Newsletter

 

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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,

 

 

 


TAPA AM Gallery, TAPA PM Gallery

 

2009 AM Gallery , 2008 PM Gallery , 2007 PM Gallery, 2007 AM Gallery,

2006 PM Gallery, 2006 AM Gallery, 2005 PM Gallery, 2005 AM Gallery,

2004 AM Gallery