at age nine.

Now 14, Daniel has spent part of every summer since then learning about acting and the stage.

"It's fun, though people may not think it is,'' he said. "You can show off things that you can do. And you get to meet a lot of new people.

"It's a good thing to do for the summer,'' he said. "The sad thing is, when it's all over, you miss it.'' Normally, Daniel has attended The Jackson School of Performing Arts every weekday for a month. But the classes do not last all day, leaving time for outdoor activities, "like sailing in the morning'', he said.

Summer drama can have lasting benefits for young people, coordinator Mrs.

Annette Hallett said. Children can start at five and continue into their teens.

"All of the skills that you learn in working in a theatre production are essentially communication skills that are valuable in whatever line of work you are in,'' Mrs. Hallett said.

Drama also helps to develop imagination and provides an outlet for self-expression, she said. And role playing can help young people realise how parents and others regard their behaviour.

Daniel, who is in his third year at Saltus Grammar, said he is not shy about getting up and performing in front of others, so acting came naturally to him.

He likes comedic roles the best, but also played a romantic lead once in a play with a story line similar to Romeo and Juliet.

Daniel, who lives in Paget, said he would like to attend a New York drama school, but does not plan to make his living on the stage. Instead, he would like to return to Bermuda to teach English and continue acting as a hobby.

While acting came naturally to Daniel, stage experience can benefit a shy child as well, Mrs. Hallett said. "But it does need careful handling,'' she said.

"You do not make a child perform, in order to overcome shyness. What you do is give them the skills to allow them to come out from their shyness.'' As well as learning to act, how one's mouth and voice works, how to move, and how to mime, youths are exposed to stage management, costumes, and some set design.

A production is normally staged at the end of the four-week summer programme.

Mrs. Hallett has performed regularly with the Bermuda Musical Dramatic Society and Circle Theatre.

LOVES THE STAGE -- For five years, Daniel Frith has spent part of his summers studying drama.

NOT A `TEACHER' -- Mrs. Annette Hallett does not teach drama, she gives young people an opportunity to perform.