If you have ever watched your child delight a crowd with their theatrical antics, now is the time to nurture their gift and enrol them in a circus or street performance workshop.
Jumpers and Jazz Festival organisers are calling on the region’s young people to throw their hat in the ring for upcoming theatre and circus performance workshops, which will be run as part of the Jumpers and Jazz in July program.
Warwick Tourism & Events chief executive officer Tracy Vellacott said that they were fortunate to secure not only Regional Arts Development funding to help run the workshops, but also enthusiastic sponsorship from the Warwick Credit Union.
“These workshops are aimed at building local event capacity, in particular developing the talents of our young people so that they can provide roving entertainment at many of the region’s festivals, not just Jumpers and Jazz,” Mrs Vellacott said.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for young people to develop some amazing performance skills as well as learning valuable interaction and social skills,” she said.
“As a community that thrives and puts on some of the most unique events in Queensland, young people skilled in these areas will be repeatedly sought-after to entertain crowds.
“It could be a great way to earn some pocket money and who knows what opportunities might be ahead if you become really good at it! We could have a potential Cirque du Soleil star in our midst!”
Mrs Vellacott said that participants will have the chance to work with and learn from highly respected professional circus and theatre artists throughout the workshops.
An intensive three-hour Circus Training Workshop run by Scott Kuhn from Jugglewiz Circus Training
School on the Sunshine Coast will offer students the chance to learn many different styles of juggling, stilt walking, unicycling, balance and performance tips.
According to Mr Kuhn, better known as “Great Scott”, circus training workshops create a haven for personal development, with the objective of activating the genius within.
“I believe there is no better time to learn to juggle or do some form of circus skill for right and left brain exercise,” he said.
“Most education these days is left brain (logic) targeted and the right side (creativity, infinity) is neglected. Juggling can wake up in you what often can be asleep.”
The Theatre in Education program will be run by Mark Theodossiou from the Australian Actors Network, who visited the Jumpers and Jazz Festival last year as a roving Charlie Chaplin and the Barastoc Polocrosse Nationals earlier this year as Nobby the Bobby.
“Mark’s workshops will include elements such as inventing and presenting a character, finding a costume, working in pairs and attracting an audience,” Mrs Vellacott said.
“Participants can then demonstrate their new skills in front of a live audience at the Jumpers and Jazz Picnic in the Park, under the watchful and encouraging eye of Mark, who will be focused on inspiring his students to work as a street theatre troupe using a game called ‘fruit salad’ to draw and maintain the attention of an audience.”
The circus workshop will be held on Friday, July 27, from 4pm to 7pm in the Warwick Town Hall, with the theatre workshop to be held on Saturday, July 28, from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm at a cost of $35 for both sessions.
Mrs Vellacott said that workshops had been deliberately timed so as not to intrude on school hours and to enable participants to put their newfound skills into practice over the final weekend of the festival.
The Regional Arts Development Fund is a Queensland Government and Southern Downs Regional Council partnership to support local arts and culture.
Information and registration forms can be obtained by telephoning the Warwick Tourism & Events office on (07) 4661 9073.
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