Acting for
ages 4-7

Becoming a member of The Apple Club is often the start of a very exciting journey. Once children join this workshop, they are able to audition for some of our major productions, they can appear in our annual main stage production of Starry Nights and are old enough to benefit from lots of other opportunities available to Playbox members. Most of all, The Apple Club is HUGE fun, deeply imaginative and rooted in theatre skills…children quickly develop in confidence, social skills, become more articulate and able to collaborate. Here are a few answers to some of our most asked questions!

They’re about lots of different things! Each week we take a different story or stimulus as a springboard. This might be a book, a poem, a painting or a prop. The workshop then guides the group through a range of exercises that respond to the theme of the week.

Each week the workshop will encourage members to explore a range of different skills and techniques, and these depend upon the starting point. A typical week will see Apple Club children engaging with MIME, MOVEMENT, IMPROVISATION, ROLE PLAY, VOICE, STORYTELLING, DEVISING, TABLEAUX, DISCUSSION, THEATRE GAMES & WARM UP ACTIVITIES.

No we don’t. The weekly workshop is focussed on development of skills and confidence, whilst encouraging lots of super collaboration, team devising and responding to each week’s stimulus. The Apple Club is designed to enable every child to develop at their own rate and to always aim to achieve as highly as they possibly can. People come to Playbox Theatre for all sorts of reasons, and lots of them don’t seek to perform. Without the need to constantly work towards a presentation, we are able to prepare very fully-rounded weekly workshops, each time taking a fresh, new stimulus as a springboard. From time to time, parents are invited in to share an Open Workshop, and occasionally there will be a celebratory and informal presentation at the end of a season e.g. at Christmas – although we stress this is not a performance that has been rehearsed over a number of weeks.

We do encourage members to attend as regularly as they possibly can, and to make their workshop a priority. The group bond is very important to the success of the workshop and this is always much stronger when the group are committed and attend every week. Children progress so much more quickly when they can build strong relationships with their director and their group members, and this happens more effectively when attendance is high. Of course, we know that there will be occasions when children just can’t make it, and there is never any penalty for this’ we just want them to be there every time!

No! Just yourself and lots of imagination. Sometimes children like to bring something small to share with the rest of the group at ‘News Time’, at the beginning of the workshop. However, we don’t encourage people to bring items with them as we only hear 2-3 pieces of ‘news’ each week and don’t want to disappoint children. Anything that’s brought into the workshop will need to go on a table at the side during the session, so that members are totally free to work.

Absolutely not! It’s an hour of joy and engagement and, although the benefits will be felt throughout the week, in other parts of life, there is no homework set at all. Sometimes there might be a tongue-twister to practise!

Of course it is! The type of children who love coming to Apple Club is very diverse. Some children who join are already very confident and are looking to really extend their skills…others are incredibly nervous and parents are hoping that Playbox workshops will help to address this. Our workshop team are highly skilled and have huge experience in welcoming new children and, in particular, settling children who are anxious or shy. Our directors are supported by a team of senior assistants, so all children are given the attention and support they need. Parents often see a dramatic improvement in their nervous child’s confidence incredibly quickly. Frequently this will also impact upon their behaviour at school and in other areas of life.

Once a child is of school age, they are eligible to audition for some of Playbox’s main stage productions. Each project we mount has specific casting requirements, and age suitability will always be delighted on the casting newsletter (Casting Spotlight). Every year we stage a major production with our ‘Young Production Company’, where the actors are all between aged 5-13 yrs. Although it is very competitive, all Apple Club members are invited to attend the audition for this production. Sometimes, other major productions also seek cast members from 5+. Every year, EVERYONE has the opportunity to perform on the main stage in a large production, if they register for STARRY NIGHTS. This is our special annual fundraiser which works over a week to create a big show with members from age 5-19 yrs, and is incredibly popular!