Crawford Times 60 ONLINE

KIDS' PAGES
Fun for kids!
By Donna Verrydt
Unless you have a trip to
the beach, the bush or the
mountains planned, school
holidays can mean a whole
new level of stress for working
parents. It’s a time of requests
(constant), negotiations,
messaging, paying, picking-up,
dropping-off, feeding, making
beds, buying tickets, feeding,
shopping, feeding, feeding and
feeding – all the while trying
to hold down a job or run
a company!
As a mom of five kids (I know!)
who are very social (bless them),
getting them out of my house
during the holidays is my one
and only goal. To that end, if I’m
going to be paying (and paying,
and paying) for entertainment,
then I’d prefer that entertainment
to offer some educational or
experiential value. (Bowling
every day just ain’t going to cut
it.) I found two great workshops
over the past holidays that I
can highly recommend for kids
interested in the arts.
You may have heard of the ‘triple threats’ – you know, those multi-talented
kids that can sing, dance and act? Well, the Musical Theatre Workshop
(MTW) is the perfect place for your child to take centre stage. And even if
you have a child who is just a double, single or even no-threat at all, then
MTW is still the perfect place for them – even if for nothing else but the pure
love of the theatre.
Name: Musical Theatre Workshop
Description: MTW was established in 2010 by Anton Luitingh and Duane
Alexander – both highly respected figures in the international musical
theatre world. Anton is hailed for his musical directorship and not only has
he appeared in shows such as Cats, Grease, Beauty and the Beast, Jersey
Boys and Rent, to name a few, he’s also won awards for them. Duane
is just as well regarded, but as a dancer, choreographer and director
extraordinaire.
When/where: MTW is predominantly situated in Cape Town, but Duane
and Anton hold workshops in Johannesburg during the school holidays.
(The workshop we attended was held at the National School of the Arts in
Braamfontein). The workshop ran for four consecutive days, for four hours at
a time. Time are dependent on the child’s age group.
Age categories: Minis (ages 5 to 9), Juniors (ages 10 to 14) and Seniors
(ages 15 to 25)
Cost: R1 500
Website: www.musicaltheatreworkshop.co.za
Triple-threat theatre:
Musical Theatre Workshop
78 | Crawford Times