You know the type. They’re still singing the Christmas pantomime lyrics in February. They take karaoke night way too seriously, and nobody throws a hissy fit like they do. They are the drama queens.This January those with a flair for the dramatic can take their skills to the next level with a series of theatre workshops offered by Troika Bermuda, a local charity that aims to educate, entertain and enlighten through theatre. The workshops will be taught by Bermudian international star Daren Herbert (‘Dreamgirls’, ‘Hot Tub Time Machine’, and ‘The Light in the Piazza’) and Broadway actor Stanley Mathis (‘The Lion King’, ‘Kiss Me Kate’, ‘Wonderful Town’, ‘Oh Kay’).“This is the first time we have done a theatre drama based workshop,” said Seldon Woolridge, who co-chairs Troika Bermuda with Shoa Bean. “Last year we did more of a dance workshop. In the same format we brought international choreographers from the United States to teach. This time around we are bringing international theatre based actors to teach.“We are very excited about Bermudian Daren Herbert. We were happy we were able to work it out for Daren to be home to teach the workshops. With his busy schedule it was great. We are also excited about having Mr Mathis.”Participants will have the opportunity to take part in workshops on scene and script study, auditioning, improv acting, and musical theatre dance, among other things.In the musical theatre workshop ‘Once on This Island’ participants will be provided with sheet music and they will work with the instructor and musician. This workshop recreates a true Broadway rehearsal, with participants learning the choreography, staging and music directly from The Broadway Show ‘Once on This Island’. A similar workshop will be taught with the script of ‘West Side Story’.In the ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ musical theatre dance workshop, dancers of all levels and backgrounds will learn original choreography and movement from the Broadway show ‘Little Shop of Horrors’. Class starts with a warm up and ends with choreography.“That will be very interesting to be able to have the material and be able to recreate these famous Broadway shows, just as the actors would if they were preparing for a part in the show,” said Mr Woolridge. “That will be very exciting and will teach them and give them an opportunity to dig deep to the underlying characters and themes of each of the pieces. Each piece has had a good run on Broadway and run for numerous awards.”Mr Woolridge said it was a rare opportunity to have workshops like this offered in Bermuda. Workshops are running between $30 and $70, depending on the workshop. Mr Woolridge said this is a great deal compared to what it would cost to take a similar workshop overseas.“Normally, you would have to go overseas for a musical theatre workshop and they are usually much more expensive,” he said. “When we took young people away to do workshops of this magnitude last year, it was very expensive. A 90 minute workshop in musical theatre can cost between $150 to $250. We really have to thank our sponsors who have allowed us to make the price reasonable so it can be accessible to all. This was one of our goals to ensure the price doesn’t turn people away.”Some of the workshops are available to theatre enthusiasts from adults to ten-years-old, although the script reading workshop is for a more sophisticated crowd.“‘Little Shop of Horrors’ is more appropriate for a younger audience,” said Mr Woolridge. “But each of the workshops is open to people who love theatre who want to have some fun while learning something. We have had people who are middle age who have called and expressed interest. It is open to all. We just want people to come out and experience something new and have fun. We want them to explore their talents and engage in all things musical theatre.”The workshops will be held on January 7 and 8 at the Berkeley Institute. Prices varies between $35 and $70 per workshop. See www.troikabda.com for full workshop details. To register e-mail info[AT]troikabdacom or telephone 537 7590. Space is limited.