Story and Photos by CARLOS RUBEN DOURADO
brats@thestar.com.my

IT’S great to see more and more young Malaysians immersed in the performing arts these days. And as more of them start taking part in school plays and musicals, more educational platforms are needed to help them truly excel at performing.

That’s where The Actors Studio Academy, located within the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLpac), comes in.

Founded in 1989 by Joe Hasham and Datuk Faridah Merican, the Academy aims to nurture young talents and mould them to be future performers.

Recently, the Academy introduced a Speech & Drama programme for children, consisting of 3 whole semesters, with each semester lasting an average of three months.

Each semester focuses on a different aspect of the performing arts – speech and drama, musical theatre and production.

Resident director at The Actors Studio Academy, Mark Beau De Silva, coaches children from as young as three.

“We teach these kids about physical and vocal technique as well as introduce them to popular plays, and it’s amazing how they are willing to learn and grasp everything! And they work especially better when surrounded by other kids of the same age group,” said De Silva in an interview with the BRATs.

The Academy’s administrator, Deda Abdullah, said they have different levels of classes for the children. “For children aged three to six, we have the Preschool Drama programme, and for seven to 17-year-olds, we have the Speech & Drama programme.

“The Speech & Drama programme is also separated into Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels, where students will move from one level to the next from year to year, learning a variety of methods that will help them in their performances,” said Deda.

Resident choreographer Lex Lakshman, teaches the children all they need to know about dancing and performing, and he said it’s amazing to see the transition that certain children make after enrolling in their classes.

“I often have very quiet kids coming in for their first class, and they’re always lost and scared. But over the weeks, they meet new friends of the same age group and begin to develop a lot of confidence. In the end, we actually see them performing like naturals. The transition they make from quiet and shy to loud and expressive is just amazing,” said Lex.

The Academy’s Publicist, Khayma Balakrishnan, also stressed how much this programme helps the children come out of their shells.

“I’m also an assistant teacher here at the academy, and how these kids progress is wonderful. Children are normally confined when in school, told that they have to think a certain way – and that’s five days a week.

“But they come here once a week and we teach them that in the performing world, there is no right or wrong. The kids are allowed to break away from their comfort zone and really try something new, without being restricted. They can explore and express themselves in ways that suit them,” said Khayma.

The Actors Studio Academy has already begun the second semester of its Speech & Drama programme, but students can still enrol for the next intake. The Preschool Drama programme costs RM250 per semester, while the Speech & Drama programme cost RM360 per semester. For more information, visit theactorsstudio.com.my or email
academy@klpac.org.