During the winter months, Drama Troupe holds classes in musical theatre for children and young adults between the ages of 4 and 16. Students are divided into various grades according to age and capability starting from the Beginners' class for 4 year olds up to Grade 8 for 16+. A structured syllabus in each area ensures that there is a continuity from one class to another. The average number in a class is of 15 students.
Classes are held on a weekly basis and sessions range from 1 1/2 hours for the Beginners to 3 hours for Grade 3 upwards. each level includes a class of Singing, Acting and Dance and these classes are given by teachers qualified in their respective areas.
 Cinderella 2009 |  Cinderella 2009 |
Acting
These classes cover various topics, from drama games, mime and improvisation to voice projection exercises, mime, monologues, duologues and short scenes. The primary aim is that of increasing the student's self confidence so as to enable him to access and project his natural acting abilities. The syllabus follows the British GCSE drama syllabus and covers the LAMDA requirements for every level. Younger classes focus on poetry and voice projection and improvisation while History of theatre in the higher grades exposes the students to various theatre genres and playwrights. Drama Packs for each level are put together by the various teachers at the beginning of the year. These contain various exercises (projection, vocal etc), songs, monologues, duologues and any drama terms that is planned for the term.
Singing
Singing is given a lot of importance from a very early age. Special programmes designed for young voices help ensure that correct singing techniques are adopted from a very young age. Voice exercises, vocal warm-ups, singing games, rhythm games introduce our young singers to the world of choral work. Children learn how to sing as a group first in unison, through echo songs and eventually in rounds and part songs. Emphasis is also placed on percussion work, correct and clear diction and expression. Older students progress to solo songs and cover a large variety of musical styles, from ballads and torch songs to upbeat, jazz and light pop. every year each class is exposed to a variety of Broadway musicals. This helps each student build a musical theatre repertoire. Each student is expected to research the various musicals and is given the chance of presenting a scene during end of year performances. Classes also cover voice hygiene and vocal structure to ensure that the full potential of each student may be developed in the correct way.
Dance
The dance syllabus is based on the ISTD jazz syllabus. This however has been adapted for musical theatre dance. Dance is the first medium that a young child feels most comfortable in expressing itself, therefore a lot of emphasis is place in dance drama in the younger classes. For this reason, Drama Troupe has obtained the licence to include the Melody Bear dance syllabus for its younger students. This syllabus encourages the young students to dance along with Melody and Milligan Bear. Children learn how to skip, march, gallop and most important of all to perform various tales as they journey together with the bears. From Level 1 upwards, students are taught the more formal dance steps. The last 25 minutes of each class is dedicated to choreography. this choreography is usually linked to the singing syllabus and students here build up the skills and stamina required to dance and sing the song. Emphasis is placed on communication with the audience. As in the other disciplines, various dance styles are covered in various grades.