Jan and Sarah have finished rehearsing 'The Magic Words' and 'Cyberia'. Off to Brisbane they go!

Our creative team have hit the ground running in 2012. Over January / February they will direct and train 6 teams of talented young actors who between them will tour across most of Australia. We started our busy rehearsal period with the brand new show 'Buddies2'. The script is action packed, funny and delivers a contempory look at bullying and social welfare issues. The sound track and set really set the scene. 

Firstly a big thank you to everyone who auditioned for our 2012 tours. All your hardwork learning the monologues, overcoming nerves and taking time out to audition is greatly appreciated. We look forward to meeting all the new teams of actors in January on the Far North Coast of NSW. We expect it will be another busy and exciting rehearsal period. From all the team at Brainstorm Productions we wish you a fun and relaxing break.

"Australian children are, on average, not even eight when they first use the internet, making them among the world's youngest and most prolific online users, a new study of 26 countries reveals. The study, AU Kids Online, compared the experience of Australian children to European children and found Australians were more than twice as likely to say they were bothered by something online. The study's lead author, Leila Green, said online experiences that bothered them included being bullied, seeing sexual images and potentially harmful user-generated content such as hate and anorexia support sites." Alexandra Smith, Sydney Morning Herald, Wed 16 November, News P7.

Zac and Caitlin are currently touring 'Being Brave' and 'The Hurting Game' from Melbourne to the North Coast of NSW, visiting major regional centres and small country towns along the way. Here's an example of the fantastic feedback they've received;

"Many students were experiencing live theatre for the first time and were 'blown away' by how clever the actors were at changing into characters / roles. A few giggles and laughs helped them to understand the difficult issue of bullying." Wodonga Middle Years College

In normal everyday life, 12 year old Leo was getting bullied online and at school. He and his pet lizard, Freddy, would hang around at lunch and be victims to nasty words and mean comments. Serena, on the other hand, had 622 facebook friends and was very popular.
When they both get accepted into Protectors School, a school where they learn to defeat bullies online and face-to-face without physically hurting them, Leo and Serena get teamed up together.
Leo, shy and scared, learns to be strong and stick up for himself, and Serena, popular and slightly mean, learns to be true to herself and help people through struggles. When Leo finds out that Serena is his cyberbully, Serena learns to say sorry and be herself.
I learnt to be assertive. To show bullies that you haven't been hurt and stand up tall and not show your weakness. I really enjoyed the Brainstorm Production.
Maddie St Joey's Primary School

'Dr Dan White, the executive director of catholic schools for Archdiocese of Sydney, has seen "very distressing" online material written by teenagers. "I think there is a sub element among teenagers who don't appreciate in a legal and moral sense how they are communicating," said Dr White.

"For a lot of kids it's water off a duck's back but, for kids who are vulnerable in their self-esteem, it can be devastating," he said. "It's too late to wait until they're in secondary school to act. We've got to start trying to influence their thinking at a much earlier age about how to protect themselves but also about their responsibilities as a cyber citizen" Dr White said. (Excerpt from The Sydney Morning Herald 28 June, 2011 page 3.)

9 June 2011 - Creative Juices Flowing!

CYBERIA, our new show for Term 4, 2011, is starting to take shape!  Actress Jo Welke came down from Brisbane this week to workshop the script, and Director Jenny Johnson is extremely positive about the fresh ideas and energy gained from the workshop process.The creative process is in full swing, with Musical Director Sean Peter starting on the soundscape and effects this week.  Full rehearsal begins in late September, with the first school visits in early Term 4.  If early indications are anything to go by, we will have another wildly popular new show on our hands - we have a Term 4 waiting list already!

26 May 2011 - Brainstorm launches Facebook page

Check out Brainstorm's new facebook page, with breaking education news and interesting anecdotes from the actors on the road.  Click the link on our homepage to "like" our page, and tell your friends!

26 May 2011 - Research supports social welfare education

Education experts from the School of Education at Macquarie University say research indicates the integration of the social welfare of a child is inextricably linked to academic performance.  A child's education cannot be looked at purely in academic terms.  "You just can't separate aspects of students' lives when they cross the door into school.  A child's development doesn't just stop during that time, particularly with something like cyber safety, where there is a flow-on effect from inside the school gates to outside the school gates."

Brainstorm's repertoire of shows encourages positive behaviour at school and online, assisting teachers and students to create a happy and harmonious learning environment.  For more information about primary and high school productions, visit our website:  www.brainstormproductions.com.au

26 May 2011 - Actors on tour - snippets from the road

After an extensive (and booked out!) tour of Adelaide, which began in early Term 1, actors Dan & Ildiko are gearing up for the drive back to Brisbane over the next few days.  "We've really enjoyed Adelaide, the teachers and students are just great, but we are also looking forward to heading to sunny Queensland."

Queensland has indeed been sunny for actors Libby and Alex, who are currently in Townsville and looking forward to the rest of their regional tour, which finishes in Hervey Bay in Term 3.

At the opposite end of the east coast, John and Tyler are braving the earliest snow season on record.  Hopefully they will get a chance to take advantage of this on the weekend!

Caitlin and Zac are also keen to head into regional Victoria next week, with 'The Hurting Game' and 'Being Brave'.  This is just a taste of the comprehensive regional tour they will be doing in Term 3, travelling through Victoria and New South Wales, finishing up on the Far North Coast.

Keep an eye on our news , or our brand new Facebook page for the latest snippets from the road!