Bulletin Board
Welcome to Term Two everybody!
Special welcome to our new students for Term Two
Term Dates
Term Two is 10 weeks from Monday 3rd May – Friday 9th of July.
· Sunday 2nd May – Midsummer Read Thru 4.-6.30pm
· Monday 3rd – Thurs 6th May – Open Studio Event 3.30-4.30pm Daily.
· Mon 7th of June - Queen’s Birthday. No regular classes this day.
· Fri 25th & Sat 26th June – Auditions for Junior Production.
· Sat 10th – Tues 13th July – Christchurch Speech & Drama Competitions
· Wed 14th – Sat 17th July – A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Int/Senior show)
· Mon 19th – Thurs 22nd July – Performing Arts Winter Camp
Congratulations…
To the champions at the Annual Theatresports Play Off on Wednesday 15th of April.
Our Fools of Desire Senior Trophy was won by ‘’Did You Remember the Script/” consisting of Azaria Westeneng, Rhys Holyoake, Alex Ellerm & Matilda Fauth,
The North Canterbury Musicals Intermediate Trophy was awarded to ‘The LetDowns’ made up of Keira McLachlan, Isaac Jefferies, Skye Armstrong & Lewis Wilson.
Our HSPA ‘Player of the Night’ Trophy went to Keira Mclachlan for her excellent narration.
We enjoyed some excellent routines from the several intermediate, Senior & Advanced Senior dance classes and some stellar singing from Senior Glee and Musical Theatre troups. Plus, thanks go to our MC Ciarán Searle, who returned once more to MC the evening (An excellent tradition for sure!) and Judges Logan Pocock, Bryony Jamison & Kitty Jamison.
Intermediate & Senior Production
A Midsummer Night’s Dream - Rewritten
On at the Rangiora Town Hall from Wednesday 13th July – Saturday 17th of July
Please note: All of our Intermediate & Senior classes and auditioned cast are involved in this production! You will be charged a $16 costume fee early in the term.
If you cannot /do not wish to be involved in the show we still welcome you in class, but you must tell us this in the first two weeks of term to avoid the $16 costume fee being added to your account. Once this has been added & costumes purchased, the fee is not able to be removed.
Read through for the Auditioned Cast is Saturday 2nd May at time of 4-6.30pm at the rooms.
All Auditioned Cast should be present to hear about their part and how it fits into the show as well as collect their script / rehearsal schedule. Any member of our school is welcome to come along and hear the show being read for the first time and hear Paul, our director, tell you all about his exciting concepts for the show.
Please see attached Cast List for casting of leads and extra roles outside of class involvement.
Auditions for Junior Production - The Secret Garden
All students from Pre-school to Upper Junior will be involved in the production as part of their group class, but they can also opt to audition for extra involvement in the show if they wish.
These auditions will be held later this term –
Friday 25th & Saturday the 26th of June.
There will be plenty of Acting, Singing and Dancing parts for our Junior & Upper Junior students and a less intensive rehearsal schedule so please look out for a notice about this later in the term. You will all be working on something in class this term that will be useful for your audition. Be it drama, singing or dance classes.
Performing Arts Winter Camp
Monday 19th July –Thursday 22nd July 10.30am-4pm
We are offering the following event again this year as part of the Kidsfest program!
Four days of classes combining acting, singing & dance for ages 6-13yrs.
Each day consists of three sessions including one each of dance, singing and acting with a lunch break and snack break. Students will get the chance to work with different tutors covering a range of topics like improvised theatre, musical theatre dance and pop singing to name a few. The classes will cover different things each day, so students may opt to attend one day or several. Students will not be expected to have previous experience, tutors will happily work with those who have never performed before as well as extend those with previous experience by grouping students accordingly.
Sessions run Monday-Thursday with a discount price for attending all four days.
Costs are $36 per day 10.30am-4pm (including a lunch break) with a discounted price of $120 for all four days!
Daily program will be available later in the term to coincide with the launch of Kidsfest.
This will be available to book on our portal and current students will get preferential bookings so look out for the alert on this.
It will sell out!
Drama, Singing and Dance Exams
Due to the timing of our productions we do not offer exams in the Term Two or Three timeslots. Students interested in exams can opt to sit Trinity College Speech & Drama or Pop & Rock Singing exams as well as Dance NZ Made Dance Levels for Jazz, Contemporary & Hip Hop and NZAMD Tap Levels in Term Four. You will receive info in the next school holidays regarding exam entry. We use the first half of the year to ensure your children are working at the correct level to sit an exam.
Entry for exams requires students to attend special exam classes for a small fee on top of regular class fees.
Classes work on syllabus for use in exams around their work on Production performance pieces. This will be occurring across Term Two and Three so continued attendance is necessary for those wishing to sit these exams in Term Four.
Christchurch. Speech & Drama Competitions – 10-13 July
These are optional for drama students from the Junior right up to our Advanced Seniors. This is a friendly environment to compete against others of your age and ability, and a great way to practise your performance skills, present your exam pieces and see others doing the same. Your tutors will be helping you select pieces and enter categories in the first week of term. These are not compulsory, but they are excellent experience.
To enter you need to read the attachment at the bottom fo the screen.
Intermediate & Senior Students you can still enter for these whilst working on the show but you must be able to work on them in your own time and we don’t suggest this for those with leading parts!
Open Studio Week One of Term!
We will be welcoming guests to come and look around our studio between 3.30-4.30pm Monday -Thursday of the first week of Term Two.
Why not come and have a chat with Stacey at reception and then get the chance to look in the door at some of our classes.
This is a great opportunity for those who are interested in classes but are not sure what the school is all about.
So come along with your friends to:
· Enjoy cupcake.
· Get to look around the space and peek in on lessons in action.
· Receive a voucher to try a class for free.
· Find out about costs, payment plans, discount options.
HSPA Online Store.
HSPA new design Zip front Hoodies, T shirts and now new Singlet Tops (Pictured right) are available in the Online Store on your portal.
Also available are Leotards, Hip Hip pants dancewear that will be necessary for wearing along with production costumes!
PLUS: Look out for the limited-edition Midsummer Night’s Dream show tops on your portal later this term.
You’ll find the link to make any purchases by clicking the link top left corner of the home screen in your portal.
Advanced Senior Drama Specialty Session
This term one of our HSPA Alumni, Caitlin Stevenson, will be running an Improv workshop for all of our Advanced Seniors to attend.
Caitlin was studying acting in London prior to lock-down and has been back in New Zealand for just over a year. In that time she has performed in the Summer Shakespeare in Christchurch and will be returning from a New Zealand Tour of Shakespeare for schools. Some of you may remember her as our Peter Pan in 2016!
This will be a great opportunity to enjoy a group session, building skills of improv and teamwork, these are both important parts of being a good performer.
What are we doing in Term Two?
All Intermediate & Senior students are working towards Midsummer Night’s Dream
· Advanced Seniors Drama students carry on with your regular lesson where you are building your skills and working on pieces for exams and/or comps. They may also join a Senior Show class.
· Intermediate & Senior Drama will be working on show items in class as well being given guidance for pieces to use in competitions in July and/or exams in November – See attachement.
· Dance classes will work on a show routine while continuing to maintain work on syllabus in preparation for entering exams the following term , to be sat in Term Four..
· Glee singing will work on show items while continuing to work on technique and theory.
· Musical Theatre will focus on show items combining acting, singing and movement.
· Private singing will be working on individual skills, continuing with theory. Lessons may include work on any show material as needed.
All Preschool, New Entrant, Junior & Upper Junior students will be continuing working on syllabus material for end of year exams and building skills in order to audition for Junior Production if they wish.
Junior & Upper Junior Drama students are focussing on their Speech skills this term, working on individual pieces to improve voice production, effective speaking and all classes cover syllabus for Trinity exams if they should choose to enter later in the year. Plus, pieces worked on in class can be used for auditions and Speech & Drama competitions at the end of July – see attachment!
Junior & Upper Junior dance classes continue to cover syllabus material in preparation for exams at the end of the year as well as polish a piece to use in audition.
Junior Glee & Private singing students work on technique and some music theory as well as pieces for use in auditions if they should choose to. A continuation of skills building.
Junior Musical Theatre – will work on a fun routine to build their ability to combine acting singing and movement. This can be used in audition if they should choose to.
Preschool & New Entrant Drama – Continuing to build on last term with a focus on fun activities that promote confidence and creativity. Introducing the idea of performing in a show next term.
Welcome to Will Lynch – Private Singing Tutor
& Stacey Bruce - Administrator!
We welcome Will Lynch to HSPA in week one of the term as he begins teaching for us officially and we welcome Stacey Bruce as our official Administrator now that Dean has finished up.
Some of you will have met Will at the end of last term when he popped out to visit. He was an instant hit with staff and students alike.
Stacey has been doing a stellar job managing things at the end of last term. She has slotted in so well, being a well seasoned parent of HSPA students fo the past 5 years at least!I look forward to having them both on staff for a long time to come!
Enrolments for Term Two
If you were already enrolled in Term One and have said nothing to the contrary, you will automatically be enrolled into the same classes again for term two. As our Ts & Cs explain, you will be charged accordingly if we do not have notification that you no longer want your space by the end of the holidays.
· Do you wish to join another class? - Please jump into your portal to enrol for any extra classes.
· Do you wish to stop your classes? Please let us know by replying to this email before term starts.
· Are you not sure? Why not take advantage of the Open Studio in the first week of the term, especially if you have friends and family who wish to try a class with you before they join. Come along and see some classes in action and pick up a voucher to attend a class for free.
Plus! Remember that if you take up a 2nd or 3rd class, you get a great discount of your total fees!
Payment of Accounts
Please note that we do require payment of the previous term’s account before a new term begins, unless prior arrangement has been made with regular part payments being set up.
If you have not paid last term’s account, please be in touch with us about this.
You put us in a very difficult position if your child is sent along to class with an overdue account and no communication about this.
We welcome discussion over payment terms, we wish to make attendance at HSPA as accessible as possible, and understand that full payment at the start of the term can be difficult especially if unexpected things pop up for your family. Please be in touch with us!
Joseph & the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat! –– Rangiora Town Hall
This production, staged by North Canterbury Musicals, involves members of both our staff and our students. Our Glee tutors Leanne O’Mahony & Rachel May are in the production team and vocal backing respectively Campbell Richardson plays Benjamin and several other HSPA students are in the adult and children’s cast.
Their season runs Thursday 13th May- Saturday 29th May.
Check out the link on www.ncms.co.nz for details so you can head along to support local theatre.
Plus – put this in your diary:
School’s Taster Day & Dress Rehearsal Viewing!!!
Tuesday 11th April 5.30 onwards.
Rangiora Town Hall
Hosted by North Canterbury Musicals, HSPA students aged 10yrs and up are invited on a tour of the theatre (Handy if you have not been backstage before!) and a talk about various aspects of theatre production.
Then there will be a dinner break (You must provide your own food) followed by an invitation to remain in the auditorium to view some of the Dress rehearsal of Joseph!
If you wish to attend this please email stacey@hspa.co.nz with the subject: School Taster. We have limited spots so first in first served. We will let you know when all spots are filled. And email those who are attending with further details.
We look forward to seeing you in class this term everyone!
Kind Regards
Dale Hartley-Brown & the HSPA Team.
ChCh Competitions info for Parents.pdfHSPA handbook.pdf