It's the Final Count down in Milnerton!

Students at our Milnerton Studio in our primary aged classes are getting ready for their presentation day coming up on the 3rd of June. Our Youth Theatre students will similarly be involved in their performance.

Half way through the year all family and friends are given the opportunity to come and see first hand what it is the children do in our classes. We present a cross section of work that the students have been involved in over the course of the first half of the year.

Our primary classes will present a range of work from speech work, improvisation, plays and mimes with the addition of scriptwork for our Upper Primary. Our Youth Theatre students present a themed, concise and workshopped piece which is quite a feat for the short space of time we give them.

This is an especially important venture for our first time students as not only does it enable them to perform in a positive and successful venture but allows them to experience playing in front of an audience before the theatre production at the end of the year. This is not to say that there is a diminished experience for our returning students but rather a learning and growing process as we see so much personal development in all of them over the course of a year.

Our classes are run weekly at the Milnerton Library hall on Monday afternoons;
3-4pm    GrR-3
4-5pm    Gr4-6
5-6pm    Gr7-12

Contact nastassja@helenogrady.co.za to find out how you  can become part of our awesome organisation and build skills for the future.

Creative Arts- the Important Emerging 21st Century Skill Set

An article read recently indicates that as we move toward a more technology driven future, the creative arts and communication skills are going to become far more important to humans, especially within the education sector. 

As Andreas Schleicher, a world leading education expert explains, 

"I would say, in the fourth industrial revolution, arts may become more important than maths. We talk about ‘soft skills’ often as social and emotional skills, and hard skills as about science and maths, but it might be the opposite,” he said, suggesting that science and maths may become ‘softer’ in future when the need for them decreases due to technology, and the ‘hard skills’ will be “your curiosity, your leadership, your persistence and your resilience”.

The skills Mr Schleicher is speaking of we develop on a daily basis at the Helen O'Grady Drama Academy as our primary aim is to increase confidence, communication and creativity skills for all our students. 

In today's highly competitive world it is imperative that students have the confidence and communication skills to allow for them to take what they want out of life. Not only this but as suggested in the article as technology decreases our need for the "hard skills" like math and science we will find that creativity and spontaneity will become more and more important as 21st century skills.

Through our multi-pronged approach to teaching we are not only allowing for creativity but encouraging it too in all spheres of the curriculum, along with the promotion of good communication and the art of being heard.

Below shows a video of students starting off drama with a warm up intro activity designed to get the students speaking and creating right from the start of the lesson and what fun they have too!😃

Other important life skills learnt that will greatly benefit individuals in their private as well as their public lives are collaboration, time management and critical thinking to name but a few!

Knowing just how much students benefit from the classes, we can definitely say that our international programme is the world leader in drama education and WILL set people up for LIFE!

Set Them Up for Life with our Established Drama Development Programme

Starting the year off at Drama Class is always our favourite time. We meet so many new faces through trial lessons and demonstrations at schools or bring-a-friend days and what resounds with us is the impact this time has on the students. They walk out of the class feeling energised, happy, excited and most importantly part of a "family".

This sense of belonging is so important to our young people, especially our senior and youth students who will at some point start their journey through puberty- the most dramatic change, both physically and emotionally, our youngsters will ever go through in their entire life. Now that is important! This sense of belonging and being a part of something not only helps them to become more confident and articulate as communicators but can often be the one place they can feel free of judgement and 'let loose'. At our academy we work through positive reinforcement and dynamic, practical performance allowing our students to enhance their creativity and performance skills whilst having fun.
And as research suggests learning through play and fun is far more effective than other forms of learning. 


All Helen O'Grady teachers receive specialist training in our teaching and methodologies to ensure that each and every student feels valued and important in our classes, and it shows in the feedback we receive from happy parents:

"Remi was on Cloud 9 and enjoyed it sooo much!! She will definitely be carrying on... "

"She absolutely loved it!!...she will definitely be there next week! Thanks so much!"

"Erin said she just looks forward to Wednesdays….its a joke in our house that Wednesdays are drama days and she’s not allowed to “drama”tise herself any other days, ha ha.

She told me she really likes Emma.  It’s so nice for us to have somewhere that she really enjoys.  I just wanted to say thank you."

We run our amazing classes weekly at various locations. Contact us today to join for a free trial lesson to set your children on the path of success!

Tel: 021 5534458

Email: nastassja@helenogrady.co.za

Website: www.helenogrady.co.za

Production Term is Here !

The final term of Drama has arrived, yes that means Productions, and our students are not only rehearsing for their big day on the stage but learning invaluable life skills too!

Our terms 1, 2 and 3 are dedicated to developing our students confidence and communication skills through our dramatic programme so that in our fourth and final term they can present our short-scripted plays with confidence and flair, making it a successful exercise FOR ALL!

In our academy no one is JUST A TREE and every single person has a vital and inclusive role in our plays, helping them to understand the value of team work and very importantly commitment to the class and play itself. Seeing the production through from inception to the final production on the stage gives the students a sense of achievement and participation in a successful venture without having the pressure and anxiety often associated with acting on the stage. 

Research in recent years has shown that young people who participate in successful ventures are more likely to be successful adults. Further more as stated in, The Benefits of Participation- Youth Theatre Ireland- youth participation has a multitude of benefits besides the creativity side and development of theatrical skills, which include;

• Greater sense of belonging, with increased personal and group identity
• sense of achievement
• sense of empowerment
• increased ability to express emotions and understand relevant social issues;
• and is an effective form of relaxation

www.youthteatre.ie

Whether it be our Primary aged or Youth Theatre participants, the fourth term is an exciting and rewarding time for all. Of course our wonderful teachers help to achieve our end goal and make sure our main aim is achieved time and time again.

Lights, Camera and...ACTION!

Mutual Respect: a foundation block of our programme

Here at the Helen O' Grady drama academy we focus on bringing the best out of every student and in order to do this we need to foster an environment where every single participant feels valued and respected.


Through our curriculum we encourage students to explore the activities put before them, whether it be individual or group work, in such a way that encourages social cohesion, respect and positivity. Additionally every teacher is trained within the Helen O'Grady methodology which fosters a positive and appraising ethos centred on praising the students for their good behaviour rather than reprimanding them for the bad. 






The result is a wonderfully dynamic, warm and friendly learning environment where students excel at their own pace and always have a welcoming, smiling face to greet them at the door to success. They  know what is expected of them and most importantly can express themselves and have fun without the fear of self-consciousness or the thought of "being wrong". As one student expressed; "I was made to feel so welcome, like a family, from the very first day".  





We are in the game to build you up not to break you down and that is why parents and students alike rave about our self-development programme- we really do care!

Role-Play: an essential life skill and integral part of the HOG system.

Playing doctor- nurse, mommies and babies, astronauts' and aliens..for most of us this brings back fond memories from our childhood and is seen as a fun pastime for children all over the world however increasing research has shown the importance of role-play and imaginative play and how it helps in developing those building blocks essential to interpersonal relationships, a very important life skill.

As Adam Blatner, M.D elaborates in his article "DRAMA IN EDUCATION AS MENTAL HYGIENE: A CHILD PSYCHIATRIST'S PERSPECTIVE"- role-paying and the use of the imagination are increasingly being found to harness children's and young adults creativity which in turn helps them become well rounded and empowered youngsters not afraid to make mistakes and have their thoughts within this increasingly egocentric world.

Right from the outset of each and every lesson, the Helen O' Grady Drama programme helps to develop and nurture this skill through creative role-playing situations. Our intro-activities are specifically designed to get the students thinking quickly and reacting to the scenario, thus not only are we teaching empathy but social skills too. 
In particular, our snippets done with the lower and upper primary group are a classic example of how we use our programme to develop these vital skills. Each and every pair will need to think up an ending for a scenario given to them and they will then need to present this to the class. Our expertly trained staff will facilitate this process and help the students think creatively and appropriately. The presentation is then followed by constructive critique and well-deserved praise, meaning the students then have time for self-reflection a pivotal block of developing good social skills.

What about our high school students, you say? This must be one of the most important skills this  age group can learn. Social skills and empathy will most certainly help them to become articulate and confident young adults who do not shy away from challenging and often daunting situations. From improvisational games, quick dialogue activities, prop themed developments together with  our script work and speech- our youth programme allows for each individual to grow in empathy and creativity. 

No matter how old or young, all our students are nurtured in a dynamic and positive environment where there is no wrong choice only a different perspective helping building their future selves and the future generations to come. 

Communication and Confidence the Helen O' Grady way!

Often, when watching our students in action, we are always reminded of how rich and dynamic the Helen O' Grady curriculum is! Developed by Helen O' Grady some 30 years ago out of a need to see children effectively communicating with confidence it is still prevalent and extremely successful today. 

Right from the outset of our classes, students are encouraged to use their voices and bodies as an effective communicative tool. Improvisation, ad libbing, movement, mimes and speech skills are worked into a jam packed hour of fun and energy EVERY SINGLE lesson. This concise and full lesson plan is not seen any where else and that is why our curriculum is award-winning and used throughout the world. 

As Embassadors of the brand, principals and teachers alike use their unique and personalised approach to facilitate the students within the class making a powerful and explosive package which shows results in both students confidence as well as communication skills. 

Students at our Elkanah House SUnningdale Prep Afterschool Club just love their Drama!

Our most important point would have to be that the students LOVE their drama, and if students learn through practical application in a fun and positive environment it goes without saying that the retention of such knowledge will be greater than a conventional setting. 

And while the children love the FUN, parents, teachers and schools love the RESULTS! A win win all round. 

To find out how you can become involved in our fantastic programme please visit our website www.dramaafrica.com or email nastassja@helenogrady.co.za