Summer drama courses at The Ivy Leaf
A CHILDREN’S summer drama course is being organised for the famed Ivy Leaf Art Centre stage for July 4, 5 and 6, from 10.30am to 1.30pm each day.
Michael Burke and Redmond Roche will be familiar to people who have attended performances by the Island Players in the recent and not so recent past.
Both men have tread on every knot on the Ivy Leaf stage in comedy and serious roles created by many of the world’s best known playwrights. Michael’s list of jobs done includes: Deeply Regretted By; Moll; Rumours; Run for your Wife; Don’t Dress for Dinner and most recently, Canaries.
Recently described by locals as ‘ the ideal Jesus’ – after his lead role in the Castleisland Good Friday Passion Play - Redmond Roche has also been a solid member of Jerome Stack’s Island Players team for the past couple of decades.
They will be joined in the delivery of the course by local student Christine Brosnan – who believes that the drama camp is a great opportunity for the children of the locality to get into theatre and all its benefits.
They’re responding to a perceived need for children’s courses and are hoping to pass on the bug for acting which was always strong in the Castleisland area.
The three day course will look at different aspects of stage-craft, including: voice production; movement; mime; character development and stage production.
“The course will introduce children to various aspects of acting and performing through drama and games.
“We will look to boost the confidence of the participants in a playful atmosphere while developing creativity through imagination and with no concept of failure,” said Mr. Burke – who first caught the acting bug as a child in New York.