Short Courses

Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School has an Open Programme that provides professional industry level and community level workshops in various aspects of the performing arts.

Workshops for Secondary School Students
Workshops for Teachers

All workshops are held at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School, Te Whaea National Dance and Drama Centre, 11 Hutchison Road, Newtown, Wellington.

Secondary School Student Workshops

We run low-cost, heavily practical courses for secondary school students interested in the theatre. This year we held an auctioning for actors workshop and a practical lighting workshop. More details available later this week.

Auditioning for Actors Workshop

Tue 13 - Fri 16 April 2010 (10am - 4pm daily)

A workshop to give young actors practical skills in auditioning for film, television, theatre and drama schools. This workshop will include how to get the most out of an audition, preparation techniques, choosing the right piece and experience and feedback from a professional director and casting agent.

Download the application form here and get in quick as this workshop is very popular.

For more information email .

Lighting Workshop

July School Holidays - dates tbc 2010 (10am - 4pm daily)

A workshop to give young technicians the basics of practical lighting design and lighting operation. In particular students will:
* design and make a lighting design together
* perform a showing of their lighting to friends and family

Download the application form here and get in quick as this workshop is very popular.

For more information email .

Teacher's Workshops

MASTERCLASS SEASON

Monday 22— Thursday 25 November 2010 (Wellington)

After another successful year of our teachers’ Masterclass Season, we are offering a greater range of workshop options in 2010, so you can make the most of your time at Toi Whakaari. We are offering a selection of one and two day workshops so you can ‘pick and mix’. $150 per one day workshop or $100 per day if you book more than one. $200 for 2 day workshops.

Download an application form here.

Mon 22 Nov	Tue 23 Nov	Wed 24 Nov	Thu 25 Nov
Basic Lighting and Stage & Production Management (1 day)	Creative Lighting (1 day)	Devising/Creative Process (2 days)
Movement (1 day)	Voice (1 day)	Costume Construction (2 days)
Props Making and design (1 day)	-	Directing (2 days)
-	-	Teaching Shakespeare (2 days)

Props Making

Tutor: Penny Fitt
Time: 10am-4pm, Mon 22 Nov
This practical props making demonstration and workshop will include techniques for designing and constructing props out of inexpensive materials. Including some useful shortcuts and money saving hints, which you can apply to the classroom and school productions.

Movement

Tutor: Tom McCrory, Senior Acting Tutor—Movement
Time: 10am—4pm, Mon 22 Nov
Music has many uses as an inspiration to movement based work. This one day workshop with Lecoq trained Tom McCrory will provide a range of practical approaches to movement based work using music as a basis.

Basic Lighting Design and Stage and Production Management

Tutors: Lisa Maule and Pam Hindmarsh, Senior Entertainment and Performing Arts Management Tutors
Time: 10am—4pm, Mon 22 Nov
A practical workshop that will take you through the basics of light design and stage management plus creative and convenient ways to resource your school productions.

Creative Lighting

Tutor: Lisa Maule, Senior Entertainment and Performing Arts Management Tutor
Time: 10am—4pm, Tue 23 Nov
Working with basic stage lighting, Lisa (an award winning lighting designer) will help you expand your creative lighting skills and give you tools to develop your students’ ability to think about light in an imaginative and engaging way.

Voice

Tutor: D’Arcy Smith, Senior Acting Tutor - Voice & Speech
Time: 10am—4pm, Tue 23 Nov
This popular workshop provides a range of practical skills to help the actor/students discover a more flexible voice and vocally meet the challenges of working in a given space.
(Also available in November in Masterclass Season).

Teaching Shakespeare

Tutor: Jonathon Hendry, Head of Acting
Time: 10am—4pm, Wed 24 - Thu 25 Nov
With a focus on confidence building and releasing action through the text, this workshop explores approaches to rehearsals that allow the actor and director to unlock some exciting secrets inside Shakespeare’s use of language. This workshop has been extended to two days due to popular demand.

Devising/Creative Process

Tutors: Jade Eriksen and Heather Timms
Time: 10am-4pm, Wed 24 - Thu 25 Nov
An exploration of the devising process, where participants will experience methodologies for conceiving and developing new theatre works. The workshop will cover creation using both personal and social questions as starting points.

Costume Construction

Tutor: Kaarin Macaulay, Head of Costume Construction
Time: 10am-4pm, Wed 24 - Thu 25 Nov
Kaarin will lead a two day practical costume construction workshop in which she will share some tricks of the trade including creative fixes for low budget costumes and period costume techniques. Make an Elizabethan ruff and an 18th century stomacher. Basic materials will be provided. Bring your own fancy embellishments! If you have particular costume questions or need some help with future costume projects, the workshop can be structured to suit. Potential attendees should forward their requests by email along with their registration info.

Directing

Tutor: Christian Penny, Head of Directing, Associate Director
Time: 10am-4pm, Wed 24 - Thu 25 Nov
Directing is often learnt in isolation, because while a director ‘leads’ it’s often difficult to dialogue about those skills with others involved in the particular process or show. In this workshop we are aiming to create a collegial environment in which we can learn from each other while still developing a focus on our own unique style and persuasion. It will touch on some of the core practical aspects of directing and the way that they might be addressed.

For more information or to book, please contact Bette Cosgrove on or 04 381 9225.

“Learning at Toi Whakaari is an experience for the mind, body and soul. I felt truly privileged to be given the opportunity to learn from teachers of such passion, wisdom and humility. Everything that happened in every moment of the four days at the New Zealand Drama School was a delicious chance to stretch and grow – sometimes painful, always worthwhile. I know I am a better man for the experience and I know that as such I will be of more use to the students with whom I work. Nothing could have been more valuable to me professionally or personally and I urge anyone considering these programmes to seize the opportunity with alacrity.”
Chris Waugh, Mt Aspiring School (Teaching Acting Workshop 2007)

Please email to register for these courses.

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