The school holidays for one group of Blue Mountains children was literally full of drama.
They attended an intensive three-day acting and scene development camp run by the newly formed Blue Mountains Drama group at the Kindlehill School Performance Space, where there was never a dull moment.
When the Gazette arrived for a session on October 2, principal Georgia Adamson and acting teacher Will Carter commenced a high-paced improvisation game, transforming the kids from racing car drivers to hospital surgeons to walking zombies in a matter of minutes.
During this camp the students were taken through the process of what to do when first reading a script to how to develop a character and rehearse a part.
"They worked in pairs, chose a script they liked and we built up to rehearsing and reading the script by day two and performing it on the final day in front of an audience of parents and friends," Mr Carter said.
"In between we played a variety of acting games to loosen up and keep things light. It's pretty amazing to see that within just three days, if kids get really into something, they can learn so much so quickly.
"Acting is a great tool for building confidence and self-esteem because it can be nerve-wracking to perform live on stage, particularly in the beginning. By halfway through this camp I could see that the 'scared mask' came off and confidence began to grow."
Ms Adamson - who currently plays roles in the Australian television mini-series Love Child and The Code - said Blue Mountains Drama enrolled about 140 kids into weekly classes and school holiday camps so far this year.
"We have 11 new classes to run next term from Blaxland to Mt Victoria, so we are going really well in our aim of building a community of young people with a common interest in drama who can come together to develop their skills, perform and have fun.
"It helps that we have a team of five teachers who are professional actors in their own right. You can see that when the students ask questions about acting - they've developed trust in their tutors' answers because they can see they are genuine and based on real experience."
For information, phone Georgia on 0419 287 478 or visit www.bluemountainsdrama.com.au.
