“Behind the Scenes” with Veronica Polo, Co-Founder of ACT OUT
“Behind the Scenes” is a place where you can get to know the people behind the businesses that work with children in Madrid
“Behind the Scenes” is a place where you can get to know the people behind the businesses that work with children in Madrid
Check out these theatre workshops in English in Madrid, Spain.
“Behind the Scenes” is Kids in Madrid’s blog where you can get to know the people behind the businesses that work with children. Whether the interviewees are parents or not, we take a look “behind the scenes”
What better way to start the weekend than with a slice of family-friendly bilingual comedy?
My name is Anthony Rotsa I’m a British actor born and raised in London, England by Greek Cypriot parents. I am the founder and owner of ACT OUT WORKSHOPS and very happy to tell you a bit about myself. I am a professional actor, and have worked in mainstream theatre, feature film, and television. I am fluent in both English and Greek; I also speak Spanish to a high conversational level. My first ever performance was at the age of 8 at my primary school (Albany School) in Enfield where I performed a short silent comedy with my identical twin brother Michael, who is also an actor. From a very young age I knew I wanted to be a performer. I graduated from Middlesex University in 2006 with a BA Honors degree in Drama and Theatre Studies. During my studies I was able to get an insight on various modules like Shakespeare, live stand up comedy, and physical theatre. Soon after, my career jump-started with theatre tours in England and Germany. Beginning with an outdoor theatre performance of Kenneth Grahame’s Wind In The Willows and a touring performance of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal. The experience I got from touring English theatre for children was my base experience for starting ACT OUT. In 2009, I joined Face2Face Theatre in Madrid, Spain. My Spanish theatre debut took place in the prestigious Teatro Alcázar where I played the roles of Oberon, Lysander, and Flute in an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. Currently I’m continuing my career, as an actor and helping ACT OUT grow to its full potential. * What is your business? Act Out is an English theatre workshop company for children ages 4 to 12. In our workshops we play theatre games based on improvisation, teamwork, concentration, music, and dance so that children can learn and also have fun. Our main objective is to improve children’s confidence when speaking English, to improve their concentration and show them what they are capable of achieving. At the end of each semester, the children perform an original musical in English so their parents and friends can come and see for themselves how much their children have learned. In Act Out we believe that theatre is a wonderful educational tool when it comes to helping children with confidence and self-esteem. In a spontaneous and enjoyable manner, theatre connects children with the world of the Arts. Theatre also welcomes self-reflection and expression by enabling children to laugh, cry and experience the different emotions that life has to offer. At the same time, theatre allows children to think, participate and enjoy the world around them. Our areas of focus are interpersonal communication skills and individual expression. At Act Out, children learn to overcome shyness and improve their concentration. All workshops are in English thus giving children the opportunity to practice and further their knowledge of the language in an atmosphere full of fun activities and games. We invite your children to come in and Act Out! * How did you get started? or How did the idea for your business come about? Along with all my theatre and film experience as an actor my fundamental experience for ACT OUT was working with a workshop company in London called PERFORM. With Perform I learned so much about children’s confidence, behaviour and generally how to bring out the best in each child. A few years later in Madrid I thought “this has to be continued here”. Not only to teach children English through theatre but also to guide children in becoming well-rounded young adults, helping them develop social skills, concentration, coordination, teamwork and above all, confidence in speaking in front of their peers. * Why should people choose your business? At ACT OUT children will discover English in a fun and exciting way. Unfortunately, we have met a lot of children in Spain that do not like English due to a bad experience at their school or because of movies and kids programs that are mostly dubbed in Spanish. Whatever the reason is at ACT OUT we will make your child shine and give them a positive feeling of English, theatre and above all, about themselves. * What makes you smile at work? The feeling we get after we see our ACT OUT children perform their musical show in English. Some children come to ACT OUT timid and with low self-esteem and then you see the same children performing a show in English! If that is not job satisfaction then I don’t know what is! * What challenges have you had to face? or What hurdles have you had to overcome? A challenge for me is to gage how to deal with a child who is not behaving. With some children you cant be in too hard on them, you need to be patient and understanding. At ACT OUT we work on children’s behaviour, even though we have a strict policy on behaviour in our classes I have learnt that sometimes you need to be more patient with specific children to gain their trust, only then you can see a difference in them and see them shine. * Away from work, what do you enjoy doing? I love nature, I love going on hikes and bike rides into the mountains of Madrid. I also like to play football and tennis. * How much are your classes / shows / products / services etc? Weekly classes range from 50 euros to 70 a month for an hour and a half class. Our summer camp prices range from 120 to 150 a week in ESPACIO RONDA (Calle Ronda Segovia, 50 Madrid) * How can people get in touch with you? Via our email: Hello@actoutworkshop.com or call our office at +34 654 996 176 * And now for the plug…… Come in and ACT OUT with us and see your child shine. For our weekly classes you ALWAYS get a free trial class so your child can come in
It’s that time of the year when parents have to think about camps for their children. We hope to help you choose the camp that is right for your children as we present some of the best camps going on in Madrid this Easter and summer. Click on each image or link for more information or go to our camps page for all listings. THEATRE SUMMER CAMP WITH FACE 2 FACE Face 2 Face is an educational theatre company made up of a team of theatre and education professionals. KIDS ENGLISH CLUB: 100% ENGLISH CAMPS DURING EASTER, SUMMER AND CHRISTMAS The Kids English Club camps follow the model of immersion learning and practice where all camp activities and projects are carried out strictly in English. EASTER, SUMMER AND CHRISTMAS CAMPS WITH CRECE BIEN Is it important for a child or teenager to know how to manage their anger, fears or sadness? Would you like your children to improve social skills like communication, empathy, or assertiveness? If yes, then you will love Crece Bien. THEATRE SUMMER CAMP WITH ACT OUT This summer Act Out will be offering our Summer Camp during June and July. From Monday to Friday your children will be immersed in a world where they will discover English through Theatre. ENGLISH SUMMER CAMPS WITH MELTON LANGUAGES Melton Language Services offer two types of summer camps: one for children aged 4-18 years that focuses on fun activities with a didatic base, and their second camp types are Intensive Specific English Course for Young Adults 2017 (ages 13-14 and 16-18 years) . MINI GUIRI SUMMER CAMP WITH LAE KIDS LAE Kids is offering a fun-packed, exciting and Spanish-filled two-week Mini Guiri Summer Camp in July 2017. Your Peques will spend their days painting, cooking, dancing and getting their hands dirty, while at the same time learning Spanish with its proven methodology. And other fun-filled camps: ¿Quién Soy Yo? A summer camp designed specifically for adolescents. English-On-The-Go urban summer camps offer traditional style camps in the heart of Madrid. Don’t forget to check our Camps page for all listings.
Dont’s miss out on a 60 minute long musical called Phantom of the Pop Era, based loosely on the classic Phantom of the Opera.
Kids in Madrid is happy to present to you Summer Camp Face2face
Welcome to Teatralia! Children’s drawings are a mystery that many people struggle to understand. Vigotsky observed that young children first draw and then assign a title to their work. As childhood progresses, the order is reversed and the concept, the title of what one wants to paint, is first conceived, and then drawn. There are therefore two essential forms of creation: the part of the idea, the abstract, and the one that begins in matter, the concrete. To compose the Teatralia program two methods have been combined: a preconceived essential idea, to show the public of the Community of Madrid the best stage in the world, and the concrete and tangible works of the artists involved. With this idea and the artistic proposals an untitled drawing has been made. Do you give it a name or look for the thread that connects the 24 scheduled works? Titles can be reductionist and constrain a world of images; Or they can drown the poetics in the logic of words or sink what is suggested in a sea of evidence. Looking at the thread then. Try to remember the time before reality being petrified and immovable, that blissful and dazzling time that sometimes flashes back – childhood. Weave in an exercise of dissociation and association and search the barely perceptible thread that is born, like the human voice, in the Grotto of the Throat and arrives at Nothing of adolescents who seek the sense of being. The established order of Hansel and Gretel has been reversed and we enter with them in the forest, “the first theatre of our fears”, a symbolic space that connects us with that of Alice in Wonderland. There is no Cheshire Cat smiling, he has been wiped out the in the war in Wonderland in the Land of Miseries. Joy, the word of Gloria Fuertes celebrates the birth of this Madrid poet. And with that joviality we have Enchantés where people dance barefoot or, perhaps, with shoes manufactured by The cobbler and the elves. There is Shakespeare but in a different way: Pocket Romeo and Juliet mix love and comedy with an unhappy ending. Love releases the young Marvin from the repressive environment in which his school days pass. Sailors navigate hostile seas to chase the white whale of Moby Dick and, once on land, trace Footprints to reach the Northern Lights of Elisapi. A classic tale – Lamp, Pea and Pen – with lullabies and Calderonian verse. After spinning and reheating invisible threads, the program of a festival that is now 21 editions is woven and brings the best theatre for children and young people from the Community of Madrid to the world; Because Teatralia wants to reach everyone. The drawing is complete. Was it a hat or boa that ate an elephant? It is up to you to name it. Website: Madrid.org Webpage for event programa Follow our blog to stay up to date with the latest events in Madrid.
Whether you are visiting Madrid or live here when you discover the wide range of museums you can visit, your face will light up just thinking about the possibility of going to any of them. But, if you stop and think a few minutes …. Uff, which one to choose, when to go, at what’s the best time?