Summer message from John Lucey, Co Founder and Director

Five months ago, in the midst of the Covid 19 virus, the government made changes to the way we live and immediately we decided to close our classes in order to help control the virus and protect our young students, teachers and families.

The decision was made to continue via Zoom classes for drama and 11 weeks of amazing workshops and productions followed in the most extraordinary circumstances.

StageSchool Ireland now faces it's biggest challenge. Fun, Safe and Secure is our new mantra as our work has never been so important.  Our students are, naturally inquisitive, imaginative, creative, quirky, team players and performers. Above all else, they are brave. Never stop praising the bravery of any boy or girl who learns lines, sings and dances to entertain and inspire an audience. The sooner they do this safely “in person and live”, the better. The sooner, they are in schools, the better.

All these life skills will be crucial in the weeks and months ahead and we have an important job to harness and refine the learning curve, with the added tools for confidence, self esteem, concentration, listening skills, problem solving. So the work goes on.

During this "new normal" we have developed digital musical theatre lessons in case we can't teach singing, (although science says for children and good ventilation, we can) mime workshops to cut down on close interaction, monologues and duologues in protected bubbles, outdoor theatre workshops, filming on location, radio plays for beginners. Experimental dance and physical theatre, commedia del arte to name a few of the creative solutions to ensure students can do what they do well and teachers are safe too.

I was lucky enough to perform as a young actor in The Tempest and never forget Miranda’s words 30 years on,  

“How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, that has such people in it!”  

StageSchool Ireland. Arts education for the next generation. www.stageschool.ie