Creative Dramatics & Acting Academy ClassesOne-hour developmental drama & acting classes for kids & young adults which include a wide range of creative activities including speech, characterization, improvisation, collaboration, scene study and more. Students will have an opportunity to demonstrate their skills in short, informal performances throughout the year, including a staged performance at the Egg in Spring. The DKI Film AcademyDuring our Fall session, students can add an additional small-group, film production class on to their Creative Dramatics or Teen Acting Academy class. Led by a professional film producer, students will explore all aspects of filmmaking, including acting for the camera, storyboarding, cinematography, and even editing! Students will create a variety of original films to be premiered for family & friends in January. Film classes are typically held following our skill-based classes, at select locations.* The DKI Performance AcademyDuring the Spring Session, our advanced Performance Academy theatre course will cater specifically to students who want a more intensive stage production experience in a leading role. During semi-private lessons, students will work one-on-one with a professionally trained acting coach and experienced director on a scripted, original play held at the Egg in Spring. Lessons are held immediately following our Creative Dramatics or Acting Academy rehearsals at most locations.* So many opportunities await in an oasis of theatrical magic! FAQsClick on the links below to have all of your burning questions answered!
Additional questions? Please email us at [email protected] and we'll be happy to help! TESTIMONIALS"As a youth sports coach for over 20 years, I admire the staff of Drama Kids’ desire to deliver an experience that builds confidence, supports growth and tailors the goals of the program to each individual student’s current abilities and interests. Drama Kids provides a unique opportunity for students to learn how to think on their feet, get comfortable speaking in front of a crowd and to have fun doing it in a comfortable environment. As the mother of a student fortunate enough to intern for a younger class, I had a front row seat to the advance planning of classes, the hours put into creating the activities, movies and Spring show and the efforts to bring out the very best in each individual student. It is a place where children and young adults can learn, grow, be themselves and make friends. As the program has grown over the years, opportunities have been added, giving my daughter, as an example, the opportunity to try her hand at co-writing a screenplay, which she had always wanted to do and now wants to do more of. There are so many transferable skills and places to go in the theater world; Drama Kids helps to get its students where they want to be." ~Melissa, Clifton Park parent "I think I can speak for all of us when I say that the work you are doing has inspired us greatly. You know how shy I was when I was younger, I never imagined I would be able to do half the things I do now. I never really thought that having the ability to get up and perform on a stage would translate into more real-world scenarios, but I was wrong. You taught me confidence in a way that was fun, and helped me find my passion and an amazing group of friends. I feel like I belong somewhere. Honestly, Drama Kids was a way better gift than anything else I could have gotten for my 5th birthday, and I am so blessed to have you in my life." ~Gianna, Delmar DKI graduate I cannot thank you all enough for everything you’ve done for my daughter. Drama Kids has truly saved her. For us, it isn’t just an acting class. It is truly the one place where my daughter can be herself and feel absolutely accepted for it. Every single week, after every single class, she is happy. For 6 years! You’ve all taught her so much about herself, and let her learn to thrive. You have provided her a time to forget her problems and just have fun. Every week.
I am beyond grateful for all of you and the way you treat her. But I’m also forever grateful for what the program offers her. Instead of learning one role for one play all year long, she is able to learn various life skills throughout the year, in addition to being able to film a video and be in a play. Her skills at improv are amazing. Every skill she learns with you guys is important; creating, working with a group and carrying out an idea are just a few of the life skills she’s learning. Everyone who sees her act would never know what a tough time she has outside of drama. Way too self-conscience, it amazes me how she can be extremely self-assured and comfortable on stage. Anyone watching her would never know that outside of class she’s often crippled by her anxiety. Drama Kids truly allows her to shine and to feel proud of herself. I am thrilled that she will get the chance to expand this to two hours a week next year. The chance to have regular drama classes, in addition to the film and play, is a dream come true for her. We’ve often wished she could take classes on multiple nights. Thank you. Not just for all you’ve done, but also for giving her more time with you in the future. I am honestly unsure of where she would be in life without having found Drama Kids. Thank you for helping to instill confidence in her and to help her to become a better person. ~Amy, Clifton Park parent
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Not looking for any big changes to your Drama Kids experience? Then you'll most likely prefer the "BASIC" performance package. Classes meet for one-hour, once a week, Sept-May and culminate in a staged performance at the Egg, May 29-31. The beginning of the year focuses heavily on skill-development through our developmental drama lessons, with a different themed lesson each week. Then in the spring, the skill-development continues (of course!) but is integrated with rehearsals for our end-of-year Spring Performance. What's Different?Our film unit, #ProjectSilverScreen, is no longer included in our basic package. If you would like your child to experience the magic of filmmaking and the opportunity to create and star in their own original film, add-on our brand new Film Academy package. We are taking movie-making magic to a whole new level this year!
Parents, you likely enjoyed the small group & individual coaching your child received while preparing for their Spring Performance. However, this is no longer included in our basic package. In the basic package, your child will still benefit from full-group instruction, but you'll want to make the upgrade for our Performance "PRO" package to experience semi-private instruction by our senior staff members. Furthermore, students in our basic package will be assigned the featured roles in our final production, as opposed to leading roles. Lead roles are reserved for members of our advanced Academy classes, given that they have more rehearsal time and individual instruction with our professional staff. But have no fear! Featured roles will still play an integral part in the development of the story. They will be onstage for the entire production, and have a combination of solo & group speaking lines. However, their roles will require less prep work & training in and out of class. After all, there are no such thing as "small parts, only small actors." In Drama Kids, we believe that every child is a STAR! Read more about the difference between featured & leading roles HERE. Our new "Basic Package" is similar to the traditional Drama Kids experience, as it affords your child the opportunity to develop their skills and showcase their development in an onstage performance at the Egg in Spring.
However, if your child wants MORE from their Drama Kids experience...
We've only given our Drama Kids a taste of the creative possibilities that await them in our new & improved programming. #IMAGINE what your child is capable of with more of the individualized attention and time we've been craving to give them! At Drama Kids, we pride ourselves on the fact that our original plays and films are ensemble pieces. Meaning that every character is integral to the overall production, and that most characters share about the same number of lines. But inevitably, some parts are bigger than others simply due to basic plot structures. (We have a story to tell, after all!) We have often tried in vain to avoid this, to the detriment of the overall finished product, and the individual experience in rehearsal. Now, as part of the Drama Kids "PRO" experience, we are embracing the different sizes of roles.
A leading role will require more time and effort both in class and at home. After all, "with great power comes great responsibility." Bigger roles require greater responsibility, both for our Drama Kids and our teachers. For our "Pro" class members, they will be getting an extra 45-60 minutes of further instruction to be sure they are ready to give their best performance in the more challenging, lead roles. Featured roles will require less line memorization and less rehearsal time, which is why they rehearse for only one hour a week in the Spring. This is an excellent way to tailor your individual DKI experience. For instance, if your child hates memorizing lines, but loves the DKI classes, then the basic package would be a better option. However, if your child wants more of a challenge, more rehearsal time, and more one-on-one and small-group coaching then the "Pro" classes are the better option. That's just what we want to you to think when you're thinking about the "Pro" classes. MORE. You'll be getting everything you love about DKI, but with more! Now, I'm sure some of you are thinking, the DKI Spring Performances are wonderful already, why do they need more? We here at DKI constantly strive to up our game with the quality of plays and level of instruction. A common complaint from students in years past is that they wanted more time for character work and individual coaching. When you have a class of 24, and some kids just aren't committed to learning lines, the time in class inevitably gets eaten up all too quickly when trying to put together a quality finished product. With these new changes in place, we can focus more on the performance of the individual student. With Drama Kids "Pro" we will have even better performances and higher quality experiences for each student along the way - at the level each student wants. Let me also address a question I fear may come up based on this new structure, and that is, "so if I pay extra, my child will have a bigger part?" Something we have always tried to impress upon our Drama Kids is that there are no small parts, only small actors. Many times a supporting character will steal the spotlight from the more leading roles. And you will be hard pressed to find another drama program that keeps the kids on stage virtually the entire time so that they can give the all important reactions we stress in class. It simply comes down to time, commitment and quality. Time spent outside of class learning lines. Time spent in class working with our fabulous teachers one-on-one. Commitment to being in class every week to ensure the best performance possible. And quality of experience for each student - that they are getting everything out of the program they want to, whether that be Basic or Pro. Simply put, we hope that parents can appreciate the fact that more challenging roles require extra time & support - and here at Drama Kids, we value the time and caliber of support our staff has to offer. I like to think of it not as "paying for a bigger part," rather providing your child with additional training, in a more intense program. That being said, the DKI philosophy and quality of our program will always be at the core. The new Pro upgrade will simply be our core, plus a lot more! |
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