Shaking the Tree Theatre Classes For Children

Specialties

Shaking The Tree Theatre seeks to meld the boundaries of theatre and visual art by presenting audiences with thrilling and immersive theatrical experiences. Founded in 2003, Shaking The Tree uses innovative ways to inhabit the space, creating a heightened surrounding that allows audiences to experience a deeper, more active connection to the work.

Shaking The Tree Studio is a laboratory for tomorrow’s theatre-​makers. By using the same principles we hold dear for play-​making, we seek to provide students with rich and varied literature, allow them to explore it through immersion, and witness them experience a deeper connection of thought, feeling, and action, as a result.

Shaking The Tree ~ Theatre grows here!

History

Established in 2003.

Samantha Van Der Merwe has been running a thriving drama studio since 2003 with a strong reputation in the community. Children love Shaking The Tree’s program because of the opportunities for self expression and accessing the world of the imagination through drama. Here, children are offered a much needed oasis of dramatic play, story development and character exploration that comes with taking the time to wade around in a story. Shaking Classes are small so that students receive individual attention. Everyone works at their own level and moves on to a more challenging class when ready. Emphasis is placed on individual creative expression and creating a safe place in which students can take risks. High quality literature and material is always used. The results are confidence and self assuredness when speaking or performing in public, healthy risk taking and an appreciation of drama and literature. Acting also helps develop compassion for others when we get a chance to walk in someone

Meet the Business Owner

Samantha V.

Business Owner

Samantha Van Der Merwe is the founder, Artistic Director and teacher at Shaking the Tree Theatre & Studio, where she teaches drama classes for children aged 5 and up, as well as directs theatrical productions for both child and adult audiences. She is a Licentiate of Trinity College, London and holds an (LTCL) Teaching diploma in Speech and Drama.

Since she started producing Theater in 2005, she has produced and directed the following plays: Salome (Oscar Wilde), The Peasants Bible & the Story of the Tiger (Dario Fo), Grimm Tales (adapted by Carol Anne Duffy), Statements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act (Athol Fugard), The Portrait the Wind the Chair (Y. York), East of the Sun and West of the Moon (Nancy Willard), The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-​Exupery), The Tripping Point: a theatrical exhibition of eight fairytale installations (Playwrights West), Far Away (Carol Churchill),.

In 2009, she was awarded a Drammy for Direction for her production of Statements After an Arres