Radio Presentation Workshop Returns to GSA Sun 24th Feb

Get ‘on radio’ with the Gaiety School of Acting – The National Theatre School of Ireland and our Radio Presentation Workshop. We are proud to announce that this popular workshop returns this term, in our Temple Bar school, on Sunday 24th February with Newstalk Presenter Orla Barry as its tutor.

Orla is a national radio broadcaster with NewsTalk 106-108FM and a broadcast journalist with the BBC World Service in London. She is also a print journalist with over 15 years experience in the media.

Orla presents the arts and culture show ‘The Green Room’ on Newstalk and has been a presenter on the station since 2003. She writes a weekly column for the Irish Independent newspaper and is a features writer with the Irish Examiner. Orla is also an accomplished documentary maker whose work has focused mainly on Africa.

This one day workshop will focus on helping you find your natural voice and encourage you to keep it alive, alert and interesting for the listener. Key aspects of the day will include:

• learning the basic skills of radio presentation
• learn how to communicate one to one with your radio audience
• learn how to maximise your audience by what you say and how you say it
• listen and analyse your voice
• feel confident in your own unique presenting style.

Former GSA pupil Doireann Wylde gave the workshop 9/10, stating it was ‘exceptional value for money, very interesting subject, and thoroughly enjoyable day’. You can check out how she got on by reading her blog here!

So if you’re interested in getting your voice out on the airwaves, then this is the workshop for you!

Call 01 679 9277, visit our website, or our Facebook shop and book your place now!

TV Presentation with Bill Hughes (10 week course) – By Eve Kerton

One Wednesday during the summer I was having my usual creep of the internet when I came across a Facebook page for the Gaiety School of Acting; I liked it and had a look at what they had to offer. As a fan of drama and the arts I was hugely impressed by the range of courses they had to offer, but one new course particularly stood out for me, TV Presentation.

I’m currently in my second year of Communications Studies in DCU so this twelve week course suited me perfectly. I have always loved the media and television but I hadn’t had the opportunity to learn the skills needed to be a successful presenter. I had lots of radio presenting experience but obviously no chance to experience presenting for television-until now! I was so excited and got in contact with the wonderful Pace who is in charge of marketing at the Gaiety, via Twitter. She informed me about what was involved in the course, where it was located and the cost of the course, I found this one-to-one contact to be imperative to my selection of this course.

Having been introduced to our remarkable lecturer Bill Hughes (yes it is yer man off You’re A Star!), we got off to a flying start. We were given scripts to present to the rest of our class, I remember feeling tightness is my chest as my throat dried up, why was I this scared? I had done lots of public speaking in the past but I think the nerves kicked in when I realised I had the opportunity to do what I always wanted. My turn came, and I delivered the piece with ease and Bill praised my fluidity and cadence. Woohoo I wasn’t shyte!

Over the next few weeks we gradually progressed to writing our own scripts, choosing shows which we felt suited us, first proposing our ideas to our classmates and then delivering them to camera; I loved every minute of it. Of course we all encountered challenges over the weeks, the biggest problem was remembering lines once we had thrown away the scripts! However, this problem lessened with time as we became more accustomed to delivering information off-book. It was exciting to watch how everyone developed, over-coming fears and making serious break-throughs. It was as much a learning experience about ourselves as it was TV presenting. This was the biggest aim Bill tried to hit home, “BE YOURSELF! The audience can smell a fake and they’ll switch off”. His experience in the industry makes him perfect for the role of lecturer along with his wit and refreshing honesty. We also learned about the equipment used in television and had an autocue based lecture which was my favorite week of the course, I felt like a real presenter walking towards the camera (except not really knowing what to do with my hands!), it was all very exciting!

I am so glad I chose to do this course as I’ve learned so much about television, the media and most importantly, myself. I would highly recommend this course to anyone who wishes to pursue a career in television.

Below: Bill,  Eve and the rest of the TV presentation gang! Many of the participants traveled up every Monday from as far away as Cork, Galway and Donegal to attend the class each week! They felt it was well worth the journey!

Intensive Workshops with Anthony Meindl – 24th & 25th November, London

Anthony Meindl has kindly offered a special discount for all GSA blog followers who are interested in attending this workshop. Please contact eric@anthonymeindl.com to book in and receive a 10% discount when you mention ‘GAIETY SCHOOL’.

THE YES WORKSHOP – FREE TWO-HOUR WORKSHOP with Iseult Golden

THE YES WORKSHOP –  FREE TWO-HOUR WORKSHOP with Iseult Golden

It’s important to be able to say ‘Yes’.

Saying ‘yes’ to opportunities and possibilities opens things up, brings you in contact with new experiences and broadens your options.

But sometimes we say ‘no’ without realising we are doing it. It can become a habit, the safer route. The ‘Yes’ Workshop practices the art of saying Yes, so that when we want to take hold of that chance, we have the confidence and the awareness to do so.

It’s also about shaking things up, trying things out and having fun!

Location: The Gaiety School of Acting, Essex Street West, Dublin 8

Date: Saturday 1st September

Time: 11am – 1pm

The ‘Yes Workshop’ is currently a work-in-progress. Tutor, Iseult Golden is refining the best possible structure and content. Want to be her guinea pig?

Come along for free, try it out and we’d really appreciate your feedback.

(Minimum: 8, Maximum: 20.)

Please call us on 01 6799277 or email: info@gaietyschool.com to book a complimentary place on this workshop!

 

Biography: Iseult Golden

Iseult Golden is an actor, writer and director and is a founder member of Inis Theatre Company. Inis Theatre write, devise and adapt work for the stage and, more recently, for screen. With the company she has performed in The World’s Wife by Carol Anne Duffy and To Kill A Dead Man by Kevin McGee and she has co-written and performed in Lady Susan after Jane Austen and Tick My Box! (joint winner of Best Actress Award, Fringe Festival, 2004).

She is currently in development on a new devised Inis Theatre project for the stage, provisionally called Entitlement. Outside of her work for Inis, Iseult has performed in a wide variety of theatre productions ranging from Shakespeare to Stoppard. She has toured nationally and internationally and has worked with some of Ireland’s most exciting and established companies including Barabbas, Macnas, Blue Raincoat Theatre Company, Storytellers and Guna Nua. Her television credits include Fair City, The Clinic and The Importance of Being Whatever for RTE and Ri Ra and Aifric for TG4.

Writing work includes Fireworks, a one-act play for Tall Tales Theatre Company (published as part of the collection TXTs). Iseult is also co-writer on Belonging to Laura (an adaptation of Lady Windermere’s Fan by Oscar Wilde) for Accomplice Television and TV3, which received an IFTA Nomination for Best One-Off Drama, 2009.  Her latest co-writing project, The Importance of Being Whatever was broadcast on RTE in 2011 and was awarded an IFTA in February 2012.

Directing work includes Connected for Absolut Fringe 2010 which transferred to Project Upstairs in 2011. She has also directed O go my Man by Stella Feehily for Dundalk Institute of Technology Drama Course (2012) and Electra for Bull Alley Theare School (2009).

TV presentation with Bill Hughes, Radio Presentation with Chris Donoghue, Casting and Audition with Maureen Hughes and Gillian Reynolds

This summer, The Gaiety School of Acting are running a series of workshops specific to people with an interest in the Film and TV industries. Our Radio Presentation workshop (21 July), TV presentation (28 July) and Casting and Audition workshop (11 August) and are specially tailored to people looking to enhance their skills in these areas.

Our  Radio presentation workshop  takes place on Saturday 21 July will be hosted by Newstalk veteran, Chris Donoghue, who has been with that station since early 2004 and began presenting Newstalk Breakfast in August 2010.

This summer we are also delighted to work with internationally acclaimed television producer and director, Bill Hughes, on a  TV presentation workshop on Saturday 28 July. Bill Hughes has been an independent television producer and director since 1985 making over 1000 hours of music, arts, entertainment, performance and documentary programming for RTE, ITV, BBC, PBS, CBC and ABC Australia.

Casting Directors Maureen Hughes and Gillian Reynolds will be returning to conduct this popular Casting and Auditioning workshop on Saturday 11 August. Maureen recently worked on the popular TV series RAW and LOVE/HATE and Gillian Reynolds has helped cast some high profile films including THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO with Guy Pearce, REIGN OF FIRE with Christian Bale, BECOMING JANE with Anne Hathoway.

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Check out our SUMMER BROCHURE FOR 2012 ONLINE NOW!
CLICK HERE

Kate Daly’s account after recently taken part in an Alexander Technique Workshop by the GSA.

I’ve had back problems for most of my life.  A severe spinal curve has led to hip misallignment, muscular problems, etc.  It makes sitting, standing, or even lying down for longer than a few minutes at a time very uncomfortable, often painful.  After starting at the Gaiety School, where even the vocal work we do is extremely physical, it became clear that I would need to find a way to manage these problems if I wanted to keep up in the course.

The Alexander Technique was recommended to me by one of our lecturers who specializes in movement and body work.  The technique, which was developed in the 1890′s by Frederick Matthias Alexander, is designed to correct bad postural and muscular habits that people develop over the course of their lives.  The original purpose of this technique was to improve performance, confidence, mastery of the body, and relieve tension and stress.  Perfect for an acting student!

The Gaiety School was generous enough to provide me with a course in the Alexander technique, which took place inside the school. The Instructor, Aisling Morgan, a musician from Galway, first sought out the Alexander Technique to address performance related tensions and also migraine headaches. She became a devotee of the Alexander technique after witnessing firsthand how effective it was for performers.

The class consisted of 8 students, including myself, of all different ages and walks of life.  Some, like myself were actors and performers, while some were more interested in correcting muscular habits that had caused them pain and discomfort their whole lives.  We were all able to relate our experiences, and Aisling addressed each of our concerns individually.  She then went into a detailed description of the human body and how the skeleton and muscle structure interact and change over the course of a lifetime.

We were also shown images of the skeletal structure of a small child and how structurally perfect their posture is, which makes their flexibilty and range of motion incredibly wide.  Obstacles such as heavy bookbags, “proper” sitting in school, and other bad habits severly damage our posture and limit our flexibility and range of motion.  I had never realized how damaging something as simple as carrying a heavy backpack around could be, but when shown an X-ray image of a preteen carrying a school bag full of books, I was shocked.  If we could see how our bones contort to support the weights we force it to carry, we would be horrified.

We spent some time on what Aisling called “floor work,” which consisted of lying prone on the floor, with the soles of the feet firmly on the floor and the head resting on a medium-sized paperback book, which Aisling said was more conducive to the natural skeletal placement of the skull than resting it on the floor.  In this position, we were to allow gravity to let our bones “fall back into place,” in other words, to mentally urge them to return to a naturally comfortable position without physically moving.  Aisling came around to each one of us and lightly adjusted our limbs, encouraging us to “let go” and not allow ourselves to try and control our limbs.

It was an extremely informational and enlightening class, which I was very fortunate to attend.  I’m already putting what I learned in the Alexander technique workshop to good use, and I can see (and feel) the difference in my performance!  Thank you Gaiety School!

Introduction to Dramatic Writing with Michelle Read, from 18 April

The Gaiety School of Acting is delighted to have Michelle Read teach this wonderful and innovative Dramatic Writing Course.  Michelle is an award-winning playwright and theatre-maker. She has written mainly for stage and radio, but also for RTE TV’s continuing drama series Fair City (2004 – 2008). Her awards include the Hugh Leonard Bursary and the Eamon Keane Full-Length Play Award for Snakelight (2009), the Stewart Parker/BBC Northern Ireland Drama Award for The Other Side (2003), an Ondas Award for international radio for A Day In The Life of Kitty Sway (2000), and an Edinburgh Fringe First for Romantic Friction (1998).

Introduction to Dramatic Writing is suitable for those new to dramatic writing. It is a practical ten-week course that explores contemporary playwriting both on the page and in performance.  It provides the new writer with an introduction to character, story creation and dialogue writing. Participants are led through a series of practical writing exercises, discussions and examples in order to create and develop their own dramatic idea. The course also includes a theatre trip, in order to explore the transition of a play from the “map” of the script, to a live work in performance.

For more information on the course please visit our website: http://www.gaietyschool.com/courses/part_time/short_course_adult/388/#details or call reception on 016799277 for more information.

Michelle is currently Playwright in Residence at the Civic Theatre, Tallaght, where she is collaborating with primary school children on a series of short plays with, and for children, as well as writing a new full-length, play for adults. Most recently her tiny play The Nation’s Assets was part of Fishamble Theatre Company’s Tiny Plays For Ireland (Project, March 2012).

Michelle’s association with the Gaiety School of Acting began in 2001 when she wrote the first of two graduation shows (Lower Than The Heart, 2001 and latterly Toxic, 2011). She has facilitated the dramatic writing courses since 2008.

MA in Theatre – ‘Create the Future’ Open Day at the Gaiety School of Acting

What? Workshop, Discussion and Smock Alley Theatre Tour
Where? Essex Street West, Temple Bar, Dublin 8
When? Saturday 31 March from 2pm until 5pm

To celebrate the 2012 launch of our Masters in Theatre, The Gaiety School of Acting – The National Theatre School of Ireland and the School of English, Media and Theatre Studies at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth are holding an open day for prospective students on Saturday 31 March. Meet the people, view the training spaces and get a taste of the MA in Theatre.

Schedule
2pm: Warm up Taster Workshop

3pm: “Create the Future” Panel Discussion with Q&A session with course directors Professor Chris Morash, Head of the School of English, Media and Theatre Studies at NUI Maynooth, Patrick Sutton, Director of The Gaiety School of Acting

4pm: Tour of Smock Alley: Built in 1662, Smock Alley was the first custom-built theatre in the city and still remains in substantially the same form, making it one of the most important sites in European theatre history.

NUI, Maynooth Graduate Studies Officer, Eilis Murray, will also be available over the course of the day to discuss funding options for students.

Why study with us?
The MA in Theatre is performance based. It is a unique programme built around the collaborative experience of theatre-making.

The Gaiety School of Acting has a 25 year history of training actors for the theatre, film and television industries.

The MA in Theatre combines practical classes along with the student’s self-directed work and seminars, linking both the academic and the practical.

For more information about the course and to book your place on our open day please contact:
Tracy O’Flaherty on 01 -7083667 or email: semts@nuim.ie
http://www.english.nuim.ie
http://www.graduatestudies@nuim.ie
http://www.gaietyschool.com

 

 

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Serious about Acting? The Gaiety School of Acting has over 25 years experience in the training of actors. Why not audition for our Two-Year Full Time Intensive Training programme and follow the footsteps of our many successful alumni. Auditions are taking place on Friday 16 March, Friday 13 April, Friday 11 May, Friday 15 June and Friday 13 July. Applications will be accepted until 30 June 2012. Call us on 01 6799277 or check out our website http://www.gaietyschool.com/courses/full_time/ for more information.

The Alexander Technique Masterclass with Aisling Morgan

The Gaiety School of Acting is delighted to announce the Alexander Technique Masterclass with Aisling Morgan which will take place on Saturday, 12th May from 10am to 5pm.

The Alexander Technique was developed over one hundred years ago by Frederick Matthias Alexander, an Australian actor who was suffering from loss of his voice during performance. Through his technique he overcame this problem and experienced a dramatic improvement in health. The Alexander Technique is now taught all over the world and is especially highly regarded in drama and music circles. Students of the technique relearn a more co-ordinated use of the body. Common difficulties for actors and musicians include performance related anxiety and physical tension/pain.  This workshop will explore how the Alexander Technique can help students with such difficulties and improve the quality of their experience as a performing actor.

Participants of the Alexander Technique workshop can expect to:

• Learn how to release unnecessary tension/strain that has become habitual
• Understand the causes of poor posture and physical tension/pai n
• Learn how to move more efficiently and effectively
• Investigate ways of working with performance anxiety to improve the quality of experience as a   performing actor
• Explore how an increase in body awareness opens up more possibilities in terms of expression and also improves stage presence
• Learn how to carry out a simple lying down exercise known as constructive rest
• Understand the health benefits of this exercise and its relevance to performance

Date: Saturday, 12th May 2012
Time: 10am – 5pm
Cost: €100

To book your place, call 01 6799277 NOW!

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