She’s performed as a clown for vulnerable children in Germany, Hungary and Romania, and delivered drama workshops for kids in Italy; now, Springwood actor and drama teacher Katie Lees is bringing her brand of tuition to local primary students, starting this school term.
Creating Stages Drama workshops have begun in Glenbrook, running every Tuesday and providing aspiring young actors with a safe, supportive and fun space to learn drama, while they collaboratively produce a show for performance at the end of the school term.
Lees, the founder and director of Creating Stages, said the workshops aim to build confidence and foster creativity in a totally new way.
“It is about empowerment,” she said. “At Creating Stages, we want the children to develop their creativity in their own way, without being told what is right and wrong.
“They will get enough of that in school. Our priority is to let them connect with their imagination, not to constantly correct them.”
At the weekly drama workshops, students are encouraged to create character for themselves, before coming up with ideas for the ultimate story, to be performed at the end of the term.
Lees said students of all abilities and experience are welcome.
“These workshops are a welcome place for any young person interested in being creative,” she said
“We are passionate about empowering all children to have ownership and engagement in their own creativity.”
A former Springwood High School drama student and graduate of the University of Wollongong, Lees’ acting career has taken her to India, Turkey, the UK and Italy, where she facilitated workshops for children just beginning their performing arts journey.
She said she was inspired to launch Creating Stages after three years acting and teaching abroad, including with UK charity The Flying Seagull Project, who perform clown shows for vulnerable children and their families across Europe.
“It was extremely rewarding and humbling,” she said. “To be allowed to share a stage with people who have experienced trauma and conditions that we can never imagine was a privilege.
“Seeing children who have lost everything cry with laughter because your clown tripped over a suitcase is amazing. Even more so, seeing parents, whose faces carry the weight of their journey, lose themselves to the freedom of performance is something I will never ever forget.”
Having witnessed first-hand the positive impact drama can have on the confidence and creativity of children who have had very difficult starts in life, Lees knew her workshops would have a place back home in the Mountains.
“We are so lucky to be free in this country, and we need to encourage our children to think beyond our own community, and to the wider world. I believe creativity and collaboration, even on a local level, can help them do that.”
It’s not to late to join. Creating Stages Drama workshops will run each Tuesday of Term 3 at Glenbrook Primary School Hall, Woodville Street. More information and registration forms can be found at www.creatingstages.com.au.
