SHYAC turns 25

Southern Highlands Youth Arts Council (SHYAC) celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2016.

SHYAC manager Mandy Bransgrove said she saw the organisation as important in providing local kids with more than just acting skills.

"We're teaching them courage, confidence, patience and mostly teamwork," she said.

She said she believed the kids of SHYAC had found their niche within performing arts. "A lot of creative arts kids are a bit quirky and out there, they're different to the kids they go to school with, so it's a place for them to come and meet like-minded people," she said.

The organisation welcomes kids aged 8-25 from all walks of life. They cater to everyone including kids with vision impairment and dyslexia.

Mandy said she saw the organisation as a "safety net" for the kids. "What we are doing is true community work, we want everyone to feel like they've gained a sense of self," she said.

SHYAC was founded 25 years ago by Jan Howe in the hope of encouraging all kinds of dramatic arts. The group will hold its next ACTcellerate program in June.

The program will allow students to become more involved with the directing, producing, casting and the entrepreneurial side of productions.

It is a one-day workshop which provides youngsters with the opportunity to showcase their talents.

"Students spend two months writing their own plays according to certain criteria, then on the day eight plays are chosen, 60 actors are brought in and cast from auditions and the play is brought to life."

The actors will have three hours to rehearse before performing their play to an audience and three judges will mark them on their script, acting, story and play.

"ACTcellerate is a great chance for the older kids to take on a leadership role", Mrs Bransgrove said.

She said SHYAC was forever changing and evolving.

"They like to mix up the committee and directors every few years," she said.

"[It's] so we don't fall into a rut, and so there's no favouritism or bias within the community," she said. "We try to get the kids to work with a range of different directors."

SHYAC relies almost solely on ticket sales as a way of funding projects. However, they received a $25,000 grant in 2009 from IMB.

So, what's next for them? Every year local schools flock to the Mittagong Playhouse to watch SHYAC's shows. This year, they're trying something different.

"Normally they come to us, but this time we're going to them," Ms Bransgrove said.

SHYAC will be travelling from school to school performing, each time, to more than 500 students.

"It's really exciting for us. This is something we've never done before"

SHYAC will be involved with Tulip Time in October, performing 'Alice in Wonderland' skits.