By El Boydell
What do you get when you cross a game of sausage, a musical statue, and a song from Matilda? Sounds a lot like a Wit Kids drama or musical theatre class!
Wit Kids is a community program of weekly drama and musical theatre classes for local children aged 5-12, run by local independent theatre company Wit Incorporated. Now in its sixth year, the program offers kids a fun creative outlet, bringing with it all the benefits of drama –confidence, imagination, communication, social connection and more.
Said one Wit Kids parent about their child, “Her confidence has grown so much since she started here. It’s her favourite part of the week and I’m so glad we’ve finally found something she loves. The constant squeals of excitement I hear during lessons are a good indicator of how much fun they’re all having!”
Wit Kids is led by coordinator and teacher Madeleine Magee Carr – or Maddy to the kids. Maddy grew up singing and dancing her way through life in northern NSW, dreaming of a career in the arts. She went on to train in musical theatre and acting in Sydney and London, now blending her artistic career with teaching kids the fun and joy of drama.
“I love working with the kids and finding different ways of learning they can all connect with,” says Maddy. “For some that’s all about games, but this year we’ve also introduced Musical Theatre classes for kids who are motivated by a project they can playfully work on for a whole term – learning songs and simple choreography.”
Happily, Wit Kids has returned to its two local homes at Braybrook Community Hub Maribyrnong Community Centre this year. Wit Incorporated is committed to keeping the program accessible to as many families as possible, and so offers a full ten-weeks of after school classes for just $45 per child, with concession and solidarity rates also available. Partnership with Arts and Culture Maribyrnong as well as the two community centres helps Wit to subsidise classes, which actually cost over $120 per child each term to run, however philanthropic and donation support is also essential to the sustainability of the program.
Think Wit Kids sounds like a good idea for your family? Classes run Monday to Wednesday during term time, with all information available at witinc.com.au/wit-kids. Want to test them out before committing? Consider coming along to a FREE session these school holidays!
