Creative week to inspire youth
Youngsters with stars in their eyes and music swirling in their head can spend the last week of the school holidays learning how to be the next big thing in the world of musical theatre by attending a five-day workshop in acting, singing and dance.
Becoming a triple threat – being proficient in all three disciplines of dancing, singing and acting – is vital for those who want to be in productions like The Lion King, Priscilla Queen of the Desert or Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Well-known East London vocal coach Nasine van Rensburg, 29, will be turning her vocal academy in Stirling into a vibrant minidrama department where scholars aged between 10 and 18 can hone their talents.
“I designed the workshop in the manner of a performing art school,” said Van Rensburg. She said the workshop would benefit those who are considering a career in the arts and would also give them an edge at auditions for school plays and amateur productions as well as auditioning for tertiary drama schools.
Van Rensburg, who has a diploma in performance art, having majored in directing and voice at the Stageworld Theatre School in Port Elizabeth and obtained a licentiate in musical theatre and vocal teaching through Trinity Guildhall, will be teaching the singing and stage make-up component of the workshop.
“I will do the vocal coaching, make-up and audition techniques,” said Van Rensburg, who runs the Nasine van Rensburg Vocal Academy and founded the East London Performance Art Company (Elpac), which puts on regular shows at the Arts Theatre. “Make-up skills are important because 95% of the time, actors have to do their own make-up.”
She has roped in young actor Matthew Clur, who has studied drama at Oakfields College, to take children through their acting paces, and choreographer Lemise Stewart, who will give them dance classes.
● Scholars aged between 10 and 18 may attend the musical theatre workshop, which runs from next Monday to Friday and costs R750. The training will take place at Van Rensburg’s studio at 12 Epsom Road, Stirling, from 10am to 3pm daily. Contact Van Rensburg at nasinevanrensburg@yahoo.com for the full prospectus and to book.