Helen O'Grady Youth Theater Teens support the fight agains Breast Cancer!

This past Saturday saw almost 2000 people out on the streets of Bloemfontein for the annual Cancer Association Breast Cancer Awareness Walk.  Our Teenagers, both boys and girls, feel strongly about this cause, and we were out en force to show our support!

What can I say!  Fun was had by all!  :)

Lebone Village - Bringing Light!

Last night Reg and I attended a beautiful candle-light dinner at Lebone Land (Now called Lebone Village!) to celebrate their 10th birthday, and the launch of their new logo and 'look'.  It was also an opportunity for the children and staff to express their thanks to all the sponsors and people who have given their time and money to the care, nurturing, and education of these children affected by HIV/AIDS.

My Lebone drama group performed "How the Lion got its Roar" to the great delight of the dinner guests, especially when, in the song 'The Lion is a Frightful Beast', while snaking around between the beautifully decorated tables, the cast suddenly leaned over and screamed in guests ears!

I was too occupied to take any photos, but there was a photographer there, and I shall get hold of some photos for the blog.  Watch this space!

Lebone Village have a new-look website now, and I have edited the URL in my links, so do go and visit it.

Term three is over...now the play's the thing!

A busy term ahead! Not many weeks left before our plays are performed.  But in the meantime, here are a few fun pics from Term three.

This is dedication to drama!  Running a fever but won't miss class!!  :)









What SOME will do for Whacky Week!!!  

Keke got herslef all tied up! :)

(Oh, and all of them are viewable at picasaweb...follow the link below.)


http://picasaweb.google.com/sonja.krohn50/HOGTerm32010#

Year-end plays - what a choice this year!!!

Vampires (all the rage at the moment, didn't you know?), Crazy tourists, Star ships, and an African tale, make up some of our choices for plays to do at the end of this year! What a blast we are having!
Of course as a Sci-fi freak of yore, and Trekker of note, I have forced several of my classes to choose the Sci-fi option for their production (not that they took TOO much forcing!). Although our play takes place in a galaxy far, far away, I have naturally borrowed heavily from Star Trek...and since our younglings these days are more familiar with Star WARS than the Trek saga, I have even managed to put a few Jedi mind-tricks into the mix!



Live Long and Prosper.
And may the force be with you.

Term THREEEEEEEEeeeeeeee!

I've been a baaaad blogger lately, but am catching up with all things 'cyber' and here's first entry for the term - although we are pretty much half way through it already!  My bad!

We have just been having so much fun...I get so caught up in it all I forget to actually take some photos...and at the end of the class when we are all smiling and saying goodbye, it hits me that I didn't get ANY shots of the fantastic activities, costumes, or shapes we were so involved with! *sigh*

Anyway....here are a few where I DID remember to pick up the camera!

Here we were making weird aliens!

For the life of me....I can't remember WHAT we were doing here! :)

Oh..I remember THIS one...Da Vinci painting the Mona Liza 

One of our dress-ups was 'Going Skiing'!

We have started working out our Year-end plays...more on that next time.

World Cup Soccer is over.....NOW what???

Well its back to drama class, is what!
Classes start up again this week! So check the schedule below.

ALSO we'll hopefully be starting up some Kindy Drama classes in Bloemfontein!  So the 3 - 5 year olds can join in the fun!  Will keep you all posted.

Our Studios


MONDAY – Brebner Primary (for Brebner Primary school goers only)
1:30pm Lower Primary

MONDAY - Heuwelkruin NG Kerk. Lucas Steyn St. Heuwelsig
3:30pm Lower Primary
4:30pm Upper Primary

TUESDAY - Universitas-Wes NG Kerk. De Bruin St. Universitas-Wes
3:30pm Combined class(Upper and Lower combined)
5:00pm Youth Theatre

WEDNESDAY - Fichardtkruin NG Kerk. McCabe St. Fichardpark
2:30pm Combined class (Upper and Lower combined)

THURSDAY - Brebner Primary (for Brebner Primary school goers only)
1:45 – 2:45 - Upper Primary

FRIDAY - Kuierhoekie, Cnr Kelner/ Melville St. Brandwag
2:30pm Lower Primary
3:30pm Upper Primary
4:30pm Youth Theatre



See you all again soon!

Bloemfontein's Holiday Theater Club.

Our first Holiday Theater Club was an exciting and successful venture! Of course there was little choice but to go with a Soccer World Cup Theme! We limited the vuvuzela's to ONE, though - Our Course Director Hayley gave us a blast of her vuvu to denote beginning and ends of sessions, and for a little 'fun' during sessions! Thanks Hayley, I think your diaphragm and cheek muscles had a pretty good workout!

A well-known local dance teacher, Corne du Plessis, came on board to teach dance and movement skills. Within a week she had all the kids moving freely, dancing with flags and coke-cans, and doing the Disci Dance! Thanks Corne!

Elize Swart, music teacher at a local school, came and taught everyone about percussion and beats! Everyone had so much fun discovering how many different ways one can make percussion sounds.  The teenagers, under her guidance, wrote themselves an amazing rap song, while the Lower and Upper Primary made a percussion band out of their own bodies!

Lower Primary did a play about a soccer ball factory, and the Upper Primary were buying flags, vuvuzela's, and hot dogs outside the stadium, when rivalry between vendors got a bit tense!

ALL the photos are up on Picasaweb, just follow the link. You are welcome to copy them for yourselves, and if you have any problems with that, just let me know!
http://picasaweb.google.com/117840131257277649424/HolidayTheaterClub2010#

We had so much fun, we WILL be doing another Theater Club again!  Watch this space!

It's Holiday Time!

Parent Day Presentations are over!  Schools have closed! It's Wold Cup time!  AND Holiday Theater Club time!

If you haven't booked yet for our awesome World Cup Holiday Theater Club, there's only 3 days left!

Remember, Monday 14th to Friday 18th. Call and book!

A few Parent Day photos to end off the term:

Have a wonderful holiday everyone, and come back safe! 

Parent Day Presentations under way!

No time to upload photos at present, but will when the week is over.

Wednesday's Fichardtpark studio have had their Parent Day Presentation and it went swimmingly!  I love to see the pride on parent's faces as they see their children's confidence and ability to speak out clearly. As I was closing off yesterday one Dad stood up, took the floor, and gave a heartwarming speech about how much the Helen O'Grady classes have meant to his son, and how he loves the smile on his son's face on Wednesday's when he gets home from drama class, and what a wonderful influence the Helen O'Grady Drama Academy has on young people!  I was thrilled.  He couldn't have done better if I'd paid him!!  LOL!
It IS nice, every now and then, to find out how we really ARE appreciated!  A special thanks to that dad for opening up in front of all the other parents.

Brebner studio has to wait for the school's Cultural Evening to do their Presentations. It's a wonderful opportunity for the whole school, teachers included, to see the programme in action.

The Lebone Land students did a short presentation for staff and care-givers....straight after a soccer match in which one of my actors was injured. His knee was quite badly swollen but he made it through the speech items of the Presentation before he had to go off to see the nurse! What a brave lad!

Friday's Kuierhoekie, Monday's Heuwelkruin, and Tuesday's Univeersitas-Wes studios all still have Presentations coming up.  Can't wait!

Lebone gets their T-shirts!

The Helen O'Grady students from Lebone Land proudly wearing their t-shirts. 

Not your everyday frustrations....

Frustrating news for Friday studio at Die Kuierhoekie!  I have just been informed we will NOT be able to use the hall on the 4th June....OUR PARENT DAY PRESENTATIONS date! They have hired it out for a function!

I will try to find an alternative. Schools are writing exams and usually will not hire the hall out for the duration so it probably won't be at a school.  Will keep you posted though.

It's been a bit of a crazy week all round! (See previous posting too!) One of our Youth accidentaly broke a chair on Tuesday at our studio there. All she did was SIT in it and the back legs buckled in, and she fell backwards flat onto her coccyx! Fortunately it does not seem she was injured!
The management of the church hall I hire were not in the least 'understanding'. They were immediately hostile about the incident and did not even enquire whether my student was injured or not. Their only concern seemed to be that a chair had been broken, a chair they insist was in good repair and could not have broken by simply being sat upon, and that someone needs to pay for it. I could not understand their hostile attitude as in the 9 years I have been using the hall, there has never once been any incident to cause them concern! I have always been meticulous in following their rules and instructions, and in leaving the hall as I find it each week. Strange. And really so unfair.
But as soon as I told them, smilingly, that I would happily pay for the chair even though it was an accident and how fortunate that it was a resilient teenager who sat in the chair, and not one of their aged congregation members, their attitude changed, and they became friendlier in return.
So I await the 'bill' for the replacement or repair of the chair. Anything for peace....and to keep the hall. It's not easy to find halls to hire on a regular basis in Bloemfontein!
*sigh*

This Fascinating Planet Bloemfontein

Added to the usual disruptions of second term, school test weeks, and this year's World Cup disruptions, the Bloemfontein church community has, at this time of every year, what they call "Pinkster". It takes up a couple of weeks each year.

Most of my classes are run from church halls, so during this period, in the middle of rehearsing for Parent Day Presentations, I usually find myself having to find an alternate venue for each class, or moving into a small Sunday School classroom for the duration.  But the show must go on, so we eat chocolate and rehearse away in the smaller rooms!  Here is Wednesday studio doing just that! (Though I don't think I got a photo of the chocolate eating! :)

The Dreaded Lurgy and Build up to Parent Day Presentations!

Been plagued for two weeks by a cold that just won't go away!  Everyone giving advice, nothing much helps, but it helps to know I'm not alone...the 'sniffly' season is definitely upon us and kids are dropping like flies under the runny noses, heavy coughs, and aching bodies.

This hasn't dampened our enthusiasm though. Everyone wants the Parent Day Presentations to be perfect!

Friday Studio rehearsing...

Tuesday Studio Rehearsing....

...and Lebone rehearsing!

More disruptions in the term, but its all good.

Brebner Primary school is putting on a "Revue" this weekend at our Sand du Plessis Theater.  I've seen some of the rehearsal's and its going to be fantastic! Their music teacher, Margy Anderson, has produced a wonderful fun program, and I think parents and friends are going to really enjoy it!

However with rehearsals at the "Sand" for the next few days, Brebner studio will miss out on drama classes.  No worries though, you kids are so 'on the ball' that missing this week's class is no biggie.  ENJOY doing your Revue!!!   See you next week!

The UOFS is performing "The Crucible" next week, and I urge ALL my Youth Theater kids to go see it. Matrics, its your set-work anyway. It's is probably my all time favourite play!

At LAST - photo uploads working again.

Tuesday Youth having fun with costume props!

Lebone Drama kids. :)

Wednesday is ALWAYS Whacky! :D

Have been very pleased with attendance this term DESPITE the disruptions!  Keep it up!  Parent Presentations are around the corner!

Friday Youth Theater Mime's

Friday Youth....here's your mime's from this week's class!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caQx2usMgho

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEvmtRJoULc

'Crazy' time is over at last!

Well, with those first disjointed weeks of term done (and my three weekends away), I'm looking forward to settling in to regular classes for the rest of the term. Although this one is so short we are almost half way through already!  Preparations are well under way for a Parent Day Presentation at the end of this term, and everyone us excited about the items we are preparing for performance!

I have been trying this whole term to upload some photos but I keep getting a 'server error' message every time! MOST frustrating! Now that most of the 'busy-ness' of the past few weeks is over, I shall get someone to look into it for me. 

Friday Youth....will get your vid clips up on Youtube and post the URL when it's all done. :)

All for now.

Where did the last three weeks go??

I'm sure everyone is feeling the time-pinch this term, and I've had a rediculously busy time, without weekends to use for catching up! Have tried to post updates each week before the weekend but seem to be having some problems with the blog.  Can't get the latest photos etc up - for some reason when I try my page just bombs out! Very frustrating as I then lose a good hour's work!  However, when I can catch my breath I'll look into it. 
In the meantime, hope Friday studio had a great time with Roxy, and I hope you Monday and Tuesday studio's enjoyed your long weekend BUT really missed drama!  :)

I have no out-of-town commitments this weekend (Yay!!) so will be sorting out all these blog problems!
Till then....

Week one - countdown!

With week one of term well under way, it really is hitting home how much there is to do in so short a term!

Thanks studios so far, for you enthusiasm as we start Parent Day rehearsals! I can see you all LOVE our verbal dynamics for this term - and believe me, more fun is to come!

Tuesday, what stars you were with the mix up at our Tuesday venue (the church didn't realize it was the start of term and I'd be back teaching, and double booked the hall!) a bit different doing activities out on the grass, and working in the nursery school dining room, ey? And thanks Youth for putting the nursery school tables and chairs back so quickly! (If I knew how, I would insert a "star" here!)

FRIDAY studio missed out on a Whacky Week last term, so we are having it on the 23rd April...notices will go out today.

ALSO Friday...you will be excited to hear you have your old teacher back for the classes of the 23rd!! I have a wedding to go to down in Port Edward so ROXY will be teaching all the Friday classes for me! Since it will be Whacky Week for you guys I'll tell her to wear her fairy wings :)

Will take photos from next week onwards, so there will be pics up here then!
Have a careful weekend all!

Welcome back – Term two!

I hope you all had a good holiday (though for me it went WAY too fast!). This term we have to fit a 10 week syllabus into what to all intents and purposes is only a 7 week term! PANIC!



It is therefore important that students miss class as LITTLE AS POSSIBLE! We are rehearsing pieces to do for Parent Day and, as with the Year End plays, if one child is missing, it affects the rehearsal dramatically. Your child is not simply a ‘face in a crowd’ in Helen O’Grady performances, but will always have a role, with lines to speak, and anyone missing at any given time is like a ‘missing link’ and makes it difficult for the rest of the cast to perform.



This term is also peppered with holidays which make ‘long-weekends’ (a teachers nightmare!) so please note the following classes affected:



Brebner Lower Primary / Heuwelkruin Studios / Universitas-Wes Studios:



Monday and Tuesday 26th and 27th April are holidays – we will not be able to have class those days.



While Saturday is a public holiday, I hope that none of the Academy families will be taking that entire week (26 April to 2 May) off! IF you have planned to be away from Bloem that whole week PLEASE, PLEASE let me know. I will be able to make up the Monday class by having Monday’s Parent Day on

MONDAY 7TH MAY.



As school closes on Wednesday 9th, I would need to know if Tuesday’s Parent Day could be on TUESDAY 8TH MAY.

Tuesday parents, let me know pls!

So here's to a great Term Two! 

Happy Easter Everyone! (and whacky week photos!)

Had an amazing Whacky Week but the end of term came upon me soooo fast I was not as prepared as I should have been! Sorry Friday studio! Will make it up to you next term. I was on the ball with the public holiday on Monday and made provision for those classes, but Friday just caught me unawares!

Here are some of the Whacky photos! You guys are AMAAAAAAZING!!!!

Tuesday Combined class! The "mummy" was coming apart at the seams, but it still looked impressive!

Tuesday Youth is just plain "nuts". More of your photos on fb, and your FANTASTIC mime to music clips are on youtube!

Even Lebone got 'Whacky'!

Wednesday Whacky-ness!

So one down (term) three to go! Tuesday Youth go check youtube :

http://www.youtube.com/my_videos?feature=mhw4

Will also put a few more photos up on fb.

Have a WONDERFUL Easter, drive safe, and see you next term.

Bring-a-Grownup week - 117840131257277649424 - Picasa Web Albums

IN case grownups and kids haven't seen their photos yet...
Bring-a-Grownup week - 117840131257277649424 - Picasa Web Albums

It's holiday time!

Here we are in the last week of term! And you all know what THAT means....
WHACKY WEEK!

I will have my camera ready, and will get some of the whackiest photos up during the holidays.

Friday studio is a bit of a problem. Although schools close I was going to teach anyway, but looks like that will not be possible...

HOWEVER...

...do not dispair Friday students!
We will have a "Whacky Day" especially for you in the second week of Term 2. I'll give you notices, so don't worry!

See most of you during this week, and then....HAVE A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY!
Drive safe,
Happy Easter,
Blessed Pesach,
Sonja

Friday Studio stuff

Fridy Youth...I have some of your scripted scenes up on Youtube...so check them out!
http://www.youtube.com/my_videos?feature=mhw4

Friday's Bring-a-Grownup day was also a great success, as you can probably see from these photos:


I have been thrilled at how the parents and other grown ups have all wholeheartedly invloved themselves and enjoyed the process of our classes!












I think Helen O'Grady Drama Academy Parent's are simply awesome! Some closet actors too!
I'm especially proud of the Grampa's and grandma's who came (some even managed to sit on the floor!), and were so willing to join in the fun! Like I said in class, Grown ups, you can give yourself a big pat on the back!

Tuesday Youth...THE KNOT

The ONLY place I could upload this is youtube. So all Tuesday Youth, check it out. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8J8xjepufU

Friday Youth....I still have some of your mini-script performances too - will upload also to youtube over weekend and give you the URL.

More "Bring-a-Grownup" Day pics.

Perhaps I'm expecting too much from this blog, but I can't seem to upload any more vid clips. :(

Have I used up all my available space perhaps?

Anyway, will upload the vidclips on youtube (or Picasaweb may be better, less public) and just put some of the best pics up here. And if you don't mind registering at Picasaweb, you can see ALL this week's photos!

I want to thank ALL the parents; moms and dads, older brother's and sisters, au pairs, aunts, cousins, and other assorted "grups" who came to classes this week. Your children do so appreciate your making the time, and I could just see on all their faces (the 'glow' was tangible!) how proud they are of you and the way you all pitched in, took part, played the roles given to you, and agreed to forget for an hour that you were a "grup"! WELL DONE! :)

Wednesday "Grup" turnout! They all had a blast!

Bringing your Big Brother to your drama class, makes for some great snippet scenes! :)

Tuesday combined studio sending the "Murphy Gang" off the jail where they belong!

Thursday Upper Primary and parents! They had a great time!

As you can see the parents had about as much fun as the kids! Friday's photos will be up on the weekend, and will put all the photos (I took a lot more than the ones shown here!) up on Picasaweb on weekend too. But keep checking there:

http://picasaweb.google.com/117840131257277649424/BringAGrownupWeek#

YOUTH THEATERS (Both of you) check out picasaweb after the weekend, as I'll try put your vidclips and photos up there.

Next week:

FIRE IN THE PIZZA PARLOUR!!

Spoiler alert

Just so you know, NO ONE is enjoying "Bring-a Grownup" week!!

(Joking of course!) I just couldn't resist putting this pic up quickly. Monday Heuwelkruin Upper Primary Studio and "grownups".

I enjoyed the first 'Bring-a-grownup' day immensely, and I think the "grups" did as well! ('Grups' - term used to denote grown-ups in Star Trek, Original Series, season 1, ep 8 'Miri')

I know I'm a week behind with post and uploads. Will get it done! Promise.

If you can access Picasaweb you can see the rest of the Monday photos at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/117840131257277649424/BringAGrownupWeek#

Ever have one of those days?

Yup, gremlins in the blog! Spent hours on the blog this morning (uploading vid clips takes a looooong time!), when suddenly, and for no reason, my computer just shut down and rebooted! Wasn't too worried as this program autosaves every now and then, so felt sure I hadn't lost too much work. But like I said, its one of THOSE days...when I got back to my post-a-blog page, everything was GONE! Not a sign of the hours of work!

Well the day was all downhill from there, and it is now 8:48pm, I have a pounding headache, and I'm calling it a day! But don't worry, will gradually get the week's pics and vid clips up at various times during the week ahead. So come back and check regularly.

Ahead next week....
BRING A GROWN-UP! Mom's and Dad's will be joining us to take part in drama class.

*chuckle* Looking forward to THOSE pics! :)

Er....some vid-clips - Youth Theater.

(Must apologise to Friday Upper class...it may be a while before I can get your vid clip up. It was just plain too long! I don't have a program to edit the clip in order to make it shorter to be within the blog vid uploading parameters. A clip for this blog cannot be more than 100MB, and yours is just on 127MB! 27MB too much!! :( Working on it though! In the meantime have uploaded it to YouTube, and you can watch it at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLRTBxs3iEw )

Here's a few of our Tuesday Youth working on a radio play episode. It was the boys vs the girls. Of course the girls were organised and the radio play went like clockwork. While the boys...well take a look yourselves!! LOL

It's not really the Titanic!

An evening aboard ship isn't always smooth sailing! Even for the "First Class" passengers!

Find your studio below, and check out our photos :)

First up is Kuierhoekie on Fridays. The Upper Primary class give an idea of just how rough it can be, on a video clip! Having trouble uploading it though. It's about 27MB too big! Will keep working on it though and let you know if I get uploaded.

Friday Lower Primary.

Our youngest little visitor...waiting on the ladies.

HEUWELKRUIN - MONDAYS

Lower Primary swaying with the ship.

Upper Primary Ladies and Gentlemen

Two perfect ladies (love this photo!)

UNIVERSITAS-WES - TUESDAYS

Combined class showing how Ladies behave....

...and how a gentleman treats a lady.

But when the ship lists to one side, its hard to stay lady-like!

FICHARDTPARK - WEDNESDAY

Oh these kids are always good for a laugh! :D

BREBNER UPPER PRIMARY

Two waiters and a gentleman.

Ladies on board.

It might not be Shakespear, but its close!

Lets all have some tea!

LEBONE

The smartest of ladies and gentlemen...

...Until Poseidon gets angry and the ship is tossed and turned.

Next week a fairy tale for the Lower Primary classes, and a cancelled pop concert for Upper. Will get some pics and maybe a short vid clip of Youth Theater up too.