Talented teenagers secure places at top drama schools

Hannah Holt, Sian Rowlands and Ella Smyth, Year 13 students at Bolton School and Jessica-Rose Curtis-Walker, who is a Year 11 pupil, are all set to join top performing arts schools and colleges.

Hannah is going off to Laine Theatre Arts in Epson. She caught the acting bug at the age of three and has been attending summer schools at musical theatre colleges ever since, as well as taking singing lessons at school.

She said: "My dream is to be on the West End stage and the training that I will be receiving from Laine Theatre Arts will allow me to achieve this dream. I would also like to see myself travelling the world doing musicals in different countries and on Broadway in New York.”

Sian started performing at local dance school at just two years old and performed in the school production of Miss Saigon. She will be continuing her studies at the Guildford School of Acting.

"Every role is different. Firstly, I assess how naturalistic my character should be and then go from that point. If they’re very naturalistic, I will flesh out their subtexts and their past experiences but if they’re not I’m more likely to find their physicality first and look at their lines.”

For Ella Smyth, it was the watching of Annie at a tender age that made her realise that musical theatre was something she wanted to be a part of. Her most enjoyable experience so far has been performing in West Side Story at the Palace Theatre in Manchester.

She said: "It was a professional standard production which was put together at the speed of a professional production. It was also my favourite because it was performed in a professional theatre where I have watched many stars perform and I wish to one day perform there again."

Ella has also performed in school musical productions and is considering an offer from The Hammond School at Chester and Bird College, London whilst still undergoing the audition process

She said: "In my future career I would love to perform on the West End or Broadway. I am also interested in developing my acting skills further and would love to work in TV or film. Later in my career I would also consider opening my own dance or musical theatre school to help develop the talent of the future."

Jessica-Rose started singing and dancing from a very early age after being enrolled at Stagecoach Performing Arts when she was four years old.

Now she is off to Arts Educational Schools, Chiswick.

She said: “ In the future, my goal is to perform on a West End stage and then hopefully, one day, open my own Musical Theatre School."

Head of Music Andrea Price said: "Pupils of all ages are given the opportunity to be involved in music, drama and musical theatre. The events calendar is crammed with public performances both in school and in the community, showcasing and nurturing the talents of our young musicians and actors. School productions are always a highlight of the calendar, with sell-out productions in every term. In recent years pupils in Years 10-13 have performed Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and the Tempest, juxtaposed with two hugely demanding musicals; Miss Saigon and Into The Woods. In Years Seven to Nine, pupils have worked in collaboration with the Octagon Theatre to produce Dickens' Great Expectations, and are currently preparing for a production of Grease.

"The manifold rewards of participating in a school production are clear; pupils gain a huge amount of confidence, empathy, and self-discipline through participating in a production. Physical motor skills are stretched, memory skills are challenged, and pupils become increasingly able to flourish and adapt under pressure. The social benefits of participating in productions are also significant; pupils form lasting friendships from across the Foundation, and are better equipped to communicate with adults as well as their peers."