Tag Archives: change

Fun internship for 2019

Quote

Posted on by
Reply

intern
Have you ever considered an doing an internship? Do you possess the Three Es to go with our Three Cs? At Act The Maggot we focus on Confidence, Creativity and Communication. We are delighted to announce a new Internship initiative for 2019. Are you Enthusiastic, Efficient and Engaging? Do you want to have fun while gaining invaluable experience working for a hip arts organisation? Better yet, do you want to try a course in any of the following for FREE: Public Speaking, Drawing, Creative Writing or Acting? We are on the look out for three amazing interns for Thursdays and two for Tuesdays in early 2019.

“Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success.” Swami Sivananda

Each internship will be for an 8-week duration and will involve social media, marketing, old school postering in city centre and reception duties one night a week for the duration of the course you choose to take! Take a look at the following dates and see if you can Act The Maggot around your schedule. There is no age limit to this offer. We want enthusiastic, efficient and engaging interns to join our family.

Internship 1/Marketing begins Jan 17 then Thursday nights 7pm-10pm: Jan 31 to March 7, 2019
Internship 2/Marketing begins Feb 28 then Thursday night 7pm-10pm: March 14 to April 18, 2019
Internship 3/Marketing begins Feb 21 then Tuesday night 7pm-10pm: March 5 to April 9, 2019
Internship 4/Marketing begins Feb 21 then Tuesday night 7pm-10pm: March 5 to April 9, 2019
Internship 5/Marketing begins April 25 then Thursday night 7pm-10pm: May 9 to June 13, 2019

In return for your help, you will be welcome to take a course of your choice completely free. On Thursdays you can take Beginners’ Acting and on Tuesdays you can take Public Speaking, Beginners’ Drawing or Beginners’ Creative Writing. Make sure to roam around our website and social media links for details.

HOW TO APPLY
Start following us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram today – then send us your CV (please include your social media handles) and request which of the 5 internships you want and why – to actthemaggot@gmail.com – application deadline is Friday December 7, 2018.

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” Steve Jobs

Evening classes all go on MiddleFab Street

Posted on by
Reply

eveningWhat a buzz we have created with our evening classes in town! We’ve been having a major maggoty Autumn on Middle Abbey street! There’s been heaps of new maggots and old ones breaking out of their comfort zones, exploring their creativity and generally having a super time in our evening classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Our Tuesday night Public Speaking class has come on leaps and bounds and next week they will put their new skills to the test with full on speechifying. level2Our Thursday night Level 2 maggots took to the stage last week and did a fantastic job preparing and delivering an entertaining mix of serious and comedic monologues in front of a live audience. Our creative writers are scribbling away next door to the artists who are learning the rudiments of drawing and rumour has it some sort of collaboration between the two classes is emerging. screen-shot-2017-11-08-at-12-37-07See what happens when all these creative souls mingle? Last night a whole new crop of beginner maggots got together and hopefully those first night nerves have been put to bed forever and it’ll be plain sailing from here on in. We also began our Level 3 Scene Study class and finally cast everyone and had our first read through this week. Now this is one showcase that should not be missed – especially because we’ll be having our Act The Maggot annual Christmas drinks on the same night!

“Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery – celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from – it’s where you take them to.”

[MovieMaker Magazine #53 – Winter, January 22, 2004 ]”
― Jim Jarmusch

Draw out the fun in yourself this Autumn

Posted on by
Reply

tootoot Act, Write or Draw! It’s playtime folks! Here’s your chance to tap into your inner maggot, er sorry your inner child. Have lots of fun trying out new hobbies or rekindling your love of old ones having let life get in the way. Our previous students from our Beginners Drawing, Beginners Creative Writing and Beginners Acting classes have lots to say about how Act The Maggot has impacted on their everyday lives, from feeling lighter, more creative, more social and even noticing these benefits while at work!

“Act the maggot took me to a place I haven’t been since I was a child. A place of pure joy. You meet great people from all walks of life and form firm friendships. I got to express myself in a way that I could never do in any conventional adult learning scenario and it made me feel like I was 10 feet tall.”
– Shane Lynam, Director, Elearn.ie
screen-shot-2017-11-08-at-12-37-32
So come try it out. It might be hard to get a place but we are worth that waiting list. What’s all the rage this Autumn is our new Drawing class and our consistently popular Creative Writing and Acting classes. All of them are geared towards the beginner.

“You spend so much time laughing that you don’t realise until the end of the course how much change has taken place and how much inhibition has been shed.”
– Grainne Daly, Enterprise ireland

If you’d like to know more about the story and genesis of Act The Maggot – read about it in the Dublin Inquirer. If you want to sign up for our next courses in Drawing, Creative Writing, Acting or Public Speaking please drop us an email to actthemaggot@gmail.com – you can see all the relevant info about each class on their links.

“For anyone giving a speech, a presentation, or talking in public, I would really recommend ‘Act The Maggot.’ Amy made it much much easier than I could ever have imagined. This course certainly made me feel a whole lot better and no longer do I have that sense of dread or fear.” Shane Donohoe – former student.
wedding speech

Culture Night Madness

Posted on by
Reply

img_4446.jpgYes. It’s finally almost here. Culture Night is coming this Friday, September 21, 2018. We cannot wait. Act The Maggot is absolutely thrilled to be part of this amazing adventure @CultureNight We are offering free taster classes in beginners Drawing, Beginners Creative Writing, Beginners Improv and Mindfulness Meditation for Beginners. We are so excited to meet you all on Middle Abbey Street in Dublin! Culture Night has become a huge, national event and it reminds us of all the amazing experiences we can avail of right here in our cities and towns thanks to the tireless work of people who dedicate their lives to working in area of arts and culture. Go on, for Dubliners anyway, explore your city then yourself! Our Drawing classes are totally booked our but there are still some free spots left in Improv, Creative Writing or Mindfulness. Book here

Note: For those who come on the night, you will also have the opportunity to register on the night for our next batch of courses in Creative Writing, Drawing or Acting – all fun for the beginner!

Poetry, sizzling summer festivals and screenwriting!

Posted on by
Reply

billy-collinsI have revised my love for the American poet Billy Collins. Now I adore him. I’ve been working on a personal project this summer which has been consuming a lot of my attention. I am writing writing writing all the time but now I am dedicating my free time to learning the craft of screenwriting. I never forget my true love – poetry – the origin of all great writing and theatre. I’m feeling very fortunate to have stumbled upon the great teaching talent that is Mary Kate O Flanagan. Now there is a person who understands story on the screen. Discussing her work would require another post – or several – which I will get to. Here’s her own website if you are curious. Anyways, earlier in June, I was down at the Festival of Ideas and Writing in Borris, Co. Carlow and I was over the moon the finally hear and see and eventually meet the great poet Billy Collins. As I have most recently been studying story structure his poem Aristotle is so fitting. Have a read.

Aristotle by Billy Collins

This is the beginning.
Almost anything can happen.
This is where you find
the creation of light, a fish wriggling onto land,
the first word of Paradise Lost on an empty page.
Think of an egg, the letter A,
a woman ironing on a bare stage
as the heavy curtain rises.
This is the very beginning.
The first-person narrator introduces himself,
tells us about his lineage.
The mezzo-soprano stands in the wings.
Here the climbers are studying a map
or pulling on their long woolen socks.
This is early on, years before the Ark, dawn.
The profile of an animal is being smeared
on the wall of a cave,
and you have not yet learned to crawl.
This is the opening, the gambit,
a pawn moving forward an inch.
This is your first night with her,
your first night without her.
This is the first part
where the wheels begin to turn,
where the elevator begins its ascent,
before the doors lurch apart.
This is the middle.
Things have had time to get complicated,
messy, really. Nothing is simple anymore.
Cities have sprouted up along the rivers
teeming with people at cross-purposes—
a million schemes, a million wild looks.
Disappointment unshoulders his knapsack
here and pitches his ragged tent.
This is the sticky part where the plot congeals,
where the action suddenly reverses
or swerves off in an outrageous direction.
Here the narrator devotes a long paragraph
to why Miriam does not want Edward’s child.
Someone hides a letter under a pillow.
Here the aria rises to a pitch,
a song of betrayal, salted with revenge.
And the climbing party is stuck on a ledge
halfway up the mountain.
This is the bridge, the painful modulation.
This is the thick of things.
So much is crowded into the middle—
the guitars of Spain, piles of ripe avocados,
Russian uniforms, noisy parties,
lakeside kisses, arguments heard through a wall—
too much to name, too much to think about.
And this is the end,
the car running out of road,
the river losing its name in an ocean,
the long nose of the photographed horse
touching the white electronic line.
This is the colophon, the last elephant in the parade,
the empty wheelchair,
and pigeons floating down in the evening.
Here the stage is littered with bodies,
the narrator leads the characters to their cells,
and the climbers are in their graves.
It is me hitting the period
and you closing the book.
It is Sylvia Plath in the kitchen
and St. Clement with an anchor around his neck.
This is the final bit
thinning away to nothing.
This is the end, according to Aristotle,
what we have all been waiting for,
what everything comes down to,
the destination we cannot help imagining,
a streak of light in the sky,
a hat on a peg, and outside the cabin, falling leaves.
Our next beginners creative writing class begins on September 25, 2018. Read more about it.

Beginners Acting class go on stage for first time!

Posted on by
Reply

lev2-may3They knocked it out of the park! Yes. Our Level 2 Acting class took their polished monologues to the stage last night to a rapt and appreciative audience. They had shown up to class and worked consistently over the past five weeks and that imagination and effort definitely paid off. It was hard to believe that for most of them, it was their very first time to perform in front of a live audience. Although their hearts were all rattling around inside their chests – the audience was none the wiser – they got rounded characters with great stories to tell. Well done all. We were sorry that a number of classmates, due to work or health issues were not able to take part in the showcase. They were missed. They can always hop onto the September Level 2 class. It is wonderful to watch the transformation of these students.  They arrive as complete beginners. Most of them start out even a little intimidated or shy! Yes. Hard to believe. But the metamorphosis that takes place is beautiful to see. The foundation of the six week Beginners Acting class has given them a clear understanding of what is expected in order to work towards a first time performance.  Then in just five short weeks they get themselves ready to take the stage with a memorised and fully rehearsed character. Really well done to all of them. The audience feedback was excellent. Definitely looking forward to seeing how these maggots develop in Level 3. If you think acting is something you might like to try, get in touch. Maggots come for a myriad of reasons. Some sign up to learn the rudiments of acting, others join us to develop confidence for public speaking engagements, others for the social aspect. One thing is for sure, that everyone comes to laugh and act the maggot once a week for a few hours. Take a look around the website and read our testimonials

If you’ve got any questions, don’t hesitate to drop us a line at acthemaggot@gmail.com.

“Create” your way to better mental health this summer

Posted on by
Reply

img_4446.jpgSometimes it can feel that becoming well again and staying well is all hard work and no fun at all. “Eat well, exercise, sleep early, take your meds, don’t drink too much alcohol, tea or coffee, avoid noisy, loud places – learn to meditate and how to stand on your head or do the downward dog!! Are you tired of being so serious about minding your mental health? Do you feel like having some fun? The road to recovery can be a winding, challenging journey but it can be an enjoyable one too, when shared with peers. Remembering how to act the maggot again can be an integral part of your recovery. Build confidence and have fun tapping into your creativity with this 6-week course. During this Drama for Self Esteem course you will explore gentle, fun drama exercises in a safe, relaxed environment. Simple mindfulness tools will also be incorporated into each session. Confidentiality and mutual respect is important in order to build group trust so participants can learn, have fun and really enjoy themselves. Limited places.nido2
Drama for Self Esteem – Lantern Centre, Dublin. See googlemaps

Thursdays 2pm – 4pm – May 10 to June 14, 2018   – €150 per person.

Participants can be any age as long as they are over 18!
Wear loose comfortable clothing and bring water.

N.B. This course is recommended to compliment your current wellness treatment plan. While the benefits may be therapeutic, this course is not intended as a replacement for any form of therapy. If the idea of signing up for this course excites you more than it scares you (a little bit of fear is good!) and you feel you are able for the social aspect, get in touch. Maybe you can seek the advice of your counsellor, GP, family or friends. If you feel you are not up to taking part right now, that’s ok too. Don’t rush yourself. Be kind and patient with yourself. This course will happen again.

Who is this course for?
Mental Health Therapists ◆ Psychologists Social Workers, Teachers ◆ University Lecturers ◆ Psychotherapists ◆ Medical Doctors ◆ Nurses ◆ Carers ◆ Healers ◆ Art Therapists ◆ Students ◆ Psychiatrists ◆ Psychiatric Nurses ◆ Mental Health Nurses ◆ Support Workers ◆ Counsellors ◆ Clinical Managers ◆ Holistic Therapists ◆ Parents ◆ Facilitators ◆ Coaches ◆ Drugs Project Workers ◆ Social Workers ◆ and anybody who wants to empower and support their own or someone else’s Health and Healing.

Drama for Self Esteem will take place on Thursday afternoons from 2pm – 4pm – May 10 to June 14, 2018 in the

Zephyr Room,
Lantern Centre,
15 Synge St.,
Dublin 8, Ireland
See googlemaps

For more information or to book your place please contact actthemaggot@gmail.com

The act of writing by hand engenders true mindfulness

Posted on by
Reply

quote1-w“The Creative Writing course with Act the Maggot opened my mind to the world of words. I have always written creatively and this course made my writing better and gave me a better sense of what and how I write. Thanks to the teacher, we were able to explore the art of writing and poetry in depth. ”
Testimonial from Marluce Lima, student from January 2018 group

The following is an extract from an interesting article published in Forbes Magazine proposing an argument that writing with pen and paper in longhand is a powerful tool for learning, relaxation creativity and connection.

Stephen King purportedly wrote Dreamcatcher in longhand — using a Waterman cartridge pen. J. K. Rowling penned The Tales of Beedle the Bard — all 157 pages of it — in longhand, and the leather-bound tome sold for almost $4M at auction. F. Scott Fitzgerald did it, as did Hemingway, Kafka and countless others, each of whom had access to either a typewriter or, later, a computer. They all chose to put pen to paper and see where it took them. This is perhaps the true magic of a pen: It transports us to unexpected places, on wings that require no more than a timely shot of ink to keep them aloft, destination unknown. And in the process, the mindfulness writing engenders encourages calm and creativity. Here are three proven ways that handwriting is good for your brain…

1. Handwriting increases neural activity in certain sections of the brain, similar to meditation. According to a study performed at the Indiana University, the mere action of writing by hand unleashes creativity not easily accessed in any other way. And high-tech magnetic resonance imaging has indeed shown that low-tech writing by hand increases neural activity in certain sections of the brain much like meditation.

2. Handwriting sharpens the brain and helps us learn. Writing is good for keeping one’s grey matter sharp and may even influence how we think, as in “more positively,” studies show. Apparently sequential hand movements, like those used in handwriting, activate large regions of the brain responsible for thinking, language, healing and working memory.

3. Handwriting forces us to slow down and smell the ink. Another often-overlooked benefit of writing by hand is that it just plain forces us to slow down and enjoy the moment — a novelty in today’s world where immediacy reigns. Mindful writing rests the brain, potentially sparking creativity, according to neuroscientist, Dr. Claudia Aguirre.

Want to try it out? Book your spot today on our next six-week Creative Writing class aimed at beginners. It starts on Tuesday, April 17th. You will cover character, plot, structure, poetry and do lots of writing exercises in class. It’s guaranteed to have you scribbling your way through Spring! Read about our course here. Drop us a line – actthemaggot@gmail.com if you wish to book or if you want to ask any questions.

 

Get out of your comfort zone! Booking now open for all three of our Spring courses.

Posted on by
Reply

screen-shot-2018-02-16-at-17-48-07“Act the Maggot took me to a place I haven’t been since I was a child. A place of pure joy. You meet great people from all walks of life and form firm friendships. I got to express myself in a way that I could never do in any conventional adult learning scenario and it made me feel like I was 10 feet tall.” – Shane Lynam, Director, Elearn.ie

level3

Try one of our signature beginner classes and you won’t regret it! Always been curious about the acting game? Try our six week Thursday night class in Beginners’ Acting for Adults starting March 22. quote4-wFond of developing story-lines and characters but don’t know how to get started with a writing project or just haven’t developed a good discipline? Try our six week class Tuesday night class in Beginners’ Creative Writing.

Or have you always liked drawing or just want to try it out? It’s a fantastic way to unwind and relax. Try our six week Tuesday night class in Beginners’ Drawing.

Life drawing #pencil

Life drawing #pencil

At Act The Maggot – everyone is a beginner!! Some of our maggots have tried all three at different times of the year. Take a look around and make up your mind. We answer queries at acttthemaggot@gmail.com

Write it out! Join a fun, creative writing for beginners

Posted on by
Reply

cw2018Would you like to write down your ideas and thoughts and play with story and character? Writing is such a wonderful hobby to develop, especially for those cosy, indoor afternoon and evenings in the coming months. Here are some testimonials from our previous courses.

“I went into with a good attitude and I wasn’t let down. My teacher was brilliant. He had an amazing passion for writing that he shared with all of his students. He shared good resources with us all and gave us a beginners insight into the writing world. Something that other courses don’t offer. I couldn’t recommend the course enough and I’m looking forward to doing another course with Act the Maggot.”

quote3-w

“Act the Maggot was an excellent experience and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone with an interest is developing their writing skills or adapting their knowledge to serve an alternate purpose. With a diverse group of those looking to achieve different goals and pursue various methods of writing, we each have greatly gained from the course.”

“It was excellent and our teacher was amazing.”
“This was a great experience. It stretched my abilities and gave me confidence to carry on scribbling. Thanks to the teacher for his encouragement and easy manner. Keep up the good work.”

Read about the next Creative Writing course. If you have any queries please email us at actthemaggot@gmail.com