20th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

It's been a while since we shared news on here; it's been a bit of a whirlwind summer! The Helen O'Grady Drama Academy, UK and Europe is celebrating 20 years of operation this year! The first Academies launched in Croydon and St. Helens/Warrington in September 1994. Both these schools are going strong, along with many more which have started up along the way. 

So much has happened in the time these Academies have been operating. Tens of thousands of children have attended classes, experiencing and benefiting from the amazing self-development programme we offer. 

The classes are full of exciting activities for children. During the autumn and spring terms, they include warm-ups, speech training, mimes to music, whole class improvisations and short scripts. The curriculum is constantly revised and updated to keep it fresh but the aims and objectives remain exactly the same as when Helen O’Grady started the first classes in Perth, Australia in 1979. Every week is different and every child is involved.

A special anniversary Seminar was hosted by Head Office on the beautiful island of Guernsey. Time was spent distributing awards to many Principals who have been with the Academy for up to 20 years.

Long serving Principals with their hand painted awards. 

As usual, at the Summer Seminar, Nigel Le Page presented his National Director's Award and the Head Office team chose this year's Franchisee of the Year.

North Leicestershire Principal, Beth Daniel, receives her award, from the HO team, for Franchisee of the Year, 2014

Neil O'Gorman, SE London, accepts the National Director's Award

Following a very successful Seminar, Head Office hosted a reception at the stunning Castle Cornet on the seafront at St. Peter Port (below), followed by a gala dinner with entertainment at one of Guernsey's top hotels.

Founder of the Academy, Helen O'Grady, was unable to attend the celebrations due to her husband's ill health but sent a congratulatory message including these words:

"For thirty years I was Executive Director of the International Academy Network. I first opened the Academy in Perth, with 100 students, in 1979. Taking it across Australia and, eventually, to the world, required great dedication, persistence, energy and, above all, a genuine love for children and their well being. Sometimes, when the task seemed so immense, I would re-read a favourite quote from George Bernard Shaw:

"Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I've got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."

I urge you to envisage that splendid torch and pledge to keep a strong hold on it as you guide your students towards a hopeful and fulfilling future!"

And so, all Principals are back in their offices and back in class, passing on amazing skills to even more children. If you want your child to experience that "hopeful and fulfilling future" visit our website www.helenogrady.co.uk to find a class near you.

SNIOW DAY IN THE SOUTH WEST

Lots of snowy pictures from Helen O'Grady people in the South West of the UK today. Some classes will be cancelled today - please contact your local branch for information.

Lots of our students will have had snow days home from school - look forward to hearing all about them in class next week.

GRADY BEAR MOVES FROM LONDON TO CHESHIRE

On Saturday, dozens of Helen O'Grady Principals and teachers gathered in a hotel in gatwick to prepare themselves for the summer term in the Academy, when students in all classes start work on a short scripted production to perform for parents and friends at the end of term.

More on that later, but another important event at these Seminars is the welfare of Grady Bear. Grady has spent the last three months with Principal, Melanie Moore and her partner, Sam Rossiter, in South London. They have, of course, taken great care of Grady but he is now ready for his next big adventure.

He is venturing north, to Cheshire, with Principal, Brian Ormrod. After a usccessful visit to Sheffield last year, the Bear tells us he is ready to travel again and relax after the hustle and bustle of London. During his visit, Brian will fill his scrap book with photographic evidence of Grady's exploits to be shared again with everyone at the next Seminar.

Saturday was a busy day - check back here later for pictures and stories about this year's plays!

THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF GRADY BEAR

Last year, many branches introduced Grady Bear to their students, sending him off home with someone who had done just that 'little bit extra' in class. We have already reported some of his adventures and, this weekend, he has obviously been making the most of the sunshine!

Here he is relaxing on a narrow boat!

It was obviously all too much, though. When he returned home he needed a bath and, we are told, a bit of a detox!

A nice warm AGA!

What better way to warm up and dry off ?

Check back here to see what else happens to Grady.

SEE OUR CLASSES IN ACTION!

See how a self development programme through fun based drama activities can help children and adults improve their confidence, self esteem, language and communication skills.

HELEN O'GRADY DRAMA ACADEMY - CLASSES AND MORE!

See how a self development programme through fun based drama activities can help children and adults improve their confidence, self esteem, language and communication skills.

START OF TERM 2

Last weekend, almost a hundred Principals and teachers from the Helen O'Grady Drama Academy met in Manchester to workshop the exciting new curriculum for the coming term. Covering material for all ages - from Kindy Drama for 3 year olds to Adult Drama - the practitioners participated in the sessions as they would expect their own classes to do!

What attentive listeners these students are!

The gurgling coffee machine .......

No-one understands me .......

'Youth Theatre' students working on their own creative improvisations.

Many teachers from around the country were attending a Seminar for the first time and it was wonderful to see how they integrated and worked together with people they had never met before.

Term starts this week; check the website www.helenogrady.co.uk for details of local classes.

CHILDREN IN NEED IN BRISTOL CLASSES

In Bristol, parents were invited to attend classes during National Talking Week! They joined in with the lessons, they listened to their children talk and they donated a lot of money!

Proud parents bought special edition T-shirts for their children. All proceeds donated to the charity.

Teacher, Kathryn Gregory, puts both children and parents through their paces!

Children found lots to talk about!

Executive Principal, Alison Mazanec said: "We were very proud of all of students for taking part. The atmosphere in class was very exciting and some of the talks were very moving."

The Bristol branch of the Helen O'Grady Drama Academy raised almost £2,000 towards the final total. Congratulations to them all!

NATIONAL TALKING DAY IN KINDY CLASS

Today was National Talking Day at East Harptree Kindy class in Somerset. After their usual lesson, which, appropriately, was on the Teddy Bear Theme, twenty eight pre-school children sat down with a teddy each and talked about an adventure they would like to go on.

Of course, mouths and voices had to be warmed up first!

And the bears had to make themselves comfortable.

Sometimes it was hard to find things to say........

........but then the bear joined in and everything was OK.

There were all sorts of adventures!

It got very noisy with everyone talking at the same time ......

....... but everyone managed to speak for two minutes and everyone received Pudsey certificates.

Sponsor money will be collected in the next few days and added to the grand total to be presented to BBC Children In Need. We are very proud of the pre-school children for taking part and we thank their parents and teachers for all their support.

NATIONAL TALKING WEEK!

Principals, students, teachers and parents in drama classes around the country are in the middle of NATIONAL TALKING WEEK! aiming to raise tens of thousands of pounds for BBC Children In Need. Special edition T-shirts have been on sale, with all proceeds going to the charity.

In many classes, parents have thrown themselves into the fundraising too. York Principal, Lindsay Goakes, sent us this picture (below) of the cake Mattew's dad made to share with the class in Selby.

Fundraising activities will continue throughout November. This Friday, 18th November, a team from Head Office, led by, Training Supervisor, Becky Goodfield, will be in the audience at BBC Television Centre with a very big cheque!

Thank you to everyone who has taken part. Visit our website www.helenogrady.co.uk for full details.

HUNTING IN GREAT YARMOUTH!

In Great Yarmouth, last week, children in Helen O'Grady classes were putting together a Mime to Music called 'The Hunt' and they looked pretty fearsome in their feathers and war paint!

Using specially written music, the children sharpened their spears, and packed their quivers with arrows, before setting off to find dinner! They were surprised to find another group in their path and looked pretty mean when they came face to face with them.

They pulled scary faces and looked threatening for a while before making friends and sharing their feast together.

Classes in Great Yarmouth are run by Norwich Principal, Gill Prins, and there are still places available for children between the ages of 5 and 11. Contact Gill on norwich@helenogrady.co.uk

NEW BRANCHES & NEW PRINCIPALS THIS TERM

September has seen the opening of several new Helen O'Grady branches, as well as a handful of new Principals taking over existing areas.

In Manila, in the Philippines, Monique and Vince Bunuan have had a great start introducing the unique Helen O'Grady programme to dozens of local children. Here they are above with the magnificent banner they are using to promote their classes. We are very proud of their opening classes and know they will spread the word very quickly.

New mum, Iesher Fitzmaurice Mendez (above), who gave birth to baby Zain at the beginning of August, took over the reins in the Staffordshire area. She has been teaching for the Academy for several years and jumped at the chance of becoming Principal. As well as making a great start with existing students, she has opened three new classes which have all started well.

In South West London, Melanie Moore has opened new studios as well as taking over some existing students. Although drama trained, Melanie was new to the programme and has taken the very structured lessons to heart. She is, as you can see below, very excited to be part of the network. In Northamptonshire, Gemma Knight has succeeded Sarah Moloney as Principal. Sarah was a hard act to follow but Gemma had worked with her for some time before the handover and the students remain in more than capable hands!

In the Herts-Cambs area, retiring Principal, Fiona Taylor, was more than happy to pass the business on to her former teacher, Lucinda Symonds, pictured below. Lucinda will continue to teach and work with her sister, Jessica, who will take most of the responsibility for administration and marketing the business. the Symonds sisters don't believe in doing things by halves! During the first weeks of term they were also planning a wedding. Lucinda married Tim Gray on 1st October. We wish them all the love luck and happiness they deserve.

Last new Principal to launch was Lisa Bennett in Southampton. Lisa, too, has taught for the Academy and is already building the numbers up in her own branch.

All the new Principals have started well and we wish them a long and successful association with the Academy.

EXCITEMENT AND SENERGY IN TAYFORTH!

Tayforth Principal, Barbara Brett, is very proud of one of her long term students who was chosen to be in an advert for the global energy services company - Senergy

Harry has been attending Helen O'Grady classes for over seven years and has recently joined Aardvark Casting, the company's in-house casting agency.

You can see him in the video here on You Tube

Congratulations Harry!

BACK TO SCHOOL - WHATEVER YOUR AGE!

All over the country, drama students of all ages are jumping for joy at the thought of returning to class!
In Scotland and Ireland, classes have already been running for two weeks, in England and Wales term starts this week. In Europe, classes return at the end of the month.

It is a very exciting time for Principals, teachers and students. Dozens of new classes will be opening and hundreds of new students will be experiencing the unique Helen O'Grady programme for the first time. In these days of technology, we must remember to help our children and young people retain the skill of verbal communication. The Helen O'Grady programme taps into the natural interest children have in drama and channels it to help develop confident, articulate adults.

A child can now, in most places, join classes at the age of 3 and continue on the programme through to adulthood. Adult acting classes have proved very popular and are now becoming more widely available.

Visit our website http://www.helenogrady.co.uk/ for full details of classes in your area.

The curriculum this term is as varied and exciting as ever. Kindy Drama - for preschoolers - has themes ranging from 'My Teddy' to 'Bugs and Frogs'. Lower primary will be cats, rats, aliens and wooden puppets and Upper Primary have to deal with a volcano and a fiesta in a Mexican Village! There are the usual challenges for Youth Theatre, with published mini-scripts and whole class improvisations and a little light relief with new theatre games. The Adult classes are tailored to suit the needs of each particular group.

We, at the Academy, are looking forward to a brilliant term and, if you know someone who may benefit from - or simply love - our classes, please encourage them to get in touch. Full details of classes in your area are available on the website: http://www.helenogrady.co.uk/

END OF YEAR SEMINAR - THE FUN BITS!

The presentation of Grady Bear has now become a feature of all Seminars. Returning from his adventures in Bromley with, Principal, Helen Walls, Grady prepares for the big trip north. Sheffield Principal, Nick Chadwin, has now taken responsibility for the travelling bear, who will remain at his home and his classes and who knows where else? during the Autumn term. His adventures in Bromley and district were well chronicled in his scrap book and the tradition will be upheld in the coming term. We all wish him an enjoyable stay with Nick!

New Franchisee Of The Year, Wendy Orrell and York Principal, Lindsay Goakes, proved what drama queens they were during a discussion period. Used to telling their students to be larger than life, they are more than happy to practise what they preach.

Below, bemused Principals watch as their contemporaries demonstrate rather physical Youth Theatre games. It is never difficult to find volunteers during the workshopping sections of the Seminar.

After a very busy term, with all Principals presenting their end of year shows, it was good to see everyone relaxed and so receptive at the conference.

PRODUCTION PICTURES FROM OLDHAM

Upper Primary - PIED PIPER

Upper Primary - CIRCUS CAPERS

Youth Theatre - THE TRIUMPH OF TREVOR TRUELOVE

HELEN O'GRADY CLASSES IN THE PHILIPPINES

The newest Helen O'Grady Principals are Monique and Vince Bunuan, currently living in the United States but relocating to their native Manila in August to open the very first classes in the Philippines. Last week, they trained in Bristol and were delighted when Helen O'Grady herself called in to meet them on Saturday.

L to R: Executive Principal, Alison Mazanec, National Director, Nigel Le Page, Training Manager, Margaret Darley, Helen O'Grady, Monique & Vince Bunuan, Principals, Philippines.

The visit was also exciting for the young students who joined in a demonstration lesson with great energy and enthusiasm. They certainly gave Helen a rousing Bristol welcome!

Monique was able to do some teaching with the class and, being experienced drama students, they involved all the adults in their improvisations!

We, at Head Office, wish Monique and Vince all the very best with their new branch. We are certain their classes will be very popular!

CHESHIRE BRANCH MAKES OWN ADVERT!

Cheshire Principal, Brian Ormrod, used local talent in his own drama classes to put together his own promotional video. Student, Martin Selis, uploaded it and Brian's son, James, was responsible for some of the filming and for putting the pieces together.

You can view the finished result on You Tube.

Congratulations to all concerned!

DERBYSHIRE STUDENTS CHOSEN FOR TV ADVERT

Twins, Abbie & Honey Brown, who attend drama classes in Allestree in Derbyshire, were chosen to appear in the latest advert for Aldi Supermarkets after enrolling the The Academy's casting agency Aardvark Casting.

Principal, Tom Cheshire, praised the girls and said: "We are so proud of Abbie and Honey. They had great fun making the commercial and, as you can see, were very relaxed in front of the camera."

REMOTE EMPLOYMENT WINNER OPENS FIRST CLASSES

Last week saw the launch of the Harrow and Uxbridge branch of the Helen O'Grady Drama Academy. New Principal, Janine van den Berg, entered a competition with Remote Employment last year and won her very own branch of the Academy. She will be operating classes in Northwood, Ruislip, Kenton, Stanmore, Pinner and Harrow.

Training Manager, Margaret Darley, spent time with Janine in class last week and said: "Janine has been a delight to work with. She is so receptive and eager to learn and started with some really exciting classes. She is all set to have a very successful branch in her area. We are thrilled she entered the competition and know she will be an asset to the Academy." Janine is seen below with some of the students in her Stanmore class.

Janine was attracted to the business for many reasons, including the flexible working hours it affords, meaning she can spend time with her lovely daughter, Dea.

As Dea is not quite two years old, she is not eligible to join classes yet but that does not mean she isn't supporting her mum! During training she was happy to join in speech exercises and movement was her speciality! She thoroughly deserved the polo shirt she was awarded!