Author: Jigsaw Office

So when and how is acting useful in everyday life? At Jigsaw, we know that acting and drama skills have all sorts of applications beyond the stage or screen. While some might take acting classes with an eye to appearing on the West End, others want to boost their confidence, be creative or simply make some new friends.

Body movement

“Body language is a very powerful tool. We had body language before we had speech, and apparently, 80% of what you understand in a conversation is read through the body, not the words.”- Deborah Bull

Actors have to think about their body language and what messages they are conveying through how they walk, stand, and sit. This awareness is useful throughout life, whether it’s in giving presentations and talks or meeting new people and making good first impressions.

Acting is also a fun physical activity that relieves stress and tension, which is important as our modern lifestyle can be quite sedentary.

Understanding emotions

“Acting is not about being someone different. It’s finding the similarity in what is apparently different, then finding myself in there.” – Meryl Streep

Actors also need to have an awareness and control of emotions, both theirs and those of others. They’re connecting with people, putting themselves into someone else’s shoes, whether that’s an audience, a fellow performer, or a character they’re playing.

It’s no coincidence that actors often become heavily involved in charity and philanthropy. Acting creates empathy and can bridge the gap between us and other people.

Similarly, acting is a safe and productive way to explore how to understand and express your own emotions in a healthy way, a good way of developing emotional maturity.

Working and communicating together

“Creating a relationship is the heart of acting. It is basic. It is essential.” – Michael Shurtleff

Teamwork and collaboration are intrinsic parts of acting, whether it’s working in a group, with a scene partner, or even just working on a monologue with a director.

Actors have to learn to rely on other people, to work together and support each other, and to not be afraid to make suggestions and try out new ways of doing things.

Developing good communication and listening skills are key to this. These skills are also very important for forming a connection with the audience.

The Mind

“The actor has to develop his body. The actor has to work on his voice. But the most important thing the actor has to work on is his mind.” – Stella Adler

The “what if” questions, blue-sky thinking, thinking outside the box. Whatever you like to call it, imagination is an integral part of living a happy and fulfilled life.

Acting inspires creativity and stimulates the mind, while at the same time learning lines and lyrics develops concentration and memory skills.

Acting can be a useful part of everyone’s life. Acting can connect the world inside the mind with the world outside, in the process strengthening our understanding of both.

Jigsaw Performing Arts is dedicated to developing performance skills, promoting self-expression and building confidence. We offer performing arts classes for children aged between 3 – 18. Find your nearest school by entering your postcode into the search on our home page. 

We spoke with Donna to hear all about her experience!

“It’s always exciting when there’s a new theatre production to go and watch. As much as I love all the classics, there are very few I’ve seen more than once (although I made an exception for the amazing Hamilton!). So I was particularly excited about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, especially as I could combine it with a Christmas present for my Harry Potter mad 10-year-old daughter.

So, I’m not actually a Harry Potter fan myself. I find myself switching off periodically during Harry Potter family movie nights. And I only ever read the first book, but this piece of theatre had me gripped from start to end. The production and special effects were simply mind blowing – I don’t want to give too much away, but the dementors being a metre or two away from us (and we were in the cheap seats at the top of the balcony), the disappearing into the phone box, and the appearing through the fireplace – magical! Regular gasps and whoops from the audience, and not just from children and diehard Harry Potter fans, imposters like myself. Not a musical but subtle & simple choreography adding to the effect and drama.

It is a long one though, so you need to buckle in. Is this suitable for children of all ages? For those that don’t know, you’ll be at the theatres from 1 pm until almost 9 pm (!) with a two hour break in the middle for a quick bite to eat. We expected it to drag but it did not. My 12-year-old boy and 10-year-old daughter were also glued to their seats. Okay, my nearly seven-year-old had a little 45 minute nap towards the end but that’s when it became a little scary, so that was not such a bad thing. Officilly reccomended for ages 10 andf up, but I’d say fine for a 7 year old if you think they’ll sit and if they don’t scare easily.

Was a fabulous New Years Day family outing for us. All in all – highly recommend!

Little last minute tip – book a restaurant for the 4-6pm break because of course 1400 hungry people all pile out of the Palace Theatre and into the west end at 4pm.” – Donna, Jigsaw Dulwich

Learn more about the classes at Jigsaw Dulwich here.

I am delighted to share with you that Jigsaw is 25 years old. However, this is not what we were expecting in our 25^th year.  The curtains are closed.  Studios are shut.  Pianos on pause. For the first time ever, there are no Jigsaw Performing Arts classes running. All planned events are postponed to next year.

Like everybody else, whilst in lockdown I’ve had lots of time to think about everything, life and Jigsaw-related. Being forced to slow down and stop makes us focus on what’s really important. We all know that food and shelter are what we need to survive but in order to thrive, I believe the most important thing we need is to move and to connect.

This is what I have missed most while being in lockdown. We’ve been able to move during our daily exercise but connecting has been more difficult (Zoom and Houseparty have been an okay substitute but it’s not the same). Connecting with others and enjoying the company of others is what really makes me happy.

If we can move and connect at the same time, that’s even better and at Jigsaw, that’s exactly what we do. Performing arts is great for our well-being and happiness.  In dance, we really get our bodies moving, excellent for our aerobic fitness and co-ordination. Learning to use our breath and voice to make a great sound in singing is exhilarating and improves our speaking voice. Drama combines movement and voice as well as lots of teamwork and thinking on your feet which builds our confidence, creativity and self-esteem. I believe there is nothing better than performing arts to connect and bring people together. Let’s not forget that it’s also lots of fun and lots of laughs. Just what we need right now.

So much has happened in the last 25 years at Jigsaw. The music and songs have changed, the fashion and hairstyles have changed, we’ve even got an online booking system! (something I couldn’t imagine back in the “paper and pen register” days!) But the thing that hasn’t changed is the reason that I set up Jigsaw, the values of Jigsaw and the benefits to all the students that have attended Jigsaw over the years.

I love the Jigsaw community! I have enjoyed working with many inspiring and talented teachers, lots have been with the company for over 20 years. I have met so many wonderful students and families too. Too many Jigsaw friends to mention. Watching students blossom into creative and successful adults is just the best. Using their performing arts skills to become an actor, director or teacher or using the skills for life to become a confident lawyer, nurse, gardener or scientist. Those creative skills can be useful in so many environments.

2020 has been a challenging time for us all. Being the parent, teacher, provider, 3 meals a day chef, cleaner and friend to my children has been exhausting. It has been difficult but I’m really hoping we take some positives from it too. I know we will all come out of this appreciating everything we love a little bit more.

Imagine how excited the teachers and students will be to get back to their Jigsaw Performing Arts School. We will be back soon………

Jigsaw Performing Arts, established 1995, is dedicated to developing performance skills, promoting self-expression and building confidence. We offer performing arts classes for children aged between 3 – 18. Find your nearest school by entering your postcode into the search on our home page. 

By Founder and Company Director Nicola Lander

With our February holiday workshop in Finchley, Jigsaw at the movies, less than three weeks away, there’s a buzz in the air backstage at Jigsaw Performing Arts Schools after the announcement of this year’s Oscar nominations.

Although Netflix and Amazon have been dominating the headlines of late, there’s still nothing quite like a good ol’ fashioned trip to the cinema and 2017 was a wonderful year for film. We laughed, we cried, and the movies keep on coming with top notch performances.

Who has been nominated in the 2018 Oscars?

British newcomer Daniel Kaluuya has had a nod for best actor after impressing in the 2017 horror Get Out and Margot Robbie finds herself in the running for best actress in a leading role after a string of impressive performances on the big screen.

There are a few more familiar faces in the supporting role categories, with Hollywood legends Woody Harrelson and Christopher Plummer in the limelight and Mary J. Blige makes Oscars history by being nominated for best actress in a supporting role and best original song in the same year for Mudbound.

The full list of nominations can be seen here: http://oscar.go.com/nominees

One thing is for certain… anything can happen at the 90^th Academy Awards and we can’t wait!

Jigsaw at the movies

You can find out more about our half term workshop in February here: Half term holiday workshops in Finchley

Jigsaw Performing Arts is dedicated to developing performance skills, promoting self-expression and building confidence. We offer performing arts classes for children aged between 3 – 18. Find your nearest school by entering your postcode into the search on our home page. 

Top 10 Reasons to Choose Franchising

Buying a franchise can be a life-changing experience. It provides the opportunity to be master of your own financial destiny, while enjoying the support of an established organisation and the resources it commands. There are many reasons why you should fulfil your dream of becoming your own boss and opening a franchise. Here are our top 10 reasons to help you understand why it will be a great investment to choose franchising.

1. Be your own boss

This ranks at the top of the many good reasons to choose franchising. The desire to control your own destiny and to build a business for yourself has always been a powerful motivator in business and in life. Franchise ownership combines a sense of independence (within limits) with a greater level of security.

2. Turnkey Business

Buying a franchise eliminates all the hard work: finding a location, negotiating a lease, hiring reliable contractors and doing all this on-time and within budget. When you buy a franchise you are buying a complete turnkey business.

3. Proven System in Place

Franchising allows entrepreneurs to plug into a proven, successful idea and operating system, and focus their efforts on running the business rather than adjusting it to see what works best as they go along. Having a proven system already in place eliminates the guesswork and errors a common business owner would normally face. “The wheel’s been invented, perfected, branded, and marketed. As a franchisee, it’s time to roll”.

4. Higher Likelihood for Success

Since there is an already established system in place, there is a higher likelihood of success. If you follow the system the franchisor has put in place, you should be on your way to running a very successful business.

5. Easier to Obtain Financing

Banks are usually very comfortable financing the purchase of a franchise because they already have a proven track record. Lenders usually look at successful franchise chains as having a lower risk of repayment default and are more likely to loan money based on that premise.

 6. Brand Awareness

You can spend months thinking up a clever name, logo, signage, uniforms and the exact look and feel you want to attract customers to your new business – but you won’t know if it’s truly effective until you open for business. If you buy into a franchise system that is already established, the corporate image and brand awareness is already recognized. Customers are usually more comfortable purchasing items they are familiar with and working with companies they already know and trust.

7. Training and Support

Franchisors want franchisees to succeed, and in fact they need them to. That’s why intensive training is included in the franchise fee. The franchisor will train you to run your franchise exactly the same way their other franchise locations are run. This will ensure that you are running your business efficiently and will help to eliminate any common mistakes a new business owner usually faces.

8. Marketing/Advertising

There is usually no need to worry about advertising your franchise. The franchisor usually takes care of handling all of the marketing. If not they will have an outline for you to follow and sometimes specific vendors that will have systems in place for you to use.

9. Exclusive Territory

When you buy a franchise you are also buying an exclusive territory in which to do business. You will be entitled to a certain area and no other franchises (within your franchise system) can be open within that area.

10. Own Multiple Locations

Then there’s the final advantage: pride of ownership. Being a part of a franchise system will always offer you more opportunities to grow within the system. Once you have become a successful franchise, owner the next step is to become a multi-unit franchise owner. After you have one successful franchise open with a great management team you can focus time on opening a second location.

 

Jigsaw Opportunity 

With the success of the existing schools, Jigsaw Performing Arts is excited to be able to offer franchise opportunities in new areas to give more children a chance to experience the benefits of Jigsaw! You will be your own boss and fit your business around your existing life. Through our training and ongoing support we will assist you in all aspects of running your school and meeting our high standards. Jigsaw has the experience and knowledge in order to assist you in gaining new customers, and, importantly, retaining your current ones. We have tried and tested marketing and administrative systems that ease the day to day running of the business.

Jigsaw Arts Discovery Day!

Visit  www.jigsaw-arts.co.uk/franchises for more information and find out about upcoming Franchise Discovery Days on the Jigsaw Franchise Facebook page.

Top 10 Christmas Activities and Games; we’ve made our list and checked it twice! Here are our top 10 Christmas games to keep you entertained over the holidays. Some Christmas games are fantastic for Christmas parties and other Christmas games are just great fun to keep children entertained at home. In true Christmas spirit, make sure you have plenty of prizes for all involved!

10. Making Snowflakes

This can get quite addictive! Making snowflakes is a great way to make decorations for your walls, windows or to stick on coloured paper to make wrapping paper! Here are 6 simple steps to show you how:

1. Cut an A4 size sheet into a square by folding a corner into a triangle and cutting off the excess rectangle. You can use the leftover strip to make smaller snowflakes.
2. Fold the triangle in half to make a smaller triangle.
3. Keep the ‘open’ end of the triangle to the left and the main fold on your right. Then visually divide the triangle into thirds. Fold the right-hand side down so the bottom right corner is poking down below the bottom of the triangle.
4. Fold the left hand side over on top of the other side so it resembles an arrow head.
5. Turn over to reveal a straight line across the top of the smaller triangles. Cut along this line to even it off.
6. Cut shapes into both sides of the triangle and unfold to reveal your shape!

9. Mystery Stocking

Fill a stocking or sock with some small mystery items – preferably ones that the children can keep afterwards such as crayons, toy cars or sweets etc. Pass the stocking around the circle letting the children shake it, smell it and feel it to guess what it is. If they guess it then they can keep it!

8. Christmas ABC’s

Give each child a piece of paper with the alphabet written vertically from A to Z. They must come up with a word associated with Christmas for each letter. If you have a few children then you may want to set the children up to work in teams. The first team to complete their list wins a prize. Some of the words they come up with may seem like a bit of a stretch, but that just adds to the fun!

7. Santa Doesn’t Say

Get a collection of Santa hats and on each one pin the name of a Christmas Character to the top of each hat i.e. Santa, Rudolph, The Grinch, Snowman etc. Get the children to walk around the room and ask each other questions to try to work out who their character is. Prizes for those that guess first!

6. Style a Santa Claus

For this game you need lots of material, masking tape, cotton balls, streamers… anything creative you can think of! Put the children into two groups and give them 10 minutes to use all the materials to dress up a member of their team as Santa Claus. You can then get the two Santas to “Walk the runway” to decide which one looks most impressive. This game can be tailored depending on what spare materials you have, i.e. style a Snowman, a Christmas tree, etc.

5. Finish the Christmas lyrics

Put the children into two teams. Have a Christmas playlist already set up on your chosen device and press play to let the children hear the start of the song. They then have to either guess the Christmas song or the lyrics that follow so make sure you stop the music before you give it away!

4. Gift Unwrap Relay

You will need plenty of boxes and Christmas wrapping paper! Place some Christmas treats into one box (enough for all the children playing) and wrap the box. Place that box into another box and wrap that one. Continue until you run out of boxes or if you have a box shortage just use different wrapping paper for each layer around one box. Play Christmas music and let the children pass the present around and open a layer every time the music stops.

Top 3 Jigsaw Christmas Games

Our last three Christmas games are chosen from some of our favourite drama exercises and have been given a festive spin! If you’ve worked hard all term at Jigsaw then you may expect to play one of these in drama as a treat on the last day of term!

3. Christmas Corners

Name the four corners of the room after something festive such as Tinsel, Robin, Snow or Christmas pudding. Choose one child to stand in the middle of the room and close their eyes whilst counting from 10 down to 0. On 0 all of the children should have chosen a corner to run to and the person in the centre shouts out the name of one of the four corners. If your corner is chosen then you’re out! Keep going until one lucky child is still in the game!

2. Pass the Present

The children should all sit in a circle and in turn one child passes an ‘invisible present’ to someone else in the circle. That person uses their imagination to ‘open’ the present, decide what it is and mime the present to the other children in the circle. They can use sound effects to help demonstrate what the present is and the first child to guess is the winner and gets to receive the next ‘invisible’ present. Keep going around the circle encouraging the children to use their imaginations!

1. Santa, Santa, Snowman

This game is usually known as “Duck Duck Goose” and is quite the favourite among most young children! Get the children sitting in a huge circle and make sure they’re quite spread out. Choose one child to stand up (We shall call this child the ‘leader’) and walk around the circle whilst tapping each child on the head and saying the word “Santa”. However, at some point the child will tap someone on the head and say the word “Snowman” instead of “Santa” and that child should stand up and chase the leader around the circle. The leader has to run back to their position in the children without being caught and then the person chasing becomes the leader. This game is a lot of fun and requires a lot of energy!

 

Jigsaw Performing Arts is dedicated to developing performance skills, promoting self-expression and building confidence. We offer performing arts classes for children aged between 3 – 18. Find your nearest school by entering your postcode into the search on our home page.