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SOURCE:	Nashua (NH) Telegraph
AUDIENCE:	76,844 [provided by Nielsen//NetRatings]
DATE:	11-09-2006
HEADLINE:	Drama group helps kids through awkard stage

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By JENN McDOWELL, Telegraph Staff Published: Thursday, Nov. 9, 2006

Tyler Hoyt, 10, left, Aaron Thompson, 9, and Shaunne LeMay, 9, watch David Robson, 10, all of Tyngsborough, Mass., perform an inpromptu phone call during acting class Wednesday, Oct. 25, at the Tyngsborough Recreational Center. Drama Kids, a national acting organization, teaches kids acting techniques and helps them network for acting jobs. At 10, A.J. Donaher of Chelmsford, Mass., has already learned how important it is to clearly speak his mind.

His mother, Kim, said the fifth-grader at Parker Middle School used to have a difficult time with his speech. He spoke with frenzied speed, frequently stumbling over words, making it impossible to understand him. His academics and socialization were suffering because of his inability to effectively communicate.

The family doctor suggested the desperate mother find a speech-oriented activity program to remedy her son's problem. Her search led her to Drama Kids International, an acting program with franchises across the country and globe, including in Asia, Australia and South Africa.

According to Rebecca Michaud, the director of the Merrimack Valley franchise, the program's aim is to enhance self-confidence and communication skills, both verbal and nonverbal, that will facilitate each child's growth and advancement into adulthood regardless of whether he or she chooses acting as a profession.

"It's what we call a developmental drama program. We're really focused on what the children are getting out of the program," Michaud said.

The Drama Kids classes are divided by age: "Lower Primary," ages 5-8; "Upper Primary," ages 9-12; and "Youth Theatre," ages 13-17. The teen group focuses more on the actual aspects of theater, but reinforces the basic communication skills taught in the lower level classes.

The program's instructors travel to various locations in Greater Nashua, including Nashua, Derry, Salem and Hudson, as well as some Massachusetts border towns, including Tyngsborough.

Classes catering to each separate age group are held once a week at a central location within each town. Each class is made up of drama exercises that focus on presence, expression, diction, sentence clarity and projection.

It was exactly what the young man needed to finally get past his speech difficulties and boost his self-esteem.

"I like how they help me articulate," Donaher said in a precise, deliberate tone.

Kim Donaher is ecstatic about the positive steps her son has taken in the three years since he entered the program.

"Drama Kids International has helped him develop. You can't help but understand him now!" she said.

Michaud is equally amazed at Donaher's progression. "A.J. is unrecognizable from when he first walked in," she said. She added, "The thing that's affected most is the self-confidence."

Sandie Dillon, one of the traveling teachers for the Merrimack Valley franchise of Drama Kids, said that A.J. is just one success story among many she has witnessed in her two years of employment in the program.

"We get a lot of kids in the autism spectrum," she said, with ranges of mild to severe symptoms. "Drama is good for them because it helps them learn to express themselves," she explained.

Michaud added that the program has something to offer children of any personality type, from the timid and withdrawn to the rambunctious and extroverted. It is very structured and fast-paced, pushing the kids to actively participate and ingraining the skills taught into their minds.

For the Upper Primary group, Donaher's level in the program, a typical Drama Kids class includes a "verbal dynamic," in which the students repeat lines or short poems back to the instructor after hearing them only once. This exercise hones memorization and recitation skills.

The students also do a lot of improvisation exercises. "The children are learning to think quickly on their feet," Michaud said.

In the spring, the students in each level will participate in a play with their classmates. The plays are performed at the end of each year and are written exclusively for Drama Kids International to make sure that all of the students are equally included. In an effort to offer the children the full theater experience, Michaud said that no expense is spared in the elaborate costumes, theater rental and detailed settings used for these performances.

Michaud started the local franchise in May 2002 with her husband, Dennis, a computer engineer who had been recently laid off. At the time, she was working part-time as a drama teacher at schools and churches in the area.

Both were in need of a change when her husband began looking at franchises and fell upon Drama Kids International.

"Before we knew it, we were signing the dotted line," said Michaud, whose husband functions as the business manager for the franchise.

Michaud, who has been involved in drama for more than 30 years, said Drama Kids is the most inclusive drama program she has been involved with, and that the positive results speak for themselves. "This program delivers what it says it will deliver," she said.

For information on Drama Kids of the Merrimack Valley, including class times and locations, call Michaud at 880-9541 or e-mail her at dramakidsmv@hotmail.com. You can also log onto the Drama Kids International Web site, www.dramakids.com. Jenn McDowell can be reached at 594-6481 or jmcdowell@nashuatelegraph.com.

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Highlights: Drama Kids, Drama Kids International, Drama Kids International