utilised within the therapeutic relationship. Dramatherapists are both artists and clinicians and draw on their trainings in theatre/drama and therapy to create methods to engage clients in effecting psychological, emotional and social changes. The therapy gives equal validity to body and mind within the dramatic context; stories, myths, play-texts, puppetry, masks and improvisation are examples of the range of artistic interventions a Dramatherapist may employ. These will enable the client to explore difficult and painful life experiences through an indirect approach.
What will we cover?
• Introduction to Dramatherapy as a profession.
• Storytelling and Story Enactment in dramatherapy.
• How carl Gustav Jung's Archetypes plays a major role in the way we work with storytelling and story enactment in dramatherapy.
• Working with story in dramatherapy, using relevant themes, topics, and metaphors.
• Introducing Carl Gustav Jung’s idea of the shadow as a part of our unconscious mind.
Please note that acting classes by their very nature can involve exercises and the exploration of material that some students may find challenging.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
The course will give you a clear insight into what it is to work as a registered dramatherapist when working with Dramatherapists in a professional context and other settings. The course would offer those students, who are thinking of doing an MA course in Dramatherapy, a much better idea of what to expect at university and could help you decide whether Dramatherapy is for you as a profession.
• Practise Dramatherapy techniques.
• Participate with ease in improvisation “thinking on your feet”.
• Communicate more effectively through voice and movement skills.
• Be aware of the therapeutic ideas of Dramatherapy and C.G Jung.
Discover the practical elements of directing for the theatre, working on text analysis and beginning to build your director’s toolkit. Learn to motivate actors and create believable, engaging performances as you explore a range of modern texts.
What is the course about?
To introduce you to the practical work of directing scenes and plays. To develop your confidence through the application of useful tools and techniques. As a tool of supporting the other aspiring directors you will also act in some scenes. No acting experience necessary.
What will we cover?
The course will provide knowledge of a range of plays and their directing requirements. You will get an opportunity to explore the relationship between the actor and director, as well as the rehearsal process.
Please note that acting classes by their very nature can involve exercises and the exploration of material that some students may find challenging.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Through practical exercises, understand how to block (shape) a scene.
- Understand character motivation, the use of actions and units, and incorporate these into scenes.
- Work on and adapt to a range of plays.
Join in our new Dance & Drama Club at our North East Centre for Autism in Newton Aycliffe
The group has now finished for the summer holidays but will resume in September, we would like to hear from parents what days you would like the sessions to run.
The clubs are FREE and we welcome children and young people with autism and other special needs to attend. A formal diagnosis is not required.
If you're 15-25 and you're into art, film and theatre then HOME Young Creatives is for you.
Each year, we'll be putting an amazing series of free workshops, projects and commissioning opportunities which will be led by industry professionals. Your creative career starts here!
Our music therapy sessions use sound to create a safe environment where students can explore their feelings and memories at their own pace. The therapy is tailored to them and their specific needs, and students can access it through one-to-one sessions or as part of a group.
Our specialist music therapist works closely with our occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech and language therapy teams and with education facilitators to provide the best learning environment. Sessions take place at one of our three different sensory rooms, or at a number of other locations across the campus. The therapist and student, through improvisation, will create and develop a musical language of their own. The music therapist is a full member of BAMT and is registered with the HCPC.
A typical music therapy session:
May begin with a welcome song, which may develop into an improvisation
Focuses on pre-composed music or an improvised piece, and this is directed by the student’s choice of instrument and playing style
Ends with a closing song to signal the end of the session
Our Young People's Theatres are for all young actors aged 16+. We work inclusively with learning disabled and/or autistic and neurotypical actors who perform together as equal partners.
Following the school terms, each Young People’s Theatre works towards two pieces each year created by the members and supported by professionals.
