Perform drama classes for 7-12s

Perform has been running at St Andrew's Hall on Albert Road, Caversham since October 2003. The Saturday afternoon slot runs from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm and is led by Producer Sophia and Teacher Victoria, with Area Partner Sophie overseeing the wider region. The current summer term runs from 11 April to 18 July, and this term's 7–12s theme is The Dream — a retelling of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream populated with Oberon, Titania and a cast of footballers, popstars and celebrities.

Each session divides into three sections. Acting and improvising takes in drama games, focus work, vocal projection, physicality and accents — work aimed at building presence, leadership and public-speaking skills. Movement and dance starts with energetic group exercises before progressing to more technical work on coordination and balance. Speech and singing rounds things off: it develops vocal flexibility, articulation and basic musical reading, and small group sizes mean most children get a solo or featured role. Classes are capped at 22 children, with two Perform staff members in every class.

Perform's curriculum is built around what it calls the 4 Cs — Confidence, Concentration, Communication and Coordination — woven into every activity across the term. Because the programme runs on a rolling basis, children can join at any point rather than waiting for a new term to begin. Three times a year, families are invited to half-termly Open Workshops and end-of-term Presentations where children show what they have been working on. Parents also receive a personalised written Feedback Form from the Producer and a weekly email explaining that session's focus.