‘Dedication, Determination and Talent’: Pompey TV Presenters in the Making

Musical theatre teacher Helen Wallis from the TADAA performing arts school in Portsmouth writes about five successful students learning the art of TV presenting.

TADAA (The Alternative Dramatic Arts Academy) performing arts school is a local drama and musical theatre provider for children aged 2-18 years from in and around Portsmouth and Waterlooville. We pride ourselves on offering young people hands-on life experience from industry professionals, and are now in our 10th successful year.

In December 2018, five students from TADAA were chosen to attend a TV presenter’s workshop with a presenter from Ideal World TV shopping channels. I and my husband, Glenn – a regular presenter for Planet Cruise, a cruise travel agency – arranged the workshop in partnership with Planet Cruise, to allow aspiring drama students to experience the limelight in a special edition of the company’s weekly online broadcast.

Image credit: Helen Wallis.

The workshop provided the youngsters with presenting skills against a professional green screen, editing experience, interview techniques, and how to read from an autocue. The in-house studio and production facility at Planet Cruise was the perfect place for the five students to learn such skills alongside a filming team with strong broadcast credentials.

The five students from TADAA are committed and focused performers who have proved themselves over the years with dedication, determination and talent. Learning how to present to camera provided a real life insight into the industry and allowed the students to showcase a variety of skills including time management, improvising under pressure, script learning, research of cruise ships and acting skills, all whilst boosting their confidence.

Image credit: Helen Wallis.

You can watch a video of the live broadcast here and see the students in action.

You can find out more about TADAA on their website, and follow them over at Facebook and Instagram.