Irish Board of Speech & Drama

June Diploma

irishboard — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:54:26 +0000

Just a reminder that the closing date for the receipt of entry forms (and any fees due) for new and continuing candidates for the Irish Board Diploma exams due to take place on Sunday 10 June, is 1 May 2012. Please check the eligibility criteria (see the Downloads section) and please ensure that each form is signed by the candidate and his/her teacher.

Unfortunately it will not be possible to accept any candidates after the closing date.

Stage Management work experience opportunity

irishboard — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:20:42 +0000

Hazel Lowry, a speech and drama teacher in Co Wicklow, has a few shows coming up in Bray in early May. She’s looking for maybe a senior student with some stage management experience (and references) to be the stage manager for these shows in order to gain some more experience. If you know of anyone who might be interested, you can contact Hazel at h_lowry(at)eircom.net.

Speech and Drama Teachers of Ireland WORKSHOP

irishboard — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:12:03 +0000

I understand that this workshop (scheduled for Sunday 19 February) has been postponed.

Keep an eye out for a new date.

Sligo Féis Ceoil

irishboard — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:56:04 +0000

The nice people at Sligo Féis Ceoil have asked me to remind you that the closing date for entries is STRICTLY 24 February. The Féis takes place at Easter.

It’s open to all and they have some amazing prizes, scholarships and bursaries on offer in some of the competitions. One of them is worth €500! So even if you’re not from Sligo, it’s definitely worth having a look.

This link (Sligo Féis Ceoil) is to their Facebook page which has up-to-date information on the féis and on which you’ll find a further link to their main website.

Period Movement and Costume

irishboard — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:11:31 +0000

A query from a teacher about the theory of Period Movement sparked a quick internet search.

I found a quite remarkable book called ‘Playing Period Plays‘ by Lyn Oxenford. It was published first in 1957 and it contains significant detail about dress, costumes, music and manners in various theatrical periods: Medieval and early Tudor, Elizabethan and Jacobean, Restoration and Georgian, and Victorian and Edwardian.

For each period, Oxenford considers the spirit of the plays of the period, movement in costume (including very detailed descriptions of costumes), occupations, manners and dances, and music. There are illustrations, historical notes, further reading suggestions and suggestions for scenes to practice the movement of the period.

Here’s a link to the book on Amazon.co.uk: ‘Playing Period Plays’

The one I got cost £1.90 plus postage.

Examination bookings

irishboard — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:02:06 +0000

January was very busy with advance bookings of centres. March is pretty well booked out for exams now with just one or two slots still available. April is filling up very fast, and we have a some exams already provisionally booked in May, June and September (!).

Growing Up in Ireland

irishboard — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:36:03 +0000

The latest report from this important longitudinal study was published today and makes interesting reading. The study has been tracking 8000 nine year-olds and 11000 nine month-olds in order to build up a picture of the experience of childhood in Ireland.

The report published today focuses on the influence of out-of-school activities on educational performance. Among the findings were that those children who engage in ‘cultural’ pursuits outside school (e.g. speech and drama) seem to perform better at certain school subjects (such as reading and maths) than those who don’t. Cultural pursuits was only one of the indicators of enhanced performance but, for speech and drama teachers, this is very good news and something that can and should be highlighted to parents.

The report also notes that these educational benefits can be negated for children who engage in too many out of school activities. I feel very strongly about this and I am pleased that an authoritative report has highlighted the potential damage to children who are simply too busy. Time to do nothing and even be bored is an essential part of the value of childhood.

Here’s a link to the page on the Growing Up in Ireland site announcing today’s publication: Growing Up in Ireland – ‘Influences on 9-Year-Olds’ Learning: Home, School and Community

Booking Centres with the Irish Board

irishboard — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:20:58 +0000

Just a reminder: February and March are filling up very quickly with examination bookings and many dates are already unavailable. Please don’t leave it till the last minute to book your exams and always have a few date options in mind. Contact us by phone or email.

Feiseanna

irishboard — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:17:57 +0000

Many feiseanna take place just before or during Easter and you’d want to keep an eye on closing dates, which will be coming up soon. Our list of feiseanna in Ireland can be found HERE.

January 2012 Newsletter

irishboard — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:05:46 +0000

Click here for a downloadable copy, although it is going in the post today.