The new Junior Academy Musical Theatre course will provide an opportunity for 14 to 18 year olds to access the highest level of training in singing, drama and movement. It will form an integral part of the existing Junior Academy provision, which has a long-established ethos of excellence twinned with wellbeing to develop happy, confident young performers.
Working in small groups, participants will benefit from sessions run by world class visiting actors, singers, directors, choreographers and musical directors from London’s West End. Each year of training will culminate in a staged showcase performance in front of an invited audience.
The Academy’s postgraduate Musical Theatre course is widely recognised as one of the best in the UK, and recent graduates have been cast in productions including Hamilton, Six, Heathers, The Lion King, Dreamgirls and The Prince of Egypt in the West End, Les Misérables in London and on tour in the UK and USA, and the UK tours of Miss Saigon, Avenue Q and The Phantom of the Opera.
The search is now underway for applicants for Junior Academy Musical Theatre, with outreach workshops taking place in schools across several London boroughs. Applications will open via the Academy’s website in May, with auditions taking place in June and July. The first cohort of students will start in September 2022. Of the 60 places, at least one third will be available with reduced or no fees, and talented young people from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
Grainne Renihan, the Course Leader, said: ‘This is a great opportunity for aspiring young performers, and we’re very excited to see who will apply. We know that there’s a huge amount of talent waiting to be discovered, and many of these young people may not even have had formal training at this stage. What we’re looking for is potential, energy, and a love of performing.’
Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, the Academy’s Principal, said: ‘We’re incredibly proud of our postgraduate Musical Theatre Company, whose alumni have gone on to stellar careers, performing in major shows all over the world. We already provide high-level training in all our disciplines, including jazz, at Junior Academy, so extending this to young musical theatre students is a welcome next step for the Academy. I can’t wait to see what the first cohort of performers can do, and we look forward to meeting them in September.’
To find out more, including how to apply, visit the Junior Academy Musical Theatre Home Page.