ULSTER ASSOCIATION OF YOUTH DRAMA
World-Class Theatre in your Back Y-Ards
With Oscar fever in the air this week, the Ulster Association of Youth Drama is gearing up for its busiest weekend of the year - and is calling on budding actors from Ards to get involved. Preparations are well underway for DramaFest, a theatre festival for young people, which will be held in the Ards Arts Centre on 19th and 20th March.
Over one hundred young people from the Ards area will be gathering at the Arts Centre to take part in drama workshops with some of the best professionals in the industry.
The Ulster Association of Youth Drama (UAYD), core funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, is a development organisation for youth theatre in Northern Ireland and is currently touring with DramaFest. Supported by the Arts Council’s National Lottery funds, the festival is a 2-day intensive performer training programme for young people aged 12 - 20 years.
Aspiring actors will get the opportunity to study Shakespeare with actress and director Jenny Long and to work with local performer Dan Gordon, a.k.a. Red Hand Luke from ‘Give My Head Peace’. Dan will be giving a comedy and performance master class on the Saturday afternoon.
Local schools, youth theatres and young actors will come together in a celebration of the best of youth theatre. Some groups will be bringing short plays to perform at the festival and participants will also get the chance to create new plays during directing workshops hosted by Des Kennedy.
Kennedy, originally from Belfast, is an award-winning director who has worked in London, Italy and the United States. One of his productions was recently named among the ‘top ten productions of the decade’ by The Washington Post. He is thrilled to be back working in Northern Ireland and to be part of DramaFest. “I first became interested in theatre when I was a teenager, getting involved in my local youth theatre and working with some really great directors and teachers,” says Kennedy. “I think it’s brilliant that Ards Arts are hosting this event because I think it will attract some exciting, undiscovered talent from the area.”
DramaFest in Ards will also have an international flavour this month as young people will be preparing to say ‘Jai Ho’ and take part in Nisha Tandon’s Bollywood workshop.
Places are almost full but UAYD are still accepting some applications from individuals and small groups who would like to take part. The 2-day event runs from 5pm on Friday 19th March until 8pm on Saturday 20th March. It promises to be a fun-packed rollercoaster of the best of Theatre, the best of Youth and the best of Ards.
For more information contact UAYD on 028 9250 9520 or email uayd@ukonline.co.uk.
Yellow Academy 2010
Could you be the British East Asian acting star of the future? Discover if you have what it takes to make it on our screens and stages!
Yellow Earth and ALRA present Yellow Academy 2010, an exciting new scheme to introduce British East Asians aged 16-30 to professional acting and performing. Outreaching to Belfast, Birmingham, London, and Manchester through February to May 2010, we will be bringing together a group of enthusiastic and curious young people down to London for a free week of acting training in Summer 2010.
Activities are free and open to all British East Asians aged 16-30 curious or interested in actor training. No previous experience necessary.
Round One – Taster Talks
Outline how to become a successful actor, from professional training to the realities of working in the industry.
Round Two – Audition Workshops
Offer a practice ‘taste’ of actor training. Selected participants will be invited to the Acting Summer Camp.
Round Three – Acting Summer Camp
In Summer 2010, the successful participants will go to London to take part in an intensive week’s training. Free tuition and accommodation will be provided. Participants will work in classes with professional practitioners from Yellow Earth and ALRA, covering Movement, Voice, Acting and Mask.
Activities in Belfast
Taster Talk
Date & Time: Wed 3 March 2010, at 6pm
Audition Workshop
Date & Time: Sat 1 May 2010, 2-6pm
Venue: Chinese Welfare Association (Northern Ireland)
Chinese Resource Centre, 1 Stranmillis Embankment, Belfast BT7 1GB
To sign up please send an email to info@alra.co.uk stating your name, age and contact details.
To find out more, visit www.yellowearth.org / www.alra.co.uk or phone 0208 870 6475.
You can find us on Facebook at ‘Yellow Academy’.
For details of a full programme: http://www.yellowearth.org/initiatives/yellow-academy/
This project is funded by The Skills and Learning Council.
Yellow Academy 2010 in Belfast is supported by Chinese Welfare Association (Northern Ireland).
Millennium Forum
InterAct Youth Arts Festival Calls for Expressions of Interest
The Millennium Forum is inviting Expressions of Interest from arts organisations, promoters, musicians, performers, artists and arts facilitators to help create InterAct Youth Arts festival for 12-21 year olds, due to take place Friday 30th July ~ Thursday 5th August 2010.
The submissions will inform the scope and format of the Festival with 20 workshops, 3 special guest masterclasses, 3 live performances and 4 film screenings being selected by members of InterAct Youth Forum.
Supported by The National Lottery through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, InterAct aims to encourage young people of all capabilities and from all backgrounds in Derry/Londonderry to InterAct with the arts and each other through the 7-day 7-venue Festival.
InterAct provides an opportunity to nurture an arts network throughout the North West of the province, utilising this creative collaboration to showcase and develop the abundance of artistic talent in the region, engaging with the already renowned cultural institution and artists of the area, to create a high integrity youth arts Festival.
We are particularly interested in how ideas can be developed to implement the range of workshops chosen by the Youth Forum. Be creative and think big. We want the events to develop the participants' skills, confidence and creativity and raise audience awareness of cultural and artistic diversity. We place importance on events and activities that bring people together from different backgrounds and that maximise opportunities for learning, fun and engaging young enquiring minds.
This is your chance to get involved and join us to bring the arts to new audiences in this vibrant collaboration of youth arts and culture. InterAct Youth Arts Festival will present workshops, film screenings, live performances and special guest masterclasses in: The Millennium Forum, The Playhouse Theatre, The Waterside Theatre, The Nerve Centre, The Gasyard and The Void Gallery from Friday 30th July ~ Thursday 5th August 2010.
Interested? Log onto www.millenniumforum.co.uk and download the Call for Expressions of Interest details and application form. Completed applications must be returned no later than 5pm on Friday 2nd April 2010. Further details are available from Shauna McNeilly at shaunamcn@millenniumforum.co.uk
CAHOOTS
Circus
Circus is a new project for pre school and P1 children, aged 3 - 5. It will tour pre-school venues, primary schools and special schools throughout Northern Ireland in April - May 2010. It will be a 30 minute theatre experience based on the popular children's book by Peter Spier's entitled Circus.
Magic Medicine
Magic Medicine is an innovative and exciting arts and health project that tours to special schools, hospices, hospitals and respite units across Northern Ireland. It is a programme designed specifically for young people in special schools and healthcare settings - guaranteed to deliver bucket loads of laughter, magic, fun and delight.
Magic Medicine will tour between the 29th January - 5th March 2010 and is free of charge.
Fully Booked. This tour is finishing up at the start of March. It toured Special Schools across Northern Ireland.
Math'a'magic
Fully Booked.
Touring primary schools in Northern Ireland
1st tour 17th May - 11th June 2010 / 2nd tour 15th November - 12th December 2010
After the massive success of the 2009 tour, Math 'a' Magic returns in 2010 with two tours to primary schools throughout Northern Ireland. Math 'a' Magic - supported by Northern Bank and Arts and Business - is a fun, interactive performance where children witness magical effects that involve mathematical skills such as estimation and calculation.
www.cahootsni.com
ARMAGH RHYMERS
1 March Mount St. Catherine’s P.S., Armagh (Performance--SELB Schools Cluster Programme)
2 March Christian Brothers P.S., Armagh (Performance--SELB Schools Cluster Programme)
2 March Railway Street Nursery School, Armagh (Performance—SELB Schools Cluster
Programme)
3 March Ballylifford P.S., Cookstown (Workshop/Performance—SCRP w/Stewartstown P.S.)
8 March Mount St. Catherine’s P.S., Armagh (Performance)
9 March Lisanally Special School, Armagh (Performance—SELB Schools Cluster Programme)
10 March St. Paul’s P.S., Belfast (Workshop/Performance--SCRP w/Harberton Special School)
12 March Christ the Redeemer P.S., Dunmurray (Workshop/Performance)
13 March Spraoi na Féile Pádraig, Clonoe Community Centre (Performances)
18 March Young Enterprise Southern Regional Graduation, Craigavon (Performance)
19 March Poyntzpass P.S., Poyntzpass (Workshop/Performance—SCRP w/St. Joseph’s and
St. James’ P.S.)
22 March Banbridge Youth Club, Banbridge (Performance w/Autistic Children)
23 March Christian Brothers P.S., Armagh (Workshop/Performance—SCRP w/Armstrong P.S.)
25 March Sperrinview Special School, Dungannon (Workshop/Performance—Special Needs)
26 March St. John’s P.S., Middletown (Workshop/Performance)
29 March Parkview Special School, Lisburn (Workshop/Performance—Special Needs)
30 March Roddensvale Special School, Larne (Workshop/Performance—Special Needs)
www.armaghrhymers.com
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