Tag Archives: film

Testimonial Tuesday Beginners’ Creativity for Adults

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Beginners’ Creativity for Adults with Act The Maggot

“I want to get out of my comfort zone”

This is often the beginning of an email query from someone looking to book a course with Act The Maggot. In short Act The Maggot offers Beginners’ Creativity for Adults. Whether it is our signature beginners acting class our fun beginners creative writing class or our relaxing beginners pencil drawing class – there is one common denominator.

Beginners mind can lead to lasting change

People who rock up to Act The Maggot seek change. A change of scenery, a change or habit, a change of direction, a change of social life or indeed personal change. They are looking for beginners’ creativity for adults.

Testimonials

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

Shane first tried out the Beginners’ Acting and went on to complete our four levels of acting and appeared on stage with Act The Maggot several times. He also tried the creative writing class and he even wrote a short play for us. He also coaxed his then, girlfriend to try out the acting as well, and Catrina completed two levels with us. When those creative juices get going, there is no stopping us, folks.

All we need, is to give ourselves permission to play, find the right environment and surround ourselves with a supportive tribe. Shane is now engaged to be married and he and his fiancee Catrina have now moved out of Dublin. We miss them. We hope Shane and Catrina have found their new tribe in Ireland’s hidden heartlands and we wish them every happiness. I’ll finish our Testimonial Tuesday post with a quote from one of my all time favourite movies. Keep an eye out for our daily posts. Mindful Monday, Testimonial Tuesday, What’s on Wednesday, Throwback Thursday and Funny Friday.

You always had the power my dear. You just had to learn it for yourself. – Glinda, The Wizard of Oz.

Don’t be afraid to express your creative side and get in touch about Beginners’ Creativity for adults!

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Friday Night Improv

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frimprovWe are delighted to announce the long-awaited return our Friday Night Improv sessions.

What is Friday Night Improv?

This is our improv playground where participants are invited to come and play lots of games and improv their hearts out. Basically to return and Act The Maggot! A fantastic way to dust off those cobwebs, get your imagination going and release the tensions of the week. A fun, irreverent and relaxed environment. It’s also a perfect excuse to catch up with your act the maggot pals from previous courses and have a social drink after. We also welcome improv fans who have tried out improv elsewhere and like the idea of coming a long to these drop in sessions.

Where does it happen?

These sessions will take place in Chapterhouse on Fridays from 7.30pm to 10pm. Limited places. So put those dates in your diary.

Who can take part?

These Friday Night Improv workshops are NOT for beginners. You should have taken our flaghship Beginners’ Acting class or at least taken one course in Improvisation either with us or with other Imrpov groups.

The Friday Night Improv dates are

Friday Sept 6, 2019 – 7.30-10pm €25/€20 for maggot graduates

Friday, Sept 20, 2019 – there will be no FrImprov as it’s Culture Night at Chapterhouse!! (Free classes – book here through Eventbite).

Friday, Oct 4, 2019- 7.30-10pm €25/€20 for maggot graduates

Fri, Oct 18, 2019- 7.30-10pm €25/€20 for maggot graduates

Fri Nov 1, 2019- 7.30-10pm €25/€20 for maggot graduates

Fri Nov 15, 2019- 7.30-10pm €25/€20 for maggot graduates

Fri Nov 29, 2019- 7.30-10pm €25/€20 for maggot graduates

Intern Opportunity *** There is a possibility for one intern to get these 6 classes for FREE if they promote it and show up 30 minutes early each time to prepare the room and set up & clear away teas/coffees. Get in touch if you’d like to interview for this position.

Look at our website, www.actthemaggot.com
Contact us at actthemaggot@gmail.com for more information or to book your place.

To find out more – follow us on social media platform of your choice – @actthemaggot

These are drop in sessions but do mail us. Cash payable at the door.

Poetry, sizzling summer festivals and screenwriting!

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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.

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

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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

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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

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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.”

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“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

Creative Writing delayed by one week

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tootootDue to unforeseen circumstance the beginners’ creative writing class will commence a week later than advertised. It will now run from Tuesday Jan 30 to Tuesday March 7 inclusive. All classes are 7.30pm to 9.30pm. Contact us at actthemaggot@gmail.com if you would like to know more or book a place.

Happy New Year 2018

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Wishing all you maggots, non-maggots and maggots-in-the-making much health and happiness for the coming year. May you entertain and be entertained.

Improv can change your life

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Spotted a great article recently in the Guardian newspaper about the power of Improv to help fight anxiety and build confidence. Perhaps 2018 will be your year to move outside your comfort zone and try a beginner’s acting class. Our beginner’s acting class teaches you the rudiments of improvisation. We create a fun, supportive environment where participants can learn to truly act the maggot! No-one is judging and everyone spurs one another on. Here are some of the latest testimonials:

“Act the Maggot was a wonderful addition to my week. I enjoyed every class and learned a lot as I let my creative side free. Thank you.”

“I was very satisfied with the level 1 acting course. It had what I was hoping for – taking me outside of my comfort zone, meeting fun people and having the craic.”

“Enlightening”

“It was fantastic, really well spread out and the increase in difficulty each week was great as it really took me out of my comfort zone.”

“It was brilliant. Fun and learned lots.”

“Enjoyed the experience, meeting lovely people in a playful environment.”

There are still places available on our end of January course. Contact us with any queries – actthemaggot@gmail.com – If you don’t think acting is your bag you can always sign up for our fun creative writing or drawing courses. All of our six week courses take place in Dublin city centre on Middle Abbey Street.

Read fresh testimonials! Join us in 2018

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IMG_2801“Act the Maggot was a wonderful addition to my week. I enjoyed every class and learned a lot as I let my creative side free. Thank you.”

“I was very satisfied with the level 1 acting course. It had what I was hoping for – taking me outside of my comfort zone, meeting fun people and having the craic.”

“Enlightening”

“It was fantastic, really well spread out and the increase in difficulty each week was great as it really took me out of my comfort zone.”

“It was brilliant. Fun and learned lots.”

“Enjoyed the experience, meeting lovely people in a playful environment.”

For more information on new beginners acting, drawing or creative writing classes in 2018, click on each hyperlink and drop us an email actthemaggot@gmail.com – Yes! There are places available. We will put on extra courses to satisfy demand. Happy Christmas one and all!

 

Act The Maggot to begin a new chapter!

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xmasAct The Maggot is thrilled to be starting a new chapter in our ever developing story! That’s right, we have found a brand new home at Chapterhouse on Middle Abbey Street, right in the heart of Dublin city centre. We look forward to opening the doors of No. 73 for our signature beginner courses in Acting, Creative Writing and Drawing all kicking off the last week of January 2018. We also plan to offer some new courses and one off workshops throughout the year. We will launch a 12-week course called The Artist’s Way and a 6-week course in Public Speaking. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and feel free to contact is at anytime with your queries. Until then, have a great festive season and a very happy new year.chapterhouse