Welcome to Stagewise.ie, the website for Ireland’s Leading Performing Arts Camp. Stagewise is ideal for young people aged 12-18 who are interested in exploring the world of Performing Arts and developing their social skills. Held annually at the Kings Hospital School in Palmerstown, Stagewise provides an opportunity to develop a full range of performance skills from acting, dancing and singing, to comedy, improvisation & mime.

Since its launch in 1994, Stagewise has helped thousands of youths develop their confidence, creativity and communication skills all through the power of Performing Arts. Now firmly established, it has become an annual summer event with a stellar reputation as a performance focused, confidence building, well-organised and thoroughly enjoyable week.

During the course, each participant will get a taste of what it is like to train for a career in the Performing Arts, working with some of the industry’s top tutors from both Ireland and abroad. Work begins each day at 9:30am and continues with breaks for meals until 8:30pm. In the evenings, when not engaged in course activity, a supervised social programme is provided which includes a varied range of social, sports and leisure activities guaranteeing a fun and rewarding week for all.

If you have an interest in pursuing a career in the Performing Arts or if you wish to develop your social skills then this course is for you!

This year two groups will be catered for as follows:

Stagewise One (12 – 15 yr olds)  Sunday, July 4^th – Friday, July 9^th

Stagewise Two (15 – 18 yr olds)  Sunday, July 11^th – Friday, July 16^th

Fiona Thompson. Dance

Fiona has been working as a dance and drama tutor for over six years now.  She graduated from Queens University Belfast in 2005 with a degree in Drama, and from BIFHE in 2004 with a HND in Performing Arts.  She successfully runs her own Academy of Drama & Dance in Northern Ireland, which continues to expand regionally, and has choreographed many dance routines for performance and competition level, with groups ranging in age from 3-70! She has previously worked as a dance tutor in South West College, where she taught various genres of dance including Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, Salsa, cha-cha, Medieval, Irish, Line, Musical Theatre, Street & Hip-Hop.

Her choreography credits include ‘Little Shop of Horrors’, ‘The Canterbury Tales’, ‘The Little Lion King’ and ‘High School Musical’.  She also worked on and performed in ‘The Man of Mode’ at The Lyric Theatre Belfast and 42nd Street in The Grand Opera House.

Fiona recently completed an accredited course in Street Dance and has also completed specialized courses through UCD with Smashing Times Theatre Company, The Lyric Drama Studio in Belfast and a master Class with Robert Hylton’s Urban Classicism Dance.

Participants on this course will have the opportunity to learn and develop new skills associated with individual movement and group routine work in a fun and structured class.

Rowan Tolley. Mime

Rowan Tolley is Yorkshire based and has been classed as one of Britain’s most original and imaginative white face mimes. Influenced by Chaplin, Keaton, Tati and Beckett and building on a training of Decroux technique he studied in Bournmouth, London and Paris, creating a style that has been described as “Classical with touch of the unexpected”. He combines touring his one-man show extensively throughout Britain and Europe with teaching, working in Film and Television, choreographic commissions and directing. Increasingly interested in the function of silence, he is a great believer in the element of risk for both performer and director.

Rowan will concentrate on Mime and Movement, working without words. In this course the students will explore the exciting possibilities of physical movement in creating compelling pieces of theatre.

Mitch Mitchelson. Comedy & Acting

As a freelance theatre practitioner, Mitch Mitchelson has taught and directed extensively at a diversity of drama colleges and learning institutions. Including Rose Bruford, Central School for Speech and Drama, East 15, Italia Conti, Mountview and The Royal College of Music. He recently directed a show based on the Trickster Theme for the New Physical Theatre degree at St. Mary’s University London. He has run workshops for the National Theatre, The R.S.C. and is a regular tutor for the National Youth Theatre. He has taught internationally in the U.S.A., Hong Kong, Austria, The Netherlands, France, Italy, Luxembourg and for the Tom McGinty Fellowship in Dublin.

Having worked with the Natural Theatre of Bath and as an actor in Young People’s Theatre in the East End of London, he set up the Street Arts Company Original Mixture to tour the world. He has played Trinculo for Sphinx Theatre Company and John Major’s Dodgy Circus Clown brother for the BBC.

He recently collaborated with the Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller in a public art event based on the French clown Jacques Tati. He is currently Head of Performance for the Degree Programme at the Circus Space.

In this course participants will have an opportunity to explore the essentials of comedy performance of varying styles.

Robert Hyman. Musical Theatre

Robert has spent over twenty years training young people for a career in theatre and working with and encouraging some of the best professional actors in the industry.

He is also a Conductor, Composer and Arranger of note with over thirty scores to his credit. As exclusive composer to Image Musical Theatre Company he currently has his musical versions of The ‘Selfish Giant’, ‘The Little Princess’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’ touring the UK. He was also commissioned by the BBC to contribute songs to the most recent series of ‘Boogie Beebies’

As a conductor Robert has worked extensively with young people as Musical Director to the group ‘Theatretrain’. Venues include the Royal Albert Hall, the Sibelius Academy Finland, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the majority of West End Theatres. Last year he made his debut at the O2 in London conducting a choir of 4,000 and repeats the experience this year with a choir of 6,000! As a Musical Director his many credits include: ‘The Big Life’ at the Apollo, Shaftesbury Avenue and ‘Come Dancing’, (written by and starring former Kinks front-man Ray Davies).

Since 1998 Robert has worked extensively as a composer and M.D. at Theatre Royal Stratford East and wrote the score and lyrics for this year’s pantomime ‘Aladdin’ as well as the 2007/8 Christmas show ‘Cinderella’ which was nominated for an Olivier award for Best Production in Affiliate Theatre.

Robert will provide singers and non-singers the opportunity to develop their full vocal potential with a structured and fun filled programme of work.

Donal Courtney. Comedy & Script

Donal trained as an actor at the Gaiety School of Acting, graduating in 1991 and as a director at Exiles International Theatre School, University of Ulster Coleraine 1997. He has worked as an actor and a director in Ireland, Greece, Austria and Australia for almost twenty years. He most recently appeared in the Tudors (TV3/BBC), Maru (TG4) and will next be seen in the short film Holidays.  His most recent directorial work is Bondi Beach Boy Blue by Benny McDonnell which has toured Ireland to great acclaim throughout 2009/2010 and will be staged at the Wexford Opera House & Tivoli Theatre, Dublin in the summer of 2010.

He has written three plays and recently had his play Election Night published by Stinging Fly Press. He has taught Drama to all age groups throughout Ireland for the past fifteen years and since 2000 has been a tutor at the Gaiety School of Acting, Dublin. Donal is a member of Frontline Actors Agency, Dublin and Irish Actors Equity.

Chelsea Francis. Musical Theatre

Chelsea is a professional singer who also works as a singing teacher. She attended Suffolk College where she studied a broad range of performing arts. Here she gained a national diploma and in the process was recognised as the best overall student having received distinctions in all performance disciplines.

For the past five years she has worked with “Theatre Train”, Britain’s most successful performing arts company for young people. With this company she has worked in a range of prestigious venues such as The Royal Albert Hall, The London Apollo, The London Palladium, Drury Lane and many more.

Last year Chelsea ran the music theatre and singing course for Theatre Train at Bury St Edmonds. She has worked with young people of all ages and abilities and infuses her work with great enthusiasm and passion. She also finds time to work as a solo singer in a wide variety of contexts and venues.

She is committed to helping young people develop the potential of the singing voice and approaches the work with a great deal of energy and a ‘can do’ attitude.

Neil Pearson. Script

Neil holds a Masters in Directing for Theatre from UCD and is a tutor in the Drama Department of Bray Institute of Further Education. Before moving to Dublin Neil worked as a professional stage actor in Cork playing such roles as Christy Mahon in The Playboy of the Western World, Gar Private in Philadelphia Here I Come and Lee in True West by Sam Shepard. He has also appeared in a number of episodes of Fair City.

Recent directing credits include The Trial by Franz Kafka for the UCD Performance Project; a sixth run of his highly successful version of Bouncers, in a new unpublished script by John Godber at the Everyman Palace, Cork; Mark O’Halloran’s lunchtime comedy Too Much of Nothing at Bewleys Café Theatre; Conditioned at the Axis Theatre Ballymun for Morton Films and Media; the Irish premiere of Arabian Night at the Goethe Institute Dublin as part of Dublin Fringe 2008. This production was chosen to participate in New York Fringe Festival 2009.

He is currently writing a stage version of Tom Barry’s biographical account of the Anglo-Irish war, Guerrilla Days in Ireland, which he hopes to produce in 2011.

At Stagewise, a perfect balance is struck between work and play. When not engaged in course activities, participant’s entertainment needs are well satisfied with a diverse and structured programme of fun-filled social & leisure activities. Some of these activities include:

Sports – Athletics, rugby, tennis, swimming, basketball, volleyball, soccer and badminton.

Social – Discos, movies, karaoke & quizzes.

Every year we encourage participants to bring along their own instruments (guitars etc) for the famous Stagewise impromptu sing-a-long sessions.

Stagewise is held at The King’s Hospital School in Dublin. The school was founded in 1669 and is one of Ireland’s oldest co-educational schools. Set in beautiful parkland adjacent to the city of Dublin, it provides a secure and spacious environment for residential courses such as Stagewise. The college itself is located in Palmerstown, adjacent to the N4 Dublin/Galway Road, just off the M50 Liffey Valley Roundabout.

The facilities (which are all made available to Stagewise participants) include an indoor heated swimming pool, an ultra modern sports hall & gym (incorporating a fully equipped computerised fitness centre) and a recently completed Performing Arts centre.

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Why Stagewise?

It’s well known that in today’s world academic qualifications alone are simply not enough to succeed and reach your full potential. At Stagewise, we know this better than anyone and that is why we have designed our courses to help equip your child with the necessary skills to ensure they reach their full potential, both personally and socially.

Unlike most other performing arts courses, Stagewise is fully residential, meaning your child benefits from a week long experience rather than just a few hours each day. We find this approach gives each child the best possible chance to fully immerse themselves in the course content and even make a few new friends along the way.

Whether your child has difficulty expressing themselves, suffers from low self esteem or is just a little shy, we’ve seen over the past 17 years that Stagewise really delivers remarkable results.

Supervision

Your children’s safety is our top priority. At Stagewise, all participants are supervised around the clock. A team of group leaders, working with tutors and course organisers look after the welfare and safety of all students. The team providing the supervision are skilled and experienced in this area. Each class group is assigned a leader by whom they are monitored on a regular basis throughout the day. In addition, accommodation areas are also monitored throughout the night.

Course Administrators

Stagewise has been designed and structured by a team experienced in the areas of Theatre, Arts Administration, Education and looking after young people.

Eamonn O’Donoghue

Eamonn is a former secondary school principal and co-founder of Stagewise. He is an experienced director with many stage productions to his credit. He has also directed for T.V. and Radio. His production of Patrick Galvin’s “Last Burning” represented Ireland at the World Theatre Festival in Monaco. In 1998 he established Acorn Theatre and recent productions include “Da”, “The Lonesome West”, “Moll” and “The Kings of the Kilburn Road”

He currently divides his time between freelance directing and school administration. He is also director of the Stageworks Annual Drama Summer School for adults in Gormanston. In 2005 he co-ordinated the Stagewise series at the Bank of Ireland Arts Centre, Dublin. In addition he has established Acorn Youth Theatre with whom he has devised a theatre in the round, production entitled “What’s the Story?”

Freda O’Donoghue

Freda has many years experience as an arts administrator. She is co-founder of Stagewise and is responsible for the organising and running of the course. She is also responsible for the organisation and running of the Annual Stageworks Drama Summer School Gormanston. She has much experience in the area of managing residential courses for young people, having done so with Eamonn for the past seventeen years. Freda also looks after the administration needs of the Ballinasloe-based Acorn Theatre Company.

Scroll down for a selection of pics from 2008 & 2009 (click to enlarge)

Check out a selection of vids from previous years:

The course fee is €360. This covers cost of ALL Tuition, Supervision, Meals, Accommodation, Sports/ Leisure Facilities and organised Social Programme.

To book your place please send a fully completed application form along with a €150 booking deposit to: Freda O’Donoghue, Beechlawn, Ballinasloe, Co.Galway.

The remainder of the course fee is to be paid at registration on arrival.

Please note: Booking Deposits are non-refundable.

Click here to download application form.

Checking In

Stagewise One ( 12 – 15 yr olds )

Participants should be at The King’s Hospital School on Sunday, July 4th between 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.

Stagewise Two ( 15 – 18 yr olds )

Participants should be at The King’s Hospital School on Sunday, July 11th between 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.

Note: Classes commence after evening meal at 6:00 p.m. on both days.

Checking Out

Stagewise One:  Friday, July 9th at 3:00 p.m.

Stagewise Two:  Friday, July 16th at 3:00 p.m.

The Final Performance.

At the end of each week there is ‘The Final Performance’ where the course participants get a chance to showcase their week’s work on Stagewise. Parents, family and friends are welcome to attend this performance and share in the experience. The performance is from 2pm – 3pm on the last day of each week in the King’s Hospital School. Afterwards, the students will be ready to leave Stagewise at approx 3pm.

Click to view the Stagewise forum (opens in new window)

Feel free to start new discussions and join in.

Have fun…

For bookings and general enquiries:

Call Freda on 090 96 43338 or email stagewise@eircom.net

For media or other promotional opportunities:

Call Ronan on 087 6829729 or email stagewiseireland@gmail.com

Stagewise Ireland

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Stageworks is Ireland’s leading Drama and Theatre Summer School for adults. Running successfully for many years now, Stageworks is famed within Ireland’s amateur drama world for delivering the skills to grow and develop more satisfying, rewarding drama and theatre performances to its participants.

Nestled away for a week in stunning Gormanston College, Stageworks explores and develops a diverse range of acting techniques with its attendees, where they will work with the highest calibre of tutors to extend and enhance their performance skills and capabilities. The course caters for all levels of experience, from complete newcomers to drama to the extremely experienced thespian.

With the perfect balance of work and play, the social calendar for the evenings are jam-packed with all sorts of activities to keep you entertained after a day “treading the boards”. From the availability a private golf course, sports/gym facilities, theatre and quiz nights, to simple pleasures such as musical & singing sessions, it is this mix of drama and sociability that has led to the famous ‘Stageworks atmosphere’, which people love and return to year after year. There is no doubt that Stageworks is truly a unique experience, which simply cannot be found anywhere else

Please visit www.stageworks.ie for more informaiton.