Workshops

Workshop Program

Workshop Program

Monkey Baa conduct varied and exciting workshop programs, please scroll down for details.

Download our workshops flyer here [PDF, 1,2MB]

For bookings or further information on workshops please email us on info@monkeybaa.com.au. Or phone us on 02 9351 7938

RIPPA (Riverina Initiative to Promote Partnerships and Audiences) Year 2

Continuing this Riverina Partnership Monkey Baa will again provide audience development opportunities for three NSW regional venues by providing outreach theatre Workshops benefiting students from rural areas outside these three main towns. The priority will be on smaller rural communities with primary schools less than 100 students in total population.

Age Range: Primary School 5 – 12 years

Monkey Baa Arts ED Project

This Project sees the company delivering workshop programs for students and offer ongoing professional development opportunities for educators in smaller remote schools outside Mount Isa and Ayr Queensland and smaller schools with larger indigenous populations outside of Darwin NT. In tandem with this program Monkey Baa will collaborate on a research project conducted by the Australian Centre for Child and Youth: Culture and Wellbeing at the UTS, investigating the professional learning needs of teachers, address issues of ongoing
communication between teachers and visiting creative artists throughout regional Australia.

Key Personnel: Dr. Rachel Perry, Tim McGarry and Sandra Eldridge.
Dates: Rehearsal 8th March – 9th April 2010. Touring NSW, Victoria, WA, Tasmania,
Queensland, Northern Territory, SA and ACT from 10th April – 2 November 2010
Aged Range: 5 – 12 years

Dubbo -Take the Stage Program

Take the Stage aims to actively engage with students and teachers in an audience development initiative in Collaboration with Dubbo Regional Theatre. The student workshop and teacher professional development program aims to improve skills, develop audiences, encourage participation in live theatre activities and provides professional development opportunities for educators in regional and rural communities.
Date: 4th – 8th April 2011
Age Range: 9 – 12 years

When I was 5 – Intergenerational Storytelling Workshops

Monkey Baa will create a new storytelling workshop format ideal for Festival events. The workshop will involve grandparents and their grandchildren sharing stories of their childhood. This will be trialed throughout 2011 at both the Casula Powerhouse Children’s Festival and
the South Coast Children’s Festival
Collaboration/Partnerships: Casula Powerhouse & Merrigong Theatre, Wollongong.
Dates: Casula 16th – 17th April 2011, IPAC 23rd – 24th September 2011

Casula Powerhouse– Holiday Workshops

Introducing young people to the foundations of play building, these extended holiday workshops aims to foster creativity and encourage participants to collaboratively investigate and build upon each others ideas in the creation and performance of a scene or a short play.
Collaboration/Partnerships: Western Sydney Centre for Youth Literature
Dates: Rehearsal 8th March – 9th April 2010. Touring NSW, Victoria, WA, Tasmania,
Queensland, Northern Territory, SA and ACT from 10th April – 2 November 2010

School and Library Holiday Workshops

The Company offers a variety of holiday drama workshops for young people aged 4-18. All sessions are flexible and tailored to meet the needs of participants. Workshops generally run for one hour with a maximum of 25 participants.

Page to Stage Workshop

Where books are brought to life through drama games, improvisation, tableaux and the exploration of text.

How do you take a story and adapt it for the stage? Can a piece of poetry be turned into a performance? What are the qualities that make a good play?

The exercises and games in this workshop will encourage teamwork, communication and enhance participants' creativity and problem solving skills.

Working with a piece of text, Monkey Baa will introduce the adaptation process. Good drama and good writing begins with a good story. Through the workshopping of the text, themes will be explored, dialogue will be formed and dramatic action will be created.

For younger participants the creation of scenes from picture stories will be explored through improvisation, movement and basic drama games.

These workshops are tailored for the following age ranges: 5-7, 8-10, 10-12, 12-14, 15-17

Maximum participants: 25

Play Building Workshop

Introducing young people to the foundations of play building, where a scene or a short play is created by using tableaux, found objects, pictures, sentences, or from participant's own stories.

The Play Building workshop aims to foster creativity and encourage students to collaboratively investigate and build upon each others ideas in the creation and performance of a scene or a short play.

Play Building teaches young people to focus, concentrate, to use body, voice and imagination. Drama games, improvisation, team work and trust exercises will be utilized to encourage participants to invent, have fun and take creative risks.
Students will learn the basics of story telling and the structures that make up a play: Conflict, dialogue, character, plot, setting and resolution.

These workshops are tailored for the following age ranges: 5-7, 8-10, 10-12, 12-14, 15-17

Maximum participants: 25

Show Related Workshops

Bring the magic of Monkey Baa to your school with a workshop based on a Monkey Baa production. Explore the play's themes and production elements such as music, movement and adaptation. Please see website for current production. Workshop availability is dependent on touring schedule.

Age suitability dependant on production.
Maximum participants: 25

Take the Stage Workshop

The company offers an exciting project providing audience development opportunities for regional venues and their local communities. This new workshop taking place upon the stage in the theatre itself introduces young people to the world of the theatre and the teacher drama workshops provide professional development opportunities for educators in regional and rural communities.
 
Local schools travel into the actual theatre space to participate in a project geared towards educating and illuminating all the components that make up a theatrical experience both for performers and the audience. Through a series of drama games introducing terms such as blocking, the fourth wall, stage direction and circles of attention, Monkey Baa opens the stage door and introduces participants to their local theatre.
 
Age suitability for the following age ranges: 8-10, 10-12, 12-14, 15-17

Maximum participants: 25 

Creative Workshop Projects

Where possible and subject to facilitator availability, Monkey Baa can develop a creative workshop program in consultation with the needs of your school/community.

Previous projects included:

2009 Art Start
Monkey Baa partnered West Darling Arts in a skills development project for young people. The Project saw participants in each location spend five days full time with two professional arts practitioners. Specifically targeting young people aged 14 – 24 years and explored themes of isolation in remote communities, ideas were explored through drama activities and stories were documented on film. The entire project took place in three separate towns over three weeks; Coomealla, Broken Hill and Menindee. Monkey Baa was responsible for providing two professional arts practitioners and the formatting and conducting of the workshop program, while West Darling Arts were responsible for the overall project management and the coordinating of the editing of the final film presentation.

2008 Urban Myth Adaptation Project
Monkey Baa partnered Urban Myth Youth Theatre in South Australia to conduct a two week intensive program with members of their company. Both companies agreed on a book; Gillian Rubinstein’s The Pirate Ship and Monkey Baa conducted their creative development process with Urban Myth members. Participants varied in age from 12 to 23 years. The aim of the project was to work over a two week fulltime period and take the adaptation to first draft stage. The project highlighted the adaptation process and work methods and encouraged participants to explore other ways of approaching text. This was the first time Monkey Baa has been associated with a theatre company that works with young people and it proved an exciting and valuable collaboration for both companies involved! Phase two of the project involved Monkey Baa returning in 2009 to work with the company on further script work early in the rehearsal process of the production. The production of The Pirate Ship opened in Adelaide in November 2009 and then toured to take part in the Thespo Theatre Festival in Mumbai, India.

2007 Connect ED Indigenous Camp
Monkey Baa took part in a one week residential camp organized by Arts NSW. Indigenous students from various regions were invited to participate in this one week intensive as part of the State Government’s regional arts education initiative – Connect ED Arts. The company collaborated in the devising of a program aimed to develop students’ interest, skill and knowledge in theatre, as well as providing a positive involvement in the creation of stories through drama. Students worked closely with Monkey Baa to develop short performances for the local community staged in promenade style around the camp.

2007 Artists’ Residency Wilcannia, Menindee and Ivanhoe
Monkey Baa was engaged by three schools in Western NSW to conduct an Artists’ in Residency Program with students. Two Arts Practitioners spent one week in each school conducting a variety of drama workshops. The Program culminated in a performance on the final day which was attended by the student’s peers, families and members of the community.

Feedback from Monkey Baa's 2006 workshops

Great communication skill-building exercises, it was great to see the majority of students engaged and enjoying the experience.

A.C. Teacher at Menindee Central School
(years 3-4)

Students benefit from the confidence building that comes from working as a group and doing fun co-operative, playful things.

S.W. Teacher at Menindee Central School
(High School)

It was more than I expected. Great length, so much fun that the time flew.

S.W. Teacher Wilcannia Central School (K-2)

Yes I did enjoy it. There was nothing that was boring. I like the pattern throwing.

Kiah - Wentworth Public (5-6)

Yes, I did enjoy the activities, I thought the chair game and the ball game were the best.

Keely - Wentworth Public School (5-6)

Have tried some activities with my class and they’re begging for more.

Teacher Port Macquarie, Professional Development.

The workshop shared practical ideas to inspire future activities with students of a variety of ages. Facilitators were warm and made us feel comfortable in stretching our boundaries in Drama.

Teacher Tacking Point Public,
Professional Development

It was great with the sounds and lights helping our acting.

Ben, (Student)
Take the Stage Port Macquarie

St Patricks Albury and we did acting, shark infested water and dead cockroach. Fantastic. The work shop was fun and enjoyable. But I did though there would be more acting.
Reading: I am currently reading Danny the champion of the world. Thank you.

Nick Packer 2007

Shark infested waters and dead cockroach. I thought it was very good for building team skills and confidence.

Andrew Eaton, 2007

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Shark infested waters, dead cockroach and acting fantastic and very enjoyable. Thanks Simon, Tim and Sandy. p.s. I hoped you enjoyed my Paris Hilton Act Thanks Again Sam

Sam Crawshaw  2007


About the Workshops at Bardine Central School June 2007:

Absolutely Fantastic. EVERYONE LOVED IT! I loved all of the activities! You had taught us a lot ABOUT Drama I don't think there were any boring bits. I think that it was too short because you were GREAT I wanted you to stay longer! Thankyou for coming!!!!!!!!
Reading: The Phantom Stallion and Winnie the horse gentler. I am not sure that it would be a good Play! THANK YOU FOR COMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Phoebe Hensby

great because i like acting myself in school plays or any other type of acting i did like the shark infested water game it's cool

Olivia Eastburn


About the Workshop at Junee North PS May 2007:


Great and I also liked Simon’s death drop and the shark infested waters was great how we all worked together and making the tractor was also fun i was the front wheel

Keely Hancock

I like it when we played the shark infested waters and when Simon did the death drop I was too shy to do a miming circle activity.

Chelsey Orr

It was good. My favourite part was playing the shark infested water game.

John Atkinson