For Young People

Drama classes build confidence, voice, movement, team and performance skills through theatre games, character work, scene work and story telling. You can also learn technical theatre skills in stage lighting, sound, marketing and more. Opportunities to perform, or to be part of the crew at a performance, allow you to put your new-found skills into practice!

StageFlight is a registered employer with the NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian.

After School Classes

Our after-school classes return in 2025

Creative Kids Vouchers

StageFlight is a registered NSW Creative Kids Provider and we can accept part payment using Creative Kids vouchers. Note: Voucher 1 – 2025 and voucher 2 – 2024 can be used together before 14 July 2025 for a combined value of $100. Vouchers can only be used once.

Venue

The new venue will be The Twyford in Merimbula. The Main Entrance is located in Market St between Sails Property and Twyford Hall. Most classes will be held in the Hall, but some classes will be in the new Theatre. There is a lift and stairs from the Main Entrance to the Foyer and Theatre on Level 1. Toilet facilities – including a unisex accessible toilet – are located on the ground floor inside the Main Entrance.

 Structure

  • Regular classes run once a week for 1 hour during NSW school terms. There are no classes on public holidays or during the school holidays. Extra workshops or rehearsals may be scheduled at other times including weekends. Your tutor will let you know when these are. Performances are held on a weekend so that friends and family can attend.
  • Minimum size of class: 6 students. Maximum is generally 8-10 students.
  • If a class does not reach the minimum number of students, the class will not go ahead. If you have friends interested in drama, please let them know about our classes.
  • Students can move into the next level class depending on confidence/skill level or age, or choose to stay with friends/siblings in the same class, with the permission of the Director. Contact us to discuss which class would best suit your student if you are unsure.
  • The class begins with a series of games and warmups for voice, body and breathing that focus the student for the rest of the class activities. Each class will introduce a new technique, genre, style of acting or technical aspect of making theatre. Students will mostly work in groups or pairs with some solo work. The final part of the class will reflect on the skills learned and a team exercise or game.

Current Classes Available

If you are interested in enrolling, please email us with an expression of interest. Minimum class number is 6, so unless we reach this number we cannot run the class. Tutors are Lis Shelley & Karl Auer, with guest industry tutors invited along for specific classes during the year.

SECONDARY DRAMA for Years 7 – 10 (ages 11 to 16)
4 – 5 PM on Wednesdays during school terms
Cost: $120 per term

Develop your confidence, voice & movement skills! Weekly 1 hour after-school drama class for young people in Years 7 to 10 using improvised & scripted scenes. Our drama games approach allows you to develop acting and directing skills at your own pace in a fun & supportive environment. We also learn how to perform or improvise short scenes and characters. Find out how stage lighting, sound, video, stage management, marketing & more come together to make a performance, with guest tutors from the theatre industry during the year, in a professionally run theatre venue. Opportunity to perform and/or be part of the crew for a theatre performance.

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SECONDARY DRAMA for Years 10 – 12 (ages 16 to 18)
5 – 6 PM Wednesdays during school terms
Cost: $120 per term
Develop your confidence, voice & movement skills using a number of professional acting techniques. Weekly 1 hour after-school drama classes for young people in Years 10 to 12 using improvised & scripted scenes in groups as well as solo work development (HSC Drama Students welcome). Develop acting, directing and technical skills at your own pace in a fun & supportive environment. Hands-on classes in stage lighting, sound, video, stage management, marketing & more come with guest tutors from the theatre industry during the year, in a professionally run theatre venue. Opportunity to perform and/or be part of the crew for a theatre performance.

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How to Enrol

    • Click

      ENROL NOW

      to enrol your student. Once we have 6 students enrolled for a given class we can run that class. Classes are limited to 10 students. A waiting list is available if you miss out.

    • Enrolment is only confirmed once you’ve paid your fees.
    • All communications are via email to parents/carers – please ensure you check your emails regularly and pass on details to your student.

Payment Methods Accepted

    • CREDIT/DEBIT CARD Mastercard/Visa through Trybooking – 50c + 3% credit card processing fee applies –

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    • CREATIVE KIDS VOUCHER Enter the voucher details including voucher number, date of birth and name of the student as recorded on the voucher in your online booking when prompted and apply the promo code CREATIVE when you reach the checkout screen to reduce your payable fee by the amount of $50. If you are using 2 vouchers for one student, please use the method below or contact us on 0438 957160.
    • DIRECT CREDIT Alternatively, if you would like an invoice to pay by direct credit instead, please email info@stageflight.com.au with student name, DOB, address, your phone, parent/guardian name and contact details of any other people authorised to collect them after class, and the Creative Kids Voucher number(s) if using.

Cancellation Policy

  • No refunds can be given once term classes begin unless StageFlight cancels a class. If you know before the start of term that you will be away for a class, please contact us before the start of a term to request an adjustment to your invoice.
  • In the event that StageFlight has to cancel a class, you will be offered a credit for the cancelled class for the following term. If you do not enrol the following term this amount will be refunded to you.
  • Please be aware that participation in performances as a cast or crew member requires a commitment by both students and their parents/guardians to ensure attendance at all rehearsals and performances – a missing performer or crew member can mean a performance cannot go ahead and affects other students. If you are unable to make this commitment, please do not elect to take part in a performance.

2025 Term Dates

Mark your calendar!

  • Term 1: Wed 5 February – Wed 9 April 2025
  • Term 2: Wed 30 April – Wed 2 July 2025
  • Term 3: Wed 23 July – Wed 24 September 2025
  • Term 4: Wed 15 October – Wed 3 December 2025 + performance on weekend of 5-7 December 2025

Coming to Class – General Information

  • Please wait quietly in the main entrance foyer until your class begins if another class is underway.

  • Wear comfortable clothes and closed-in flat shoes with soft soles (no thongs, sandals or heels. Socks alone are too slippery.)

  • Bring a filled water bottle and make sure you’ve eaten a healthy snack before class – if you’re hungry and thirsty straight after school you’ll quickly run out of energy! Please do not bring lollies into class or share food with other students as they may have allergies you are unaware of.

  • From time to time, the tutor may ask you to bring some props or costume items or ask you to do some work before the next class (such as learning some lines or researching something online). Details will be sent home via the parent/guardian’s email – please ensure you read emails regularly.

  • Absences/Running Late Please text the tutor on 0438 957160 if you know you are not coming to class on a given day or are going to be more than 5 minutes late. This is good manners. Unexplained absences will be recorded. Students who attend an average of 7 classes or more per term will receive an Attendance Certificate from StageFlight at the end of Term 4 that you can add to your CV for tertiary drama school.
  • Illness/Injury Please don’t come to class if you are feeling sick or injured. Some of our activities involve physical movement and you risk making your illness/injury worse or passing on your illness to others.
  • What NOT to bring Pets, smoking, vapes, alcohol or drug consumption are not permitted anywhere or any time within the venue or within 10 metres of any entrance to the venue. The fire alarm system WILL go off if smoke or vape is detected in the building and the $1500 fire brigade attendance fee will be charged back to you. Do not bring alcohol into the venue.
  • Mobile phones, cameras and other mobile devices can be brought in bags in case students need to contact parents before/after class, but they are not permitted to be used during class unless specifically allowed by the tutor (eg for script reading or note taking). If a student continues to use a device without permission during class, the tutor will ask the student to leave the device on the tutor’s table and to collect it at the end of class. If a student does not have a phone but needs to call a parent, the tutors have mobile phones available.
  • Before Class Starts Please go to the toilet before class starts, or let the tutor know if you need to be excused during class.
  • Parents & Other Family Members Parents/carers are always welcome in our classroom, particularly when students are coming to class for the first time and may be feeling anxious. Students settle in very quickly to the class routine however. If you have any concerns, please discuss with the tutor beforehand. If you’re waiting for your student’s class to finish, please wait quietly in the foyer rather than in the class room. We encourage all families to attend performances later in the year. StageFlight also offers separate workshops for adults if you are interested!
  • Unfortunately we cannot provide supervision for children other than those who are enrolled as students – siblings or friends of students must not be left in class.
  • We are not here as an “after school care” service. Our students are actively involved in learning about all aspects of theatre. However, we know that drama is not for everyone. If the tutors feel your student really doesn’t want to be in class, and is regularly either not participating or actively disrupting others in the class, we will contact you to discuss whether enrolment should continue.

Safety

  • Students aged 15 and under will be supervised in the venue until collected by a parent/guardian after class, UNLESS a parent/guardian has provided written permission for a student who lives/works close enough to the venue to walk or ride directly home or to a parent’s place of work. Please be aware that, in winter, it is dark by the time classes finish.
  • Name(s) and contact detail(s) for other authorised carers/collectors – such as other parents, grandparents or parents of other students – MUST be listed on the enrolment form or otherwise notified to the tutor in writing. Please ENSURE that your student clearly understands their after-class collection arrangements for every class, particularly if there is a change in routine.
  • Students aged 16-17 who are old enough to drive/walk/ride themselves must still have parental/guardian permission to do so indicated on their enrolment form.
  • StageFlight requires all tutors to have a current verified Working With Children Check and Child Safe induction training. Parents/carers are encouraged to verify tutor details at: https://ocg.nsw.gov.au/parents-and-carers
    Tutor details are provided to you by email when you complete enrolment so you can verify online.
  • Should the situation ever arise when only one student has turned up for a session by 10 minutes after the scheduled start time, the tutor will contact the parent/guardian of that student to collect them, and cancel the session.
  • We welcome input from parents, carers and students on how we can improve our classes and policies to ensure a safe environment for our young people.
  • Our first class of the year includes a discussion with students around safety in class and who to talk to or seek support from. Please contact the Director at any time if you have any concerns. You can also find other resources on the Office of the Children’s Guardian website:
    https://ocg.nsw.gov.au/parents-and-carers
  • Bullying or harrassment is not tolerated in our classes and parents/carers will be contacted if such a situation arises.

Parent/Guardian Volunteers

  • We welcome the help of volunteers on dress rehearsal and performance days. Tasks may include checking tickets, ushering audience to seats, filming the show for archive purposes or backstage assistance.
  • Parents/guardians who have a current verified Working with Children Check and a Child Safe induction may be asked to help backstage by supervising children waiting to go on stage.

Costume Changes

  • Should costume changes be required as part of a rehearsal or performance, appropriate facilities will be provided to students.
  • Students are trained to be responsible for, take good care of and put on their own costumes themselves.
  • All students, tutors and helpers must respect an individual student’s right to privacy. A single-person change area is provided in a group change room for student privacy, or the student may use the lockable dressing room bathroom to change.
  • If a student requests help, a tutor or parent supervisor may assist a student with minor adjustments only – such as pinning/zipping costume or fixing hair or makeup, only once a costume is on, and only when another adult is present.

Photos, videos, sound recordings

As a performing arts school, digital images/recordings are sometimes used in class activities for providing feedback to students, recording costume or makeup designs, recording dialogue for line-learning purposes, tutor-supervised student filmmaking activities, or for marketing/archival purposes. Performances are usually recorded on video for families. When you enrol, you give permission for StageFlight to make and use these recordings. This does not mean that students are permitted to photograph or film other students or the tutor in class for their own purposes – privacy considerations, appropriate consent and respect for others is to apply at all times.

Please contact the Director if you have any concerns.

Safety Online

  • StageFlight tutors will only ever communicate to students outside of class via a parent/guardian’s email or mobile phone.
  • Tutors may occasionally ask students to research aspects of theatre at home. We encourage parents to read the following tips on keeping kids safe online: https://ocg.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-01/FS_CSS_OnlineSafetyforChildren.pdf

References/Recommendations

If you are auditioning for roles at theatre companies, for film or for tertiary entrance, we are happy to provide a reference based on your participation in class activities and performances. A solid attendance and participation record at drama school will work in your favour!

StageFlight is sometimes asked for recommendations for young actors for theatre/TV/film/ad work. We never give out student or parent/guardian contact details to agents. If the agent provides appropriate business credentials, we will pass the agent’s contact details to parents/carers who can then decide whether to proceed after doing their own appropriate checks as to the bona fides of the agent and the job in question. We take no responsibility for third party offers.