Perform Drama, Dance & Singing Classes

Perform has been running at Farnham Maltings every Wednesday during term time since January 2011. The venue is at Bridge Square, Farnham (GU9 7QR), and the consecutive timetable — 4:00–5:00pm for 4–7s, then 5:05–6:05pm for 7–12s — means children in different age groups can attend the same evening.

The teacher at this venue is Dan, with Producer Eleanor Meg and Area Partner Gemma providing local support. Every session weaves together drama, dance and singing, and the focus shifts each week within a termly theme. Perform calls the underlying framework the 4 Cs — Confidence, Concentration, Communication and Coordination — and these are built into each activity rather than taught separately.

For the 4–7s, a session moves through physical games and yoga-inspired movement, then specially composed songs and tongue-twisters, then character work and storytelling improvisation. The 7–12s go further into acting technique, vocal projection, physicality and accents, alongside movement that builds toward more technical coordination work, and speech and singing in small groups where most children get a solo or featured moment. This summer the 4–7s theme is Mermaids & Pirates; the 7–12s are working through The Dream, based on A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Class sizes are capped at 22 children, with two Perform staff present every session. Because the curriculum is rolling, children can join at any point in term rather than waiting for a start date. The current Farnham term runs from 15 April to 15 July, with no session on Wednesday 27 May. Three times a year, family and friends are invited to Open Workshops and end-of-term Presentations to see what children have been working on.