Review of ACT3 Drama Academy (Holiday Workshop)

The girls went to June Holiday Workshops at ACT3 Drama Academy from 29 May to 2 June 2023. It’s a 5-day holiday camp, lasting 2 hours and 15 minutes for the first 4 days. We went to the one at Cairnhill, although they are also located at Punggol and Chai Chee. Read on for my review of ACT3 Drama Academy’s holiday workshop.

Reasons

I chose this holiday camp among others for a few reasons.

Firstly, I wanted to choose something they enjoy, especially Joy, which involves music, singing and dancing. It’s after all Joy’s first holiday camp! Moreover, they can be quite dramatic.

Practically, the location is quite convenient and the timing is good for me. The classes are in the mornings and both their classes were held concurrently. I wouldn’t need to make multiple trips and can be free of the two at the same time. I didn’t want to put them in the same class so that they can flourish on their own.

Financially, the hourly rate of the camp is relatively cheaper than other camps after a 10% discount (for any 2 or more participants of the June workshops).

You can still register for this workshop for the last two weeks of the June holidays. Btw, this post is not sponsored.

Review

This review is subjective because it’s based on my children’s personalities and learning aptitudes.

Both classes started at 9:30 AM. After a while, the children would have a snack break before they continued their classes to end at 11:45 AM.

3 to 4-year-old class

Joy went to the class for 3 to 4-year-old.

She enjoyed it and was excited to show me her song sheets. We sang/practised a bit at home. ACT3 changed the lyrics of familiar tunes to suit the drama and the children’s interests. I am impressed by the adaptation of songs to the story of The Emperor’s New Clothes.

However, Joy’s enthusiasm dwindled by Day 4. I think it’s because of the daily repetition of the songs. They had to rehearse for their presentation/performance on the last day.

Hence, I think a good length for younger kids would be 3 – 4 days of classes with a variation of songs. So instead of preparing for a performance, just have parents observe the class on the last day?

The teacher helmed the performance while the younger kids would kind of participate. However, I see a few kids walking around and doing their own things – uninterested to perform. Joy was engaged for the first half but gradually became uninterested too. Only one or two older kids at 4 years old are better able to join in the performance.

It’s still cute to see her performing and her antics on stage. This a fun way to train her confidence, even though she didn’t seem afraid of the audience of about 20 adults.

Will I sign her up again? Perhaps one year later, when she’s older at 4 years old.

5 to 7-year-old class

Grace went to the class for 5 to 7-year-old.

I think this age range is more suited for a 5-day drama workshop with performance.

Grace loved the class. She kept reading the whole script at home. Over and over again. She learned new and difficult words from the script too – like reading the words debonair. The teacher told me that Grace admitted she didn’t know how to read many of the words. But after she repeated the lines to her, Grace was able to memorise them.

The teacher said their parts will be highlighted and they would practise at home. But by day 3, her script was not highlighted but others were. I felt sad for her because she was so enthusiastic – so I called in to check but couldn’t catch hold of the teacher, so I left a message.

The next day (a day before the performance), Grace’s script was highlighted. I don’t know if it’s because of my phone call or if it just happened to be the timing. Anyway, she was paired with a boy to read the lines together. He didn’t bother performing so it became her solo part. Lol. There were two parts I could hear quite clearly. The teacher said she was loudest on her performance day (compared to rehearsals) which pleasantly surprised her.

Feedback and reflections

Most children were grouped to say their lines. And only a few children had solo parts. The main lead (I must admit he’s good) took up most of the airtime. I understand about uneven parts in dramas, but this is a drama workshop. It would have been better if every kid has a chance at a solo part. This will make the kids put what they have learned into practice and taste sweet achievement after hard work. And to make the parents feel their money is worth it. 😉

Nevertheless, I think it’s a good exposure for Grace. I do bring her to see theatre shows, and this allows her to see what goes behind the scenes. It also gives her opportunities to be confident and speak before an audience. During the performance, she kept looking at her classmates instead of the audience. Later, she said she was too nervous to look to the front. Moreover, this is a fun way to learn and speak proper English!

Will I sign her up again? Perhaps one year later, when she’s older at 7 years old. Or earlier if she asks for it. She enjoyed her classes a lot. And I guessed reading a script is refreshing for her too. Initially, Grace said the teacher was fierce. But towards the end and even after the workshop, she kept saying she likes Ms Loretta and wants to see her again.

Registration

You can still register for this workshop for the last two weeks of the June holidays. If I am not wrong, they conduct these workshops every school holiday. Subscribe to their mailing list and be informed of the upcoming workshops and classes. #notsponsored.

Do you have any drama workshops to recommend? Let me know in the comments box below!

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