Werkz Youth
Werkz Youth
12-18yrs approx. (High school)
Thursdays, 4:30pm - 6:30pm
Saturdays, 10:00am-12:00pm - For Returning Students Only
at Louis Joel Arts and Community Centre, Theatre Space
(5 Sargood Street, Altona)
Instructors: Mia Boonen, Chris Rothwell, and Scarlett Rose
Cost: $620 per semester
A fully hands-on performing arts program for participants to create, develop and rehearse both original and published plays for performance. Combining creative play with technical skill, Dramawerkz Youth Theatre students become well-rounded and engaging performers.
Students work as an ensemble towards two annual productions, as well as attending a yearly camp during the winter school holidays (at no additional cost). These classes are led by experts in music, theatre and creative design: providing a multidisciplinary approach to performance, and creative self expression.
Twelfth Night, 2025
Watch a trailer for our production of Twelfth Night, recording during our 2025 performance season at Next Wave Theatre.
Through a modernisation of this classic text, with original music and a fun, campy interpretation of the original story, we made Shakespeare - a staple of all theatre training - accessible and interesting to our teen students.
In other years, we have worked with Stratford Shakespeare on the River Festival to host a regional tour of these works, and coordinate a meeting/exchange with their local youth theatre company, Groundwork Youth Theatre.
Shakespeare’s poetic text and universal themes, when taught correctly, can support students to interpret text, speak confidently, and reimagine classical stories with ease. For this production, students even contributed to the costume and set design, co-wrote a song with our musical director, and choreographed some of the numbers!
Drama Camp, 2025
Our annual drama camp is an incredibly special part of the Werkz Youth program, where participants, staff and peer mentors spend three nights participating in creative workshops, playing games and bonding as an ensemble. At no additional cost to families, this school holiday program
In the past, Drama Camps have included:
- Rehearsals and activities for an upcoming production
- Masterclasses with professional artists on specific technical skills and styles
- Devising, songwriting and writing workshops
- Visits to local theatres, companies, and productions
- Workshops on auditions, rehearsal skills and becoming a professional performer
- Walks, picnics and visits to local sites
- Dramawerkz Taskmaster challenges
- Shared meals, movie nights, and downtime to enjoy each other’s company!
Dramawerkz’s approach, which combines creative expertise with peer mentoring and wellbeing supports, makes for an incredibly supportive, warm and enjoyable camp experience for our participants, where access and inclusion are prioritised. This is achieved through a 1:4 ratio of facilitators to participants, check ins, a balance of activities with downtime and games, and scheduled-in time for our Werkz Youth class to lead activities, and spend time with one another. We find this to be one of the most rewarding parts of our program each year, highlighted in the strong peer connections our young people build, and the fun they have performing with one another during each camp.
Fairground at Melbourne Fringe Festival, 2025
Fairground was our 2024 production, showcased at Melbourne Fringe Festival and written/co-devised by our Werkz Youth ensemble.
This show takes audiences to the Fairground: an imaginary circus that Kid, our protagonist, dreams of joining when the school bullies, arguments with mum, and general stress of being a teenager, gets to be too much. In a musical that bends reality and imagination, our teen cohort give us insight into the stories they seek to tell, and shine onstage as they bring the world of The Fairground, to life.
