How to perform with confidence

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Compiled by John Kang
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Drama lessons aren't just about the acting; they are about making friends and improving yourself, too

Compiled by John Kang |
Published: 
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Junior reporters Giselle Chan, Winnie Lee and Kelsi Lo attend a drama workshop which is helping to transform the lives of young people.
Faust International Youth Theatre organises drama workshops for young people aged between three and 18. Led by professionals and qualified drama teachers, the workshops introduce students to acting. Our junior reporters attended a trial workshop and learned more than they bargained for.

Horsing around

To begin with, we were divided into small groups and asked to design an activity that is fun but also warms up our bodies and voices. We then had to show it to the whole class.

Our group came up with a game called "Pony, Pony, Horse". It was just like the traditional children's game "Duck, Duck, Goose" except when someone was picked, they had to pretend to gallop around while making horse noises.

The game was really hilarious to watch. Everyone was trying to gallop as fast as they could while making these ridiculous sounds by clicking their tongues.

Not only was it fun, it also helped to prepare our voices for some serious singing later on!

Winnie Lee Wing-yee

Warming up and making friends

All the students at the drama workshop agreed that learning to act doesn't just give them a chance to perform; it helps them make friends with children from other schools and cultures as well. Everyone shares a passion for performing.

To continue our warm-up, we were put into two teams and formed rows facing each other. Each person in a row was given a number and the teacher would randomly call two numbers, one from each row.

The aim was to be the first to grab a scarf from the teacher who was standing at the front. It sounds simple enough, but it actually became harder as she added more and more rules.

One rule was that the person who got to the scarf had to return to their place before their opponent tagged them. There was lots of laughing and screaming with people coming up with creative ways to avoid being tagged.

Although we were completely new to the workshop and the group, we got to know everyone well from all the chasing and laughing.

Giselle Chan Cheuk-ying

Confidence is key

It's funny but the main lesson we took away from the workshop wasn't about drama; it was about confidence. We felt shy at the beginning of the workshop but just an hour into it and after lots of chasing, screaming and laughing, we had already made friends

We weren't the only ones who felt this way. "Before joining Faust's drama workshop, I was a really shy kid. I'd just read by myself in the classroom and I was afraid to talk to people," said Paris Spices, one of the students. "But ever since I've joined, I've become really active and fallen in love with drama. Most importantly, I've become more confident. Now I want to be a Broadway star when I grow up!"

Kelsi Lo Lok-sik

Young Post organises regular activities for our junior reporters. If you wish to join, send your name, age, school and contact details to [email protected] with "jun rep application" in the subject field


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