*FAQ’s      *Coaches     *Contacts

Q. Does my child need to have previous creative arts or performing arts experience?  Drama Scene is ideal for all levels, an ideal place to make a first exploration or to increase skills.  We use original programmes for all sessions that have been designed by Drama Scene to respond to the interests and skill levels of players.  Sessions are conducted in a friendly atmosphere that fosters a positive group dynamic and confidence and encourages players to acquire new techniques and build on skills at an age appropriate and individual level.

Q. How will I receive feedback on my child's progress?  We often invite family and friends to view an open class workshop or performance.  Newsletters are sent home regularly and the website News Page updated (with photographs that can be printed at home).  Children are presented with certificates of progress and participation and bi-annual reports.  Coaches also welcome discussions with parents.

Q. Can my child join Drama Scene at any time throughout the year?   Our Rolling Curriculum means children may join a group at the commencement of any of the four terms in a year.  School holiday programmes run on both daily and weekly enrolment lengths and participation in these events can be on a programme by programme basis.  Saturday programmes run as either two or four week workshops and masterclasses and participation in these events can be on a programme by programme basis.

Q. When are enrolments and fees due?  As all sessions run with the optimum number of players, an enrolment form must be received at least 10 days before the first session.  Fees for School Holiday workshops are due 1 week prior to the workshop.  Term Fees must be finalised before the end of the fifth week of the term.  All fee payments are finalised with a tax receipt. 

Q. Are there any additional charges?  Drama Scene provides drama materials & resources, costumes, props, masks, music, art & craft supplies etc.

Q. What does my child wear to a session or workshop?  School uniforms are suitable for sessions during or after the school day.  Players should wear comfortable ‘play clothes’ to Saturday and school holiday workshops and sessions.  Players may be asked to remove their shoes for safety reasons.  Members of the Drama Scene Players or Players Stage Crew may be requested to wear all black clothing (Theatre Blacks) to some rehearsals or performances.

Q. What does my child bring to a session or workshop?  Please bring a bottle of water to every session.  If required, the need for snacks and hats will be advised.

Q. What do I do if my child will be absent?  It is important that Drama Scene Coaches are made aware when any absences are intentional as this allays any fears that a child has not arrived as intended and also allows session planning suitable for participating Players.  Please call the Drama Scene office mobile on 0407 235 914 with details of your name, your child’s name and the session your child will miss.

Q. What do I do if there will be different arrangements for my child’s departure from a session?  Even if changes are temporary, please call the Drama Scene office mobile 0407 235 914 with details of your name, your child’s name and information about any alterations.  It is important Drama Scene Coaches are aware of your child’s departure on all occasions.

Q. Can I watch my child’s session?  We appreciate your interest in the content of your child’s sessions with Drama Scene. Please also appreciate that some children behave differently in front of an audience and a parent or carer or any non-group member in the back of the drama room can create the sensation of an audience that influences Players responses in a session (increases and decreases in confidence and focus etc.). For this reason we look forward to inviting family and friends to view open classes or presentation.  We also encourage you to make a time to chat with your child’s Drama Scene Coach after a session or please call the studio office to discuss your child’s participation or progress in any programme – (02) 9716 6604.

Q. What disciplinary methods do you use?  At the start of every Drama Scene programme, Players agree to a ‘Drama Deal’ – a method of playing and working with other Players that is suggested by group members and agreed by all.  No child is ever excluded from the drama room.  If a Player aged 4 – 8 loses focus, they may be reminded of ‘Our Drama Deal’ and asked to participate as an audience member until the activity changes direction (a maximum of 3 minutes).  If a Player aged over 8 years loses focus, they may asked by the group to participate as an audience member until the activity changes direction. 

A TYPICAL DRAMA SCENE DEAL
1.  Be a good audience, play to make others look good.
2.  No falling down.
3.  No wrestling.
4.  No gymnastics.
5.  Have fun and leave with a sparkle in the eye!

CONTACT US 
DRAMA SCENE
POSTAL:  PO BOX 92  HABERFIELD NSW 2045
Tel / Fax: (02) 9716 6604  Mobile: 0407 235 914      
Email:   enrolment@dramascene.com.au                       

COACHES

STEPHANIE WAITES    (Drama Scene Head Coach)        BA Theatre, Theory & Practice                                                                          Theatresports® Teacher Accreditation                                                                       2007-2008 Drama NSW Committee - Arts Industry Promotions Officer             Proud Member of Actors Equity since 1979                                                                   St John Emergency First Aid certificate exp 30/07/10                                    

Trained in Theatre, Drama, Voice, Singing, Dancing (RAD Ballet, FATD Tap, Jazz Ballet), with fourteen years professional performance experience including title roles in musical theatre productions and roles in film, television, voiceovers and radio plays, Stephanie worked across Australia and in the United Kingdom and the United States before establishing the Drama Scene studio in Sydney.  In response to working professionally from the age of 8 years and with 15 years experience in working with pre-school aged children, school aged children,  children with special needs, teenagers, professional juvenile performers and adults, Stephanie continues to write for children and to develop a range of unique programmes for children in the creative, practical and performing arts. Stephanie also acts as a mentor to Student Primary Drama Teachers and in the past 5 years has run workshops for Drama NSW, Drama Australia and the Sydney Theatre Company, to train Primary Teachers to use drama in the BOS  primary curriculum.   Specialisations include acting technique, voice, movement, mime, improvisation, musical theatre, puppetry, mask, characterisation, Shakespeare, script analysis, playwriting, Storybook Theatre, Narrative Theatre, Readers Theatre, Image Theatre, playbuilding, Theatresports®, monologue creation, poetry presentation, audition technique and Drama Scene’s unique ‘Dramadance’ programme.

MARIKA AUBREY
BA PERFORMANCE                                                                                          Proud Member of Actors Equity

Marika is a graduate of Theatre Nepean. Her screen credits include All Saints and Jesse in the feature film Feed and on stage she has played roles ranging from Prospero in The Tempest to Miss Spider in James and the Giant Peach.  Marika is also an extremely accomplished musical theatre performer, in 2008  touring in 3 Kookaburra (The National Musical Theatre Company) musicals - I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change; Songs for a New World and The Emperor’s New Clothes (a musical fable for primary school age children). In the same year she received a Best Actress nomination for her performance in Short, Sweet & Song.
Marika carries her musical talents into the classroom, currently teaching with the ‘1-2-3 Sing With Me’ program and in 2006 she visited Korea and became the first teacher leading children (0-6 yrs) and their Carers in the popular and extensive USA program ‘Music Together’.  Across the disciplines of musical theatre, accents and dialects, improvisation, puppetry, storytelling and acting for stage and screen, Marika has taught children from pre-primary and up at Mountains Youth Theatre, Australian Theatre for Young People, Monkey Baa Theatre for Young People.
She continues to perform, most recently in her one woman show CAUTION: Aggressive Birds, Directed by James Beach, musically directed by Geoffrey Castles.

ROMY BARTZ

BACHELOR of DRAMATIC ART (Acting)                                               Proud Member of Actors Equity 

Romy graduated from NIDA (the National Institute of Dramatic Art) in 2002. She has worked professionally as an actor in television, film and theatre, most recently in the STC’s (Sydney Theatre Company’s) Rabbit at Wharf 1. Romy works extensively for the NSW (DET) Department of Education Arts Unit – Student Company and Ensemble, State Drama Camps and the South West Region’s Primary Play Day.  In London she worked with 3-13 year olds teaching for Act Drama and Perform, directing final year performances of Aladdin and Noah’s Arc. In Australia, Romy has worked with Theatre of Image holiday workshops and she coaches for NIDA’s Open Programs (improvisation, acting, audition, camera technique, movement and script work for 6-16 year olds) and she is a Casual Teacher at McDonald College. Romy is also skilled in RAD Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Piano and musical theatre, clowning, monologue, puppetry and clowning.

ANGELA CARMICHAEL
BA PERFORMANCE
Dip Ed Drama

From studying drama for the HSC and extensive performance experience with Theatre Nepean, Angela demonstrates a passion for devising performance and her talents in voice, movement, singing and acting.  Last year we saw her on TV in Home & Away and Double the Fist Series two for the ABC, this year on Jesters and commercials. Her professional performances over the past 5 years have also included work with the Globe Shakespeare Company, Dwa Konie Physical Theatre Company, numerous television commercials and a roles on the television series Love My Way.  Angela appeared at the Adelaide Fringe Festival with a self-devised company in a production of Peep.  A popular Coach in 2006, Angela returns to Drama Scene in 2008 from her Double Drama Diploma of Education studies, qualifying as a NSW school Teacher. Angela specialises in coaching HSC IP monologue performances and her past students have achieved band 6 & 5.

HANNAH COURTNEY
BA – Theatre & Performance / English
Graduate Diploma of Arts English
MA – English Literature (research) – Current

Hannah joined Drama Scene in 2007 and she specialises in teaching our younger Primary school groups.  With 21 years of dance training (ballet, contemporary, tap, jazz and musical theatre), she also teaches drama, ballet, musical theatre and contemporary dance to children in a range of age groups.  Her Acting roles have included; Lady Macbeth – Macbeth, Evelyn – The Shape of Things, Directing; Man of La Mancha and Salomé. Hannah is also extremely experienced in backstage and technical production roles as she has stage managed, choreographed and event coordinated professionally and designed numerous independent and amateur shows, also working as a script editor and extra on two Australian short films.  While working as a Drama Coach, Hannah is researching and writing  her Masters in English Literature.

KAREN JONES
BA (Hons) Drama & American studies
LAMDA                                                                                                                       British Equity
Karen has been acting for 8 years and her first job was in the National UK and Ireland tour playing Lulu in Bananas in Pyjamas. Acting led to teaching and working as a freelance Drama Coach with different theatre companies and youth theatres throughout the UK, including 4 years designing drama programs and coaching children 5–10 years old. Karen is a Shakespeare specialist, working with Dramarama & The Royal Shakespeare Company at their annual Shakespeare 4 Schools festival and last year being a Festival Director at one of the venues. She works regularly for Dramaworks in schools across the UK on various subjects such as Text, Devising, Improvisation, Vocal Studies, Creating Characters & of course Shakespeare. Over the past 5 years Karen has also enjoyed directing Pantomime and youth theatre Productions.

TIM MARTIN
BACHELOR CREATIVE ARTS – Theatre Performance
BACHELOR SECONDARY TEACHING – Drama & Dance
Certificate IV Performing Arts
In many years of drama teaching, Tim has also managed to combine a busy professional career as a Performer and Choreographer. In addition he has been involved with the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge productions many times, including; working with Australian and international students in Sydney, Singapore, London, New York, Washington and Los Angeles Global Tour 2000 and Directing award winning productions in 2002, 2003, 2005.   In 2006 he was fortunate to extend his teaching skills at Tereora College in Rarotonga, Cook Islands as part of an Overseas Professional Experience Program. As an Actor Tim has played; Edmund in King Lear, Chino in West Side Story, Geoffrey in Stepping Out, Curly in Oklahoma, Frank Butler in Annie Get Your Gun, Lt Joseph Cable in South Pacific, Jerry Lukowski in The Full Monty, Al in A Chorus Line, and the twin role Tonnino/Zanetto in  The Venetian Twins. Dance credits include Human Nature, Jimmy Sommerville & The Christopher Reeves Benefit.  Tim also worked on the Sydney Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies as assistant to the TV Broadcast Director Peter Faiman.  Most recently Tim appeared in the children’s show: Fairy Princess’s Surprise Birthday Party at Glen Street Theatre, 2009. 

CAMILLA VERNON
BACHELOR Media Writing / Major in Drama Performance
DIPLOMA of Arts in English Literature
A favourite Coach with Drama Scene, Camilla has recently returned to us from three terms in America where she studied ‘Acting For Film’ at the New York Film Academy based at Universal Studios in Los Angeles.  She was also very fortunate to be granted a Theatre Internship in acting and directing with Taproot Theatre Company in Seattle one of the biggest theatre companies in Washington State that has main stage productions an acting school and a touring company.  Camilla has therefore retuned from the USA with new experiences in her favourite areas of children’s theatre, improvisation, writing and acting.  She also specialises in teaching Shakespeare, modern and classical playwrights, actor's technique, theatre history, educational/children's theatre, directing, scriptwriting, alternative theatre, production and Theatresports®.  Camilla has many years experience coordinating children’s entertainment programs and teaching at drama clubs and holiday camps.  When Camilla was young, she competed in Eisteddfods and completed Speech and Drama AMEB examinations.