Thanks to our amazing drama teachers
The last 3 weeks have been extremely busy for me because I’ve been contracting all our teachers for next term. As you can imagine, with over 200 schools and currently 208 teachers working for Perform, this is no easy task. It also demands quite a lot of concentration, so the mince pies and gingerbread lattes have been helping with this too!
Because we now have quite a few schools, many people think that Perform is franchised like most other drama, dance and singing organisations. But we aren’t. Everything is centrally run and we are very specific about the sort of teacher who works for us – specifically, we only pick the fabulous sort. Which is why I actually really enjoy the contracting part of my job, because it means that I get to talk to them all. Read more »
Taking your children to the theatre – Lucy’s Top 10 Tips
We all know the magic of going to see a live performance. And I really believe (well I would, wouldn’t I?) that it’s really important to expose children to live theatre from as young as you can. And what better time to do this than in the panto season? The time of year when every town and sometimes even village has a pantomime for you to take your child to see.
The great thing about going to see a pantomime is that they are primarily designed for all the family so you don’t have to worry about children making noise, dropping sweet wrappers and getting up to go to the loo. However, I did think it might be useful to put together some top tips for taking children to the theatre generally. As part of my research, I asked our Regional Partner and veteran panto director, Simon Fielding, what his top tip for taking children to a pantomime was. His response: “Don’t be afraid of them making noise, pantomimes are meant to be crazy”.
Anyway, here they are: Read more »
The most wonderful time of the year
I have to admit that I’m a bit of a Christmas fan. And if I’m really honest, I start getting excited about Christmas around August! It's not so much that I put my decorations up in November, but I’m definitely with Andy Williams when he says that “it’s the most wonderful time of the year”.
The run-up to Christmas is an extremely busy time for everyone so, having chatted to fellow mums, I thought I’d compile a list of the most Christmassy things to do with children if you live in the South-East. Some of the activities I’ve tested myself, some I have been recommended by other parents and am looking forward to trying.
Christmas in my family wouldn’t be Christmas without a visit to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. But wrap up warm and be prepared to queue. It’s free to enter and open from 10am-10pm at night. However, allow plenty of time to buy your tokens for all the rides you want to go on.
I’m a big fan of London Zoo. It’s perfect for children in all seasons but there’s nothing more magical than meeting a herd of reindeer just before Christmas. This year, they have a small Christmas market there this year too. Read more »
