Last Beginners Acting class of now 2017 SOLD OUT!

img_4446.jpgThere are lots of people in Dublin who want to act the maggot!! Many sign up for different reasons.To learn how to act, how to improvise, have fun, meet new people, develop confidence or to just get off that couch! Thanks for all your queries and especially to all our previous maggots who support us by great word of mouth. Thanks to all of you, the Nov 2 to Dec 7 class is now completely sold out. Sorry to disappoint. Drop us a line at actthemaggot@gmail.com to book your place on our next six-week Beginners’ Acting class which will kick off on January 25, 2018. We look forward to AkinDaMagga with ya in the New Year!

Well done to Level 2 Maggots!

What a fun night we had with the beginner actors who are beginners no more!  After successfully finishing Level 1 – a six week course for absolute beginners, they completed five weeks of Level 2 and took to the stage last night. For most of them, it was their first time ever in front of a live audience. They were all very chuffed and rightly so. Celebratory drinks went down well after. What a buzz. Well done all.

Making movies is no longer pie in the sky but the script is all.

typewriterSo we are in Dublin. It’s not Hollywood, Bollywood nor Nollywood – but there are tons of film and television production companies based here and even more directors and producers on the hunt for new material. And one thing we do well in this town is tell a story. People come to Dublin from all over the world to celebrate writers and storytellers and that’s not just in the bars and nightclubs! Yes, what we believe at Act The Maggot is that, with a clear focus and some work, your screen dreams can be realised. In the film world, your short film is your calling card. You can make it yourself with a bunch of friends on a shoestring budget. Hell, you can make it on your phone. You can apply for the RTE Filmbase Short Shots annual competition and if you win that, you can get it made with funding. You have to start somewhere, but you must start with a script. In six short weeks acting the maggot, you can complete your first short film script and get a feel for the whole area. There is enormous pleasure in finishing a written project. In the beginning was the word….Seriously, emerging filmmakers often make the mistake of not spending enough time on the script. The script is all. It’s the blueprint for your film. The road map. So many production details can be ironed out or solved if the script is tight and economical. If you want to read more, take a look at our website and consider signing up for our next six-week course in Temple Bar.

Five reasons to take an art class

screen-shot-2017-05-31-at-09-45-241. Making art may reduce stress and anxiety.
2. Creating visual art improves connections in the brain.
3. Art making can help us get over sadness.
4. Mindless sketching can help focus.
5. Turning our problems into narratives can help us work through them.
Read the full article here
Read more about our next beginners drawing class

Sold Out!

tootootBoth Sept 14 Level 1 beginners acting class and Sept 7 Level 2 acting class are now completely full. The next Level 1 beginners acting class will run from Nov 2 to Dec 7. Contact us at actthemaggot@gmail.com to book your spot. Our Level 3 acting class will kick off Oct 19 and will finish on Nov 30. There will be another Level 2 class in March 2018. Booking is now open also for Tuesday night classes: Beginners Creative Writing (Sept 26), Beginners Drawing (Sept 26) and Beginners Screenwriting (Oct 3). Get looking and get booking maggots. Places fill fast.

See latest testimonials for Beginners’ Creative Writing

quote4-w“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.”

“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

Check out the latest testimonials from the May Beginners’ Acting

BEGINNERS“I absolutely loved every second of it and the teacher was amazing.”

“Exceeded expectations! The teacher was very good at creating a safe space and was very encouraging all the way through. Amazing positive energy!”

“I thoroughly enjoyed the course. Such an amazing teacher and the rest of the class were great fun and very supportive.”

“Very enjoyable. Activities are multiple and various. There is no boring time! I liked it.”

“It was wonderful. So many games to play, so many moments where you could try things out you would never do in normal life. The teacher was so kind, motivating and fun. The group was friendly, tolerant and supporting all the time. We became closer and closer with each session, just because we shared one passion: Escape yourself for two hours and feel as free as a child again.”

If you are interested in joining our next beginners acting class contact us at actthemaggot@gmail.com or 087 3744926 and we will see if there is a place for you.

A few spots left…..hurry!

tootootGrab your place while you can. Our final Beginner’s Acting class before the summer break starts next week. There are still a few places left so give us a bell or an email to guarantee six weeks of silliness and laughter for yourself. Hurry. It books out every time! Yeah, get out and about! Sure, what else would you be doing with those long summer evenings, except acting the maggot? Read some of the testimonials to help make up your mind.

If I had my life to live over again?

thisisitWorth pondering over these thoughts from 85-year old Nadine Stair when she was asked this very question.

If I had my life to live over again,
I’d dare to make more mistakes next time.
I’d relax.
I’d limber up.
I’d be sillier than I’ve been this trip.
I would take fewer things seriously.
I would take more chances,
I would eat more ice cream and less beans.
I would, perhaps, have more actual troubles but fewer imaginary ones.
you see, I’m one of those people who was sensible and sane,
hour after hour,
day after day.

Oh, I’ve had my moments.
If I had to do it over again,
I’d have more of them.
In fact, I’d try to have nothing else- just moments,
one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day.
I’ve been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot-water bottle, a raincoat, and a parachute.
If I could do it again, I would travel lighter than I have.

If I had to live my life over,
I would start barefoot earlier in the spring
and stay that way later in the fall.
I would go to more dances,
I would ride more merry-go-rounds,
I would pick more daisies.

– Nadine Stair

Also worth having a read of what Mrs. Mindfulness has to say about slowing down. She thinks we all ought to hurry up and slow down!

Charlie Chaplin’s poetry

screen-shot-2017-06-08-at-11-52-33Gifted comic, dancer, actor, writer, filmmaker, director and so much more. He even began the first union for artists in Hollywood!. Not many of us know that Charlie Chaplin wrote poetry as well as all of his other talents. Have a read here of his amazing poem on self love.