Newsletter
Click
here for all the latest news and information regarding
our exciting
TAPA Summer School 2010 @ Hexham Middle School!
Winter
2009/2010
Welcome
to the TAPA website. If it is your first time browsing
through our various pages, Hello! And don't
forget to look at the smashing photographs
of cast members at the bottom of this page. TAPA is
beginning it's 6 th year in January and we present 2
shows a year at our local theatre, I'll let you do the
maths, but there are plenty of amusing and colourful
photos to browse.
So
what has been happening? Well our second
summer
school
celebrated the work of ABBA & Mark Shaiman; yes
we combined the music of Abba & Hairspray, as only
we can, to produce a lively and fun performance for
the 60 young people who joined us. This 2 week extravaganza,
which is open to TAPA and non TAPA members, also gives
me the opportunity to
train our 6th formers who have achieved
grade 8 and want to learn how to teach Performing Arts.
At
the end of their 2 year training programme they will
have Trinity Guildhall's ATCL qualification. This allows
them to teach in colleges, studios and schools like
TAPA.
We
continue to offer interested young people the chance
to take grades in Musical Theatre,
Performance Arts and Acting & Speaking.
In June 2009 15 students achieved excellent results
and we are currently preparing another 14 students who
will be assessed in January 2010 along with 3 of our
sixth formers, who will be observed teaching groups
of young people as part of their own teacher training.
Being an exam centre is an important element of what
we offer; one third of our students take part in this
programme. Being
a successful exam centre endorses the fact that we offer
all of our students a quality experience.
Giving
young people the chance to perform is TAPA's priority.
So what are we working on?
TAPA
AM really does proudly present:
Bugsy
Malone
Saturday
January 23rd
2pm
and 6pm at the Queen's Hall.
Tickets
are on sale now!
Why
did we choose this show from the many on offer? Because
we wanted to play with splurge guns of course! Ok there
were one or two other important points.
Bugsy Malone started life as a musical film in 1976.
In 2003 it was voted 19th on a list of the 100 greatest
musicals, as chosen by viewers of Channel 4 in the UK,
placing it higher than The Phantom of the Opera, Cats,
and The King and I. In Sir Alan’s own words,
’
I’ve had countless requests from schools and amateur
groups for the script’
And
so in 1983 he produced the version you can see TAPA
students perform if you come along. We’d love
you to.
The show is loosely based
on events in Chicago during the Prohibition era. It
takes a light hearted look at the life of gangsters.
Sir Alan Parker was trying to come up with an idea for
a film which his children would enjoy, and his eldest
son suggested creating one featuring a cast of only
children. The average age of our cast is just 10 years,
which is exactly as Sir Alan would wish it.
Our
afternoon group, TAPA PM is busy preparing another first
for TAPA, our very own ‘revue.'
Applause!
Applause!
At
the Queen's Hall
March
13th 2010
2pm
& 6pm
The
revue will combines music , dance and sketches . The
light-hearted sketches have been devised by the students
in the weekly drama workshops. They cover topics ranging
from societies obsession with television, especially
The X factor, love, disappointment, family relationships,
even jealousy. Dance numbers were chosen to demonstrate
a variety of choreographic styles and the sung pieces
embrace folk, pop, rock & musical theatre traditions.
Young talent at its best, working hard to earn your
Applause! Applause!
Workshops
in dancing, singing and acting
begin again once the rehearsals for a show have finished.
Students go back into one of the 3 groups (groupings
are age based) and we work on performance skills. TAPA
runs approximately 35 Saturday sessions throughout the
year, following the termly dates of local schools. We
now offer a 2 week summer school in addition to this.
If
you would like any more information please don't hesitate
to get in touch. Enjoy the photographs and our other
interesting features.
Lesley,
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