Spring Holiday Drama Workshops 2026 - Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre
Description
Join us this spring school holiday for three days of joy-filled drama adventure inspired by the rich world of classic literature but being flung into the modern world. The Classics and Beyond will take familiar tales recontextualise them in new and exciting settings, showing how truly timeless these tales can be!
Through this workshop, students will:
- Create their own reimagined classic tale
- Learn new acting skills
- Rehearse and perform inside the iconic Arts Centre
The workshop is led by Canvas Bag Drama School tutors, under the creative direction of Course Director Harry Lawrence, giving students the chance to learn from one of Christchurch’s longest running theatre education institutions.
Whether you have already experienced the magic of walking out on stage or have never known its wonders we promise that these workshops will be lead with joy, full of creativity, and create lasting memories.
Perfect for young creatives who love acting, storytelling, and theatre. Come along, make new friends, and discover the joy of theatre these holidays!
Lineup
Harry Lawrence (Course Director - Senior Class Instructor)
Harry is an actor, director and playwright who has been in performing arts circles by the time he could talk. Originally from Swansea (Wales), Harry has been involved in a wide variety on theatre disciplines including musical theatre, improvisation, physical theatre and puppetry and has toured with Creature Encounter, an internationally acclaimed street theatre puppetry group. Since moving to Christchurch, Harry founded and continues to run the Hwyl Theatre Company (circa 2019) with his partner Emma which provides original theatrical productions across the South Island. Harry's fundamental approach to teaching is that it must always be led with joy. Young actors spark the real creatives in themselves when they shed off the weight of doubt and self-consciousness and embrace deliberate expression, foolishness and joy. While performing is a discipline and requires discipline, joy is what inspires children and young people to grow in confidence, personal expression and belief in their own ideas and creativity. No matter what age each student arrives at when they join Canvas Bag, Harry and all our tutors see the growth and journey each child can take with us. The pedagogy of Canvas Bag Drama is thinking about growth the long term, action in the short term, and begins with sparking the joy of theatre into everyone.
William Wallace (Intermediate Class Instructor)
Will is a native of Otautahi who has been working in the theatre scene since 2017. Although primarily an actor, Will has gained a wide range of experience across all aspects of theatre life, working as a director, producer, stage manager, tech, crew, and more. Over his life Will has had many teachers in the world of drama, and is excited to pass on the passion for creation, performance, and joy that they have instilled in him to a new generation of actors.
Andrew Gilbert (Junior Class Instructor)
Andrew has a keen interest in improvisation, and encourages imagination and quick thinking within conventional storytelling structure, and improvisation itself. As a deep appreciator of storytelling, Andrew encourages his students to find the patterns within all stories, and to understand the rules of regular storytelling so that they may be broken in interesting ways! Andrew's focus is on the students; their growth, learning and fun. But Andrew is no slouch in the performing arts; as a classically trained singer with many plays and musicals under his belt, he is ready to impart his knowledge effectively. His teaching is characterised by empathy and humour.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
