Pune, 5th March, 2025 – Ryan International Academy, Bavdhan, Pune, recently hosted a vibrant showcase featuring students participating in the Speech and Drama programme in association with Helen O’ Grady International. The event highlighted the remarkable talent and creative expression of approximately 125 students across various grades, demonstrating how performing arts education enhances confidence, presentation skills, and artistic abilities.
The showcase stood out for its innovative format, with each grade presenting distinct performances tailored to their age group and skill level. This approach provided a platform for students to demonstrate their growth in verbal dynamics, character portrayal, and stage presence.
Grade 8 students captivated the audience with compelling monologues of iconic characters. Navya Asrani portrayed Maleficent with haunting intensity, Mrunal embodied the enigmatic Wednesday, Nidhish channeled the suave James Bond, Nishika brought Hermione Granger’s intelligence to life, and Mahipal delighted everyone as the beloved Mickey Mouse. What made these performances particularly impressive was that students volunteered to participate, wrote their own scripts using reference materials, and meticulously planned their costumes to fully inhabit their characters.
The younger performers also demonstrated remarkable stage presence. Grade 2 students showcased their voice modulation skills through a choral recitation of “The Music Lessons,” while Grade 1 and 2 students displayed impressive confidence and movement techniques in their renditions of “The Selfish Giant” and “The Ants and the Grasshopper.”
Grade 4 students transformed into convincing pirates, exhibiting excellent body language and vocal techniques, while Grade 8 students delivered a powerful dramatized rendition of Alfred Tennyson’s “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” bringing the poem’s intensity to the stage.
A highlight of the event was the performance of “The Voices of the Silent Valley,” where students demonstrated exceptional adaptability by seamlessly stepping into roles for absent peers, delivering flawless performances that left the audience unaware of the last-minute changes.
The showcase also honored twelve students who completed three years with the Speech and Drama programme: Shaurya Upadhyay, Aditri Kulkarni, Rajveer Rajput, Shanaya Khopkar, Trisha Lamba, Prathamesh Patel, Aayan Thakar, Ahana Tayal, Raje Sable, Navya Asrani, Rajveer Choudhary, and Soham Verma. This recognition celebrated their consistency and dedication to developing their performance skills.
Ms. Ruchi Masih, Principal of Ryan International Academy, expressed “The Speech and Drama showcase represents our commitment to nurturing well-rounded individuals who can express themselves with confidence and clarity. I am immensely proud of our students who demonstrated not only their theatrical talents but also remarkable adaptability and teamwork. Special congratulations to the twelve students who completed three years in this transformative programme. Their dedication reminds us that persistence in the arts, just as in academics, yields remarkable growth.”
Ms. Harsha Arora, Principal Trainer and Programme Director, expressed her delight at the students’ performances, noting, “The success of the event was evident in how brilliantly children covered up and left no room for gaps created by absent performers. The solo performances by Grade VIII students were particularly impressive.”
Parents in attendance were equally impressed. The parents of Naisha Aghashe from Grade II commented that “the presentation was extraordinary. The live performance, prop management, and the seamless handling of parts for absent students was flawlessly executed.”
The Speech and Drama programme complements student’s academic curriculum by enhancing their comfort with the English language, developing fluency, punctuation, diction, and pronunciation skills while building confidence in expression. These essential communication abilities serve students well beyond the classroom, preparing them for future academic and professional endeavors.
This successful showcase states Ryan International Academy’s commitment to holistic education that nurtures both academic excellence and artistic expression. By providing opportunities for students to explore theatrical arts, the school empowers young learners to find their voice, build self-assurance, and develop the poise and presence needed to succeed in an increasingly communicative world.