Dice players’ whatsApp group surges to 160 members as new term begins

“There are about 160 people in the WhatsApp group, and that’s not including the new people who are joining this term,” explains Dessie Hickey of The Dice Players Performing Arts Studio in Palmerstown.

The school, which focuses on coaching acting performance in adults, has two venues: Palmerstown Parish Hall and Pobalscoil Iosolde (Palmerstown Community School).

An upcoming term will see twelve different courses taught every Saturday, beginning at 10am and ending at 7:15pm.

The first class in the school, ‘Introduction to Acting’, will be taught by Dessie himself, followed by Quinton O’Reilly teaching ‘Improv’ and then ‘Public Speaking’ with meteorologist and former RTE weather broadcaster Joanna Donnelly.

Other classes to look out for include ‘Reel Production’ with Agnes Kulesza, ‘Comedy Workshops’ with Katherine Lynch, ‘Scriptwriting’ with Stephen Jones, and ‘Screen Acting Level 2’ with Noel Brady.

Then Elizabeth Moynihan will be teaching ‘Stanislavski’ at the Parish Hall at 12:30pm, where participants will work on the method of acting.

The next group of courses kick off back at the school at 3pm, with Noel returning for ‘Screen Acting Level 1’, Mo O’Connell teaching ‘Theatre Acting’, Cathal Quinn teaching ‘Voice and Accents’, and Elizabeth teaching another ‘Stanislavski’ class.

These classes are expected to run until 5pm, with the last class of the day being ‘Musical Theatre’, running from 5:15pm to 7:15pm and taught by Elise Lawson.

A busy few weeks are ahead for The Dice Players, as all but two classes are working toward an end-of-term showcase, taking place on the final Saturday of the term at the Parish Hall, with family and friends invited to attend.

“It’s a lovely way to spend your Saturdays,” beams Dessie, pointing out that those attending usually enjoy themselves and give the tasks their best effort; “the eight weeks fly in”.

Dessie, who has also been a drama teacher in the King’s Hospital in Palmerstown since 2020, founded The Dice Players in August 2023, with his original class only having eight students.

Upon request from said students, Dessie decided to add an extra class, and the studio has been growing strong ever since.

With this success comes challenge, as Dessie reflects that much planning and organisation are involved in the running of the studio, but he enjoys it; “I think if you enjoy something, it doesn’t seem like a job.”

The studio offers one-day workshops, with three different people conducting two-hour sessions, followed by a group lunch at the Coach House cafe in Palmerstown, then back to do another workshop.

Intensive workshops, lasting three to four hours, are also available, focusing on specific skills.

Highlights for Dessie throughout the term have included seeing the students’ progress and happiness, as he takes satisfaction in helping students find their passion.

Challenges have included dealing with the initial anxiety and hesitance of students and encouraging them with “What have you got to lose?”, but nine times out of ten, they end up enjoying themselves.

Upcoming events for The Dice Players include a workshop with a well-known director on November 7, as well as a comedy workshop with four well-known comedians on November 14.

Dessie would like to thank the students who sign up for classes, the team helping behind the scenes, Agnes Kulesza for her reels promoting the studio, Ray, the professional photographer who comes to take headshots, and Kim Dempsey.

The 2026 autumn acting term for The Dice Players Performing Arts Studio begins September 5 and runs every Saturday for eight weeks until October 24.

The prices are 190 euro for one course, 350 euro for two courses, 500 euro for three courses, and 640 euro for four courses.

Anyone interested in signing up is encouraged to email diceplayersbooking@gmail.com or call 0852550344.

For more information, check their website, diceplayers.ie, or visit their Instagram or Facebook pages.