FAQ's
How often do sessions occur?
Our weekly classes run in term time, coinciding with Bristol school term dates. We also run one-off workshops in the school holidays. Our Term Dates are available on our website.
From what age do you take students?
Our regular classes are as follows:
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Little Rascals - Reception to Year 2
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Bandits - Year 3 to Year 6
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Scoundrels - Year 7 to Year 9
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Miscreants - Year 7 to Year 13
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Adults - 18 plus
Please note: our children's classes are only suitable for children who already attend school. Experience tells us that any child, no matter how confident, who has not experienced the more formal atmosphere of the school setting, does struggle in our classes.
Will the students perform in a show?
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Bandits/Scoundrels/Miscreants - these classes perform one production a year in a professional theatre space.
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Little Rascals - these classes perform a showcase twice a year in an informal theatre space for parents and families to enjoy and for children to show what they have learnt.
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Adults - they undertake a performative project each year which could leave to a full production, a showcase or a recorded experience.
How much do classes cost?
This depends on the age group, length of the class, length of the class term, location etc so please get in touch for full details.
We charge a monthly subscription which charges each month for the number of sessions in a month and so the cost each month varies. However, this can be calculated, in advance, each month by checking out our term dates.
Are there any additional costs?
Membership fee - This is mandatory for all children's class and is paid when the child enrols into the class after a taster (please note slight change of Little Rascal classes below). This covers the costs associated with putting on a performance (e.g. venue hire, costumes, props, technicians, and extra staff). The membership fee comes with a free t shirt, free photographs of the shows etc (full details can be found in our members benefit leaflet, a link to which is in our brochure). Costs for our membership fee is also available in our brochure.
For our Little Rascals, who perform two showcases a year, if a child stays with us for a whole year then they pay the membership fee twice (one for each show), one payment in the Autumn term to cover the December show and one to cover the summer show made at the end of the Spring Term.
Adults - if the project leads to a full performance or any additional costs associated with that event, this is charged as a one-off performance fee. The cost depends on the complexity of the project and will be requested in the lead up to the event. Inclusion in the project is voluntary.
How do I join?
Please have a look at our classes pages and get in touch using the form below letting us know which session(s) you are interested in. We will provide you with full details and send you a link to our admin system Love Admin/JoinIn where you can create and account and purchase your taster session or book onto regular classes. Before your first session, you will also receive an email with full joining instructions including FAQs and venue information.
Do you offer tasters?
If we have space available, we are happy to offer a 1-week paid taster to any of our prospective students. This means you can attend a session before committing. If you are interested in booking a paid taster session, just get in touch via the form below.
Please note, due to the administration time taken to sign up a student to our classes, we are unable to offer refunds for tasters. In exceptional circumstances we may choose too provide a refund (minus administration fee) but this will always be at our discretion.
What if I can't attend a Taster I have booked?
We do understand that things such an illness and unexpected events can get in the way and therefore, we will always do our best to move a taster if we can. For various reasons this is not always possible, for example, the class is full running a waiting list or we are too close to a performance. If we are able to move the date we are only able to hold the spot for 1 week. Requests for a longer time span than 1 week will be taken on a case by case basis.
Can students join drama classes mid term?
As long as we have spaces and we are not imminently about to perform a show, we are happy to welcome new students at any time. If casting has already taken place for our show, we will always ensure they are included in any casting that we can not matter how far into rehearsals we are.
If a class is full, can I join a waiting list?
Absolutely, if a class is full we would encourage you to join our waiting list for any class, the sooner you are on the list the sooner you can be offered a space when one does come free.
Do you take childcare vouchers?
Unfortunately we are not in a position to offer childcare vouchers. The scheme is a costly and time consuming process which, to a small organisation such as ours, presents a significant amount of administration costs which would need to be reflected in our pricing structure.
We do believe that there are benefits to a small, local organisation because we offer a very personal service for a reasonable price as opposed to the larger, more expensive national organisations out there.
Who runs your classes?
We have a team of experienced facilitators who are fully DBS checked and First Aid trained and are covered by our professional indemnity insurance. We also run Safeguarding training annually with all our staff. Each class also has an assistant facilitator to ensure good staff/pupil ratios. Do check out our Team page.
We are affiliated with the Children's Activity Association and are a 2 gold kite registered organisation with the Institute of Children's Activity providers which ensures that we are fully compliant in terms of the policies and processes that ensure a safe environment for all students. All our Policies are available on our website.
Can parents/guardians watch classes?
These are all drop off sessions and so we encourage you to prepare children to come in through the door on their own. However, we do understand that some children, especially little ones, may settle more easily coming in with you but would need you to leave as soon as they are settled. If so, please let us know in advance and we can talk it through. We usually find that, once they are in the space, children get fully engaged quickly.
If you are joining us in September, we can find that pupils who are just starting school (Reception) and also just starting our classes can find the whole experience a little too much so early on in the school year, especially in our after-school classes. The change is significant for children and so additional classes can become a little overwhelming. So we do try to encourage a Saturday class for new/younger pupils as this means they do not have to add a further hour onto their day.
How do I pay?
We charge a monthly subscription fee and use a secure database which manages both students data, consents and making payments. You only pay for the number of sessions remaining in a month and so if you join mid month you are only ever paying for the remaining sessions left. Full information is provided when you sign up.
Our Terms and Conditions are available on our website.
How much notice do I have to give should we decide not to continue?
We know that circumstances change and you may have to leave before the end of the year. There is no notice period as such but you do need to provide notice in writing via email and not verbally during class to be sure we remove you from the class and stop your subscription. Please note that if you leave mid month then we do not refund the remainder of the month.
Get in touch!