Schools rock the park

Queens Park will become a hive of activity when hundreds of school children from across the Darling Downs converge on Toowoomba for the Shakespeare in Queens Park Festival (SiQP) Schools Workshop Days.

Now in its second year, the School Workshop Days continue to grow and this year more than 900 primary and secondary school students will attend the event.

Theatre Lecturer and Schools Workshop organiser, Dr Janet McDonald, said this year's event has sold out.

'We expect almost 1000 children from grades one to 12 to attend the workshops this year.

'Our theatre workshops are unique. This is the only one I know for kids that is outdoors and that includes a show - it is unlike anything else in Queensland.'

Secondary school students will spend an entire day workshopping with USQ lecturers and industry professionals from Brisbane, such as Zen Zen Zo, Frank Theatre, deBase Productions and Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble.

The students will be the first public audiences to watch a performance of Macbeth.

Students from a variety of primary schools attending the Wednesday workshops will enjoy a split morning and afternoon session. Grades one to three will attend the morning session with Grade four to seven attending the afternoon.

Dr McDonald said the children love the workshops and enjoy the opportunity to learn and play outside the classroom.

'Damien Kamholtz, director of the children's arts enclave, Play on Play, will facilitate the Wednesday workshops for primary school children.

'Damien likes to construct art for Kids that is not two dimensional; he wants kids to be able to experience the art by walking through, around or under it! His workshops will include using lots of cardboard boxes for castle making and the older primary children will be allowed to dress some of the trees in the park.

'All the activities will deal with areas of the play - the children will be allowed to think abstractly.'

Tickets to Macbeth are available from the Empire Theatre 1300 655 299 and tickets to the Sonnets at Breakfast are available from the USQ Box Office 4631 1111.

Media Contact: Connie-Louise Alexander, USQ Media, +61 7 4631 2977