Never underestimate the impact you have on a child’s life ❤️

 I think it is very easy to forget how big an impact you as a teacher can have on the life of a child. Sometimes we get so caught up in the deadlines and admin, and just getting through the day, that we forget that we are shaping lives and guiding our students to become better, stronger and more confident versions of themselves. 

One of the joys of being a Drama teacher is that we often get to see children develop from a young age in Kindy or Lower Primary, all the way to Upper Primary and then Youth Theatre. And sometimes, if you are very lucky, you witness a child conquering a fear, or mastering a skill, or literally finding their voice. These are the moments I think we all treasure the most. 

I recently had the pleasure of exactly such a precious moment. I have a little girl in one of my Lower Primary classes whom I have been teaching for 5 years since she started with our Kindy program at age 3. She has always been painfully shy, having a real fear of performing in front of her group. Over the years she began participating in classroom discussions and answer questions but would never be comfortable standing up to say a poem or do a snippet or any other moment when all eyes are on her. 

 Then a few weeks ago, to my surprise and utter delight, she stood up in front of a class of 25 students and said a Tongue Twister 5 times, out loud, without batting an eye! I was so amazed, for a moment I just stood there, at a total loss for words. Even the other children were completely blown away. Never have I ever wished I could hug someone more than at that moment. She did it! The one thing I never thought she would, but never stopped encouraging her to try. To believe in herself, trust herself and be brave enough to fight the fear of failure when all eyes were on her. 

The spontaneous applause from the other children, and my genuine pride and celebration of this huge moment for her, just made her light up and stand a bit taller, lift her chin a bit higher and smile the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. I hope that this is the first step on her journey of becoming more confident and slowly building her self-esteem.💗💗

- Charlotte Tervit 

(Vice Principal - Helen O'Grady Drama Academy Pretoria and Midrand

The Art of Conversation

 Conversations are at the true heart of all dramatic productions, be it a play, a movie or a TV show. They are all basically made up of a string of conversations, strung together by actions and a change of scenery – conversations interspersed by characters going to work, walking, running, eating, sleeping until they have their next conversation. 

 One of our favourite Drama activities takes things right back to the basics of conversation and is aimed specifically at developing this art, this skill to focus on one conversation at a time. I am of course talking about the humble Snippet. It is literally a snippet of conversation, as if overheard in passing, about something as random as a bucket, a lost item, or a Birthday Party. It is quite amazing how much learning can be packed into an activity that takes all of 30 seconds to perform and perhaps 5 mins to teach and prepare. 

Firstly, we work on memorisation skills. The kick-off point of each Snippet is a few given lines that the children must memorise. We usually divide the children into groups of two, each child must assume a character, and is given a line or two to memorise that starts the conversation. 

We use a very effective memorisation technique that becomes the way in which children learn lines for much longer and more complicated scripts for scenes and plays, and ultimately improves their ability to retain information and recall it when required. 

Next we focus on improvisation and creativity as the children have to complete the conversation using their own words. We encourage them to be creative and come up with an unusual, funny or surprising ending. They also have to think about their characters, the relationship between them and the setting for the conversation. 

A Snippet builds Teamwork. 

The children must work together as a team when coming up with the ending or resolution of the situation and rehearse what each one is going to say. Eventually they become so comfortable with these scenarios, that the entire Snippet can be improvised on the spot, using the given lines as a springboard. 

This demands a lot of trust and fast thinking from the children as their confidence and creativity grows. It is an excellent activity for new students to understand the basics of improv, memorisation and performance as a whole.

Building Confidence in Beaulieu!

Acting in Beaulieu! Saturday morning classes for all ages are fantastic!

Wonderful friendships are made!

Improvisation is so important and this term we brought in dress up days- the students love to dress up and bring props to enhance their performance!

One of the greatest gifts we can gain is that of natural confidence. When we overcome our fears and anxieties, our perspective of the world changes - we become positive people. 

 The Academy runs programmes for different age-groups of children from 3-18 years and Adults. We use an international curriculum which has been uniquely designed, through group work, to bring out the best in everyone. 
Anyone can learn how to be confident and the shyest of people can overcome their fears by learning about the feelings of self-assurance arising from one's appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities.





Classes are run in the following areas of Pretoria: Faerie Glen, Brooklyn, Annlin, Erasmia, Midrand, Weirda Park, Irene and Midstream.

The Academy also runs drama programmes for schools in Pretoria as part of their in-school curriculum. If you would like to find out more, visit our website: www.dramaafrica.com

WELCOME TO 2018!

Monday 22 January 2018 is the start of our Term 1 Drama classes!

We are super excited to get our drama classes underway and we have been working hard to ensure that our classes will be fast paced, exciting and educational!

If you would like more information about our award winning curriculum please visit our website www.helenogrady.co.za or contact Pretoria Principal Juliet Jordaan - juliet@helenogrady.co.za / 0829091630.

Book your place NOW!!