General Information
“Children are not the people of tomorrow, but are the people of today. They have a right to be taken seriously, and to be treated with tenderness and respect. They should be allowed to grow into whomever they were meant to be – the unknown person inside each of them is our hope for the future.”
Dr. Janusz Korczak.
“Teacher. Let me swim in a puddle,
Let me race a cloud in the sky,
Let me build a house without walls.
But most of all, let me laugh at nothing things.”
From “The Geranium on the Window Sill just Died but Teacher you went Right On”, by Albert Cullum
The Ottawa School of Speech and Drama (OSSD) is a not-for-profit charitable organization that provides training and education in Drama, Theatre, Speech Arts and Musical Theatre for students ages 3 through adult in the Ottawa-Carleton area. Founded by Natalie Stern in 1988, the school aims to achieve a high standard of instruction by working with theatre professionals and drama educators.
OSSD’s venue includes the Natalie Stern Studio Theatre, a black box studio that allows students to explore various performance styles, as well as encouraging the development of work by new and emerging theatre artists.
Over the course of 20 years, OSSD has built a great team of instructors. Professional actors, directors, writers, singers and dancers all find homes teaching at OSSD, as do specialists in drama in education, voice coaches and drama teachers. For a complete list of our instructors, please click here.
Important Dates
COURSES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH
Semester One: Saturday September 12 to Monday December 14, 2009
Semester Two: Saturday, January 9, 2010 to Sunday, April 18, 2010
(Monday classes run until April 26, Trinity courses run until May 2, 2010).
Please note: Production courses have various end dates determined by performance dates.
March Break and Summer Camp:
OSSD offers a range of specialty camps and workshops during March Break and throughout the Summer. Please contact the school or check the web site for details.
Trinity
Trinity classes end May 2010
Open House Week
Semester One: Tuesday December 8 – Monday December 14, 2009
Semester Two: to be confirmed
COURSES FOR ADULTS
Fall: September 21 to November 30, 2009
Winter: January 11 to March 22, 2010
Spring: March 29 to June 14, 2010
Summer: July 12 to August 23, 2010 (classes are 2.5 hrs per night for 6 weeks)
CLOSED FOR HOLIDAYS
There are no classes on:
Thanksgiving weekend - October 12, 2009
Family Day - February 15, 2010
Easter weekend April 2 to, April 5, 2010
Victoria Day - May 24, 2010
Canada Day - July 1, 2010
Civic Holiday - August 2, 2010
Trinity College Affiliation
AFFILIATION WITH TRINITY COLLEGE, ENGLAND
The Ottawa School of Speech & Drama is the area representative for Trinity Guildhall, London. Through affiliation with Trinity, our students have access to a curriculum and accreditation that is recognized in over 50 countries world wide. Exams with an accredited examiner from England take place annually in May. For more information about Trinity please call the office or visit Trinity's web site at www.trinitycollege.co.uk