AT ROOM TO PLAY KIDS, WE...
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FACILITATE TERM-BASED DRAMA CLASSES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AGED KINDY=GRADE TWELVE.
We facilitate term-based classes from our studio in Paddington and from surrounding schools.
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FACILITATE TEACHING ARTIST PROGRAMS AND ARTIST IN RESIDENCIES.
We have a team of highly-qualified arts educators who are experts in their field and passionate about supporting teachers in schools.
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FACILITATE COMMUNITY EVENTS AND PRODUCTIONS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.
Each year we facilitate a number of community events and productions. These include Youth Cabaret Slam's and new theatre works performed by young people on a mainhouse stage.
CLASS TIMETABLE for our TERM-BASED ACTING CLASSES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AT OUR PADDINGTON ACTING STUDIO
REGISTRATIONS ARE OPEN FOR TERM ONE, 2025.
At Room to Play Kids, we offer term-based classes for kindy students, primary ageed students and teens. Our classes commence in alignment with the first week of the school term and follows a nine week term.
WHEN: .30-5pm for Primary School kids, doors open from 3pm. 5.30-7pm for Teens.
WHERE: Rosalie Church Hall. Corner of Ellena St and Fernberg Rd, Paddington.
For our Milton State School Students in our primary classes, our lead facilitator meets the students at 3pm in front of the office and they walk over together to Rosalie Baptist Church.
CLASS TIMETABLE:
Monday: Prep-Grade Two, Grade Three-Grade Six
Tuesday: Prep-Grade Two, Grade Three-Six, Teen Ensemble (Grade Seven-Grade Nine)
Wednesday: Grades Four-Six
Thursday: Grades Three-Six (Best Availability), Teen Ensemble (Grades Ten-Twelve)
Friday: Prep- Grade Two
Cost: $288 for the term for school students.
IN-SCHOOLS CLASS TIMETABLE BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL DRAMA CLASSES AT LOCAL SCHOOLS
At Room to Play Kids, we offer term-based classes before and after school for surrounding schools. Our timetable is ass follows:
OAKLEIGH STATE SCHOOL (ASHGROVE)
Wednesday Mornings - Upper Primary (Grades Three -Six)
Friday Mornings - Early Primary (Prep-Grade Two)
All classes run from 7:30am-8:45am. Students can be dropped off between 7:15am-7:30am. Student fees for a nine week term are $225 ($25 per class).
UPCOMING SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAMS IN DECEMBER/JANUARY.
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A Christmas In Oz | Youth Production Program
AGES: PREP-GRADE SIX
A brand new youth play written by Harry Fritsch, the story is about an ordinary Christmas Eve in Australia going south when Santa Clause himself crash lands in the living room of a Brisbane home. Now it’s up to the children of that house, along with some of Santa’s trusty elves and reindeer, to deliver the remaining presents around Australia before Christmas day rolls around.
This Room to Play Kids Christmas program will see primary students of all ages participate in learning, rehearsing, and performing the play, “The Wonderful Christmas in Oz”. With roles catered towards every age group, this festive-filled four day program is ideal for your children to empower their dramatic skills, engage their creativity, build confidence, and have fun with their peers while soaking in the Christmas spirit.
This program runs from Monday 16th - Thursday 19th of December from 9am-3pm at our Youth Drama Studio in Paddington.
Price for the four day program: $300, Early Bird Discount: $200. Please note, early bird discount closes on Monday 25th of November.
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A CHRISTMAS PLAY IN A DAY
AGES: PREP-GRADE SIX
A Christmas Play in a Day is a day program in which students work with our facilitators to create their own ten-minute Christmas play in a response to a prompt. This program is a great way for new participants to immerse themselves in drama for the first time.
This program runs on Friday the 20th of December from 9am-3pm at our Youth Drama Studio in Paddington.
Price for the day program: $90, Early Bird Discount: $70. Please note, early bird discount closes on Monday 25th of November.
We are committed to nurturing the next generation of performers. The skill sets young people collect on the journey have benefits across their lives.
Our unique classes are informed by the Reggio Emilia philosophy where the children are central to their own learning. Their unique creativity is what we explore. Performance skills and confidence in presentation are outcomes. Underlying this confidence is self-esteem. We celebrate each individual and encourage them to thrive with their unique super-powers.
The results are vocal clarity, collaboration skills, body awareness as well as increased social intelligence. Actors’ skills. These are core skills in a digital world.
We are passionate about nurturing the next generation of theatre-makers, actors and audiences.
The Benefits
Increased communication and presentation skills
Increased self-confidence
Improved empathy
Collaboration with peers
Social Skills
Improved literacy and creative writing skills
Self-expression
As an ensemble, participants create and devise scripts from their own experiences and interests or choose an existing script from the Room to Play script library. Theatre games and improvisation skills are taught to enhance learning, build vocal clarity and spatial awareness as well as creative collaboration.
Our youth learn about the creative process; directing, live performance and most importantly having fun unplugged.
We work towards developing skills to perform in two shows a year.
“The true purpose of arts education is not necessarily to create more professional actors or artists. It’s to create more complete human beings who are critical thinkers, who have curious minds, who can lead productive lives.”
— Kelly Pollock
WHAT HAPPENS IN OUR DRAMA CLASSES?
Upon arrival, children will be marked off the roll. They can eat their afternoon tea, listen to music, and participate in mindfulness activities as they arrive from 3pm. Class starts at 3.30pm.
We do a check-in to see how everyone is travelling and we can gauge the energy levels of the individuals and the group. We encourage eye contact and articulation of feelings. Sometimes we use stimulants such as imagery or music. After this, we move on to body and voice warmups to connect to our senses and mobility, exploring new movements and body awareness. Theatre games are designed to ensure playfulness and inclusivity as the group builds trust. Failure is celebrated as it opens the space for learning and encourages vulnerability in a supportive environment.
We move on to improvisation, character work, script work, writing, script analysis, ensemble work and monologues. Creating from the actor’s unique stories is encouraged. We close with a check-out in circle and encourage each other to find something positive about the experience that we have shared and any things that may have challenged them.
In terms one-two, students work on bringing a text to life and in term three-five, students create their own plays on wherever their imaginations take them. Students work towards their end of semester showings in term two and term four in a local theatre venue.
Meet the team
Heidi GLEDHILL– Founder/ artistic Director
Room to Play drama studio is a space for collaboration, exploration and community. My favourite things. Theatre allows me to work with wonderful creatives, build profound relationships and express the joy of being human in all its magnificent and challenging forms.
I have over 25 years experience in acting and directing, a BA (hons) in theatre, a Masters in Arts Management, trained in Commedia dell’arte and Theatre of the Oppressed in Italy as well as a certificate in Health and Fitness and First Aid. I have performed and directed both locally and internationally, in particular U.K. and Italy. Three children and many pets keep me busy and I deeply passionate about connecting kids to theatre. I have had the joy of seeing the growth and transformation of so many young people who thrive in drama workshops
Virag Dombay – director/LEAD FACILITATOR - room to Play kids
Hi, I’m Virag and I’m the Director of Room to Play Kids. One of my teaching philosophies is that the arts provide children with the tools for lifelong learning as well as a mean of expressing themselves in a way that can’t be achieved through traditional means of education.
Having graduated from QUT with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Drama) with Distinctions in 2019 and with a Masters of Education (2021), my roles in arts in education include Coordinating and being the acting tutor Brisbane Arts Theatre’s Performing Arts Workshops (2018-2021), as teaching my own private acting students (2020-). I am an award-winning actor, director and playwright who’s performed original works in venues such as the Brisbane Powerhouse and Metro Arts and have worked with a plethora of companies in Brisbane and interstate. I’ve toured works across South-East Queensland with the support of Brisbane City Council under my company name ‘Virag Dombay Productions’. In addition to my work at Room to Play, I work as a drama specialist teacher for Oakleigh, Milton and Rainworth state school and am a resident artist at Visible Ink.
In late 2021, I published my first work of fiction called Seasons of Love: A Collection of Short Stories with was a Finalist in the Next Generation Indie and Independent Publishing Awards (2022) in America. Recently, Playlab Theatre published my play ‘Dear Adults…’, which I co-wrote with Harry Fritsch, and is a verbatim piece of theatre created and performed by youth for adults.
At Room to Play, I design each lesson plan with a plethora of opportunities for children to have the agency to express themselves about the world around them and to speak their truths as well as having a safe space to explore.
Harry FritSCH – Facilitator/Resident Playwright - Room to Play kids
Hi, I’m Harry and I’m a facilitator at Room to Play. I like working at Room to Play as I believes that it fosters a community of inspired young people to express themselves artistically. I have over six years’ experience working with children in outside school hours care and I have helped to produce and write works of theatre for children.
I am also a creative and professional writer who has applied his craft across a variety of literary mediums and genres. Having fostered a love of the written word from a young age, I graduated from Queensland University of Technology with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Creative and Professional Writing) in 2018.
Since then, my works have been published in a number of short story anthologies and I was the winner Queensland Writers Centre RightLeftWrite competition for July 2022. I was also editor for the short story collection Seasons of Love by Virag Dombay in 2021 and have contributed to various entertainment media websites over the years. My most recent published work by Playlab Theatre was ‘Dear Adults..’, a verbatim play written by Virag and myself for youth, performed by youth.
My favourite drama game is karma harma because it is an avalanche of energy. Most of all, I love seeing the next generation of artists learn about their craft, tell fascinating stories, and have a safe, encouraging, and welcoming room to play.
CARINA PARsONS - FACILITATOR - ROOM TO PLAY KIDS
Hi, I’m Carina I am very stoked to be one of the room to play facilitators! I am extremely passionate about acting and I believe that drama is a crucial way that individuals can express themselves in a safe and freeing environment.
I have recently graduated with a bachelors degree in stage and screen acting from the Australian Performing Arts Conservatory (APAC) and I am a co founder of two up and rising theatre companies in Brisbane.
My favourite drama game Karma Harma because the creativity that emerges from it is thrilling.
HAMISH CHAPPELL - FACILITATOR - ROOM TO PLAY KIDS
Heya! I’m Hamish and I’ve been tutoring acting and drama Since 2021 and I facilitate both primary and teen term-based classes at Room to Play Kids.
I have earned a Bachelor of Creative Industries (Drama and Performance), and work in a range of roles from acting, directing, producing, set design, and writing with a variety of Brisbane artists and companies including La Boite, Brisbane Arts Theatre, Left Right Theatre Company and Virag Dombay Productions.
My favourite drama game is “Shapes”: a simple, ensemble-based improvisation game that inspires quick-thinking, teamwork, and often a lot of laughs.
SCOTT MAIR – Facilitator - ROOM TO PLAY KIDS
Hey, I'm Scott and I am a facilitator at Room to Play Kids. I love acting and drama as it gives people of all ages a chance to really let go and express their inner creativity. With Kids especially, it helps their development and let's them come to a better understanding of who they are.
I have recently graduated with a bachelors degree in stage and screen acting from the Australian Performing Arts Conservatory (APAC) and have worked on a number of independent short films.
My favourite drama game is ship to shore, because the energy it creates is something truly fantastic to witness.
