Term 4 – A guide for new families

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Term 4 is nerve-citing. Each class works together on a scripted scene to perform in front of family and friends in a theatre-style environment. We aim for a professional, high-quality and entertaining presentation, without the stage-school pressure. End of Year Plays are relaxed and designed so every child can participate at their own level of comfort. If anything below is unclear, please get in touch. Dare Drama is a small theatre school with a real community feel, and we want everyone to feel comfortable, confident and supported.

COMMITMENT: In Term 4, regular attendance and practising lines at home are key to feeling confident on stage. A drama class is like a sports team, you can’t expect to play well in the finals if you don’t attend practice with your team. Every child depends on each other, so while missed classes can’t always be helped, catching up on missed sections is essential. Please let me know if your child will miss a rehearsal and, where possible, attend a make-up session that same week. Dare is all about confidence, fun, and feeling good. Keeping up with rehearsals helps avoid unnecessary stress and anxiety. Thanks for helping your child show up and shine bright like a… Triangle.

NERVES: Our End of Year Plays are about celebrating our students, not perfect productions. They are simple, entertaining and high quality, but always low pressure. Nerves are completely normal so we practise breathing, calming and visualisation techniques in class, and work hard to help everyone feel comfortable with their lines. If your child is adamant they are too scared to perform, they should still attend rehearsals and come along on Presentation Day to support their class from the audience. They are still part of the group and participating to their best. Maybe next year they’ll feel ready to perform, and that growing experience is exactly what we’re aiming for.

PRESENTATION DAY FORMAT: Students are dropped off at the theatre in costume at their allocated time for a final rehearsal with their class. They then watch while the other two classes rehearse on stage and may bring an easy snack to eat during this time. Audience is invited in 10 minutes before the presentation start time. Each studio’s presentation runs for approximately one hour, including awards, with no break. Each class performs once, with each play running for approximately 15–20 minutes. Students remain with their class in the audience before and after their own performance to watch the other classes perform in order: Tiny, Tween, Teen, (Top).

SCRIPTS: Every child receives a script on the first day of Term 4. Please keep it safe and bring it to class every week in a folder with a pencil, eraser and highlighter. Scripts must also be brought to Presentation Day to be handed back in. We do not audition our kids. Roles are assigned as evenly as possible taking into account attendance, participation, and seniority within the group.

HELPING YOUR CHILD LEARN LINES: We work hard to help our Tiny & Tween students memorise their lines in class, but regular practice at home makes a BIG difference. To practice with your child, take their script and read the whole thing out loud to your child (not just the line before theirs). They should know when to jump in with: their OWN lines, ALL lines, any AD LIB lines, all in character. If they’re struggling with a section, practise it a few times, then go back about 5 lines and have them jump in when it’s their turn. Repeat until it starts to feel natural. On Presentation Day, the teacher/director will be sitting right in front of the class, clearly visible to the students, prompting lines and guiding the students just as we do in class. Please do not count lines. Lines are shared as evenly as possible among the class. Dare plays are ensemble plays and each child is paramount to the smooth running of the scene. Knowing your own lines, cues, the rest of the scene, and what everyone else is saying is what makes a confident performer, and you never know when you might need to jump in and save the day if a cast member is absent.

DRESS REHEARSAL: A week before Presentation Day, each class will have a Dress Rehearsal & Photo Day during their normal class time. This gives us a chance to make sure costumes are practical and easy to perform in, as well as taking photos of each child. Each child receives a printed photo as a gift.

COSTUMES: Costume suggestions are included with your script and are designed with ease and budget in mind. Check your dress-up cupboards, get creative or visit a $2 shop. Kids can wear whatever they feel comfortable in. Anyone who doesn’t want to dress up can just wear theatre blacks and/or their Dare T-shirt. Any special props or costume pieces your character specifically requires will be provided by me.

PRESENTATION DAY SNACKS: Please bring water in a labelled, non-glass bottle and an easy, non-messy snack to eat inside the auditorium while other groups rehearse.

SOUND: We don’t use microphones as our performers learn the real skill of projecting their voices. Some kids are naturally louder than others, so please be patient with our quieter performers. Everyone is doing their best. Families of Tiny Triangles are invited to sit in the first few rows for the best chance of hearing those little voices.

VOLUNTEERS: Can you sew? Sell merch? Tick names off a list? Wrangle a group of kids? Wrangle a group of parents? Carry a box? Stack a chair? Load a van? Stand around looking gorgeous in a Dare T-shirt? Take photos? Keep me on schedule?

Please get in touch if you’re available to help on your studio’s Presentation Day, before or after drop-off/pick-up times. I can use all the help I can get. Volunteer jobs are scheduled outside performance times, so you’ll still be free to sit with your family and watch your child perform. I’ll even reserve you a front-row seat as a thank you.

TICKETS: We don’t sell tickets to performances and have seating for 3-4 guests per child. Please get in touch if you need more than your allocation or you may end up standing.

Phew! Please get in touch if if anything is unclear or if you have other questions.

I’m SO EXCITED for this year’s Presentation Day, and so grateful you’re part of it.

See you around the studios and…

BREAK A LEG.