Last weekend marked the inaugural Black British Theatre Awards, recognising black talent in the performing arts from right across the UK. Full of talented nominees and fabulous performances, the ceremony closed Black History Month with a flourish. And to top it off, Amara Okereke, brilliant alumna of our BA Musical Theatre degree, won the Recent Graduate Award!

Amara shot to fame in 2018 as the first black actress to be cast as Cosette in iconic musical, Les Miserables on the West End. A role for which she won the The Stage Debut Award for Best Actress in a Musical. From Les Mis she went straight on to star as Laurie in Oklahoma at Chichester Festival Theatre and she is currently in rehearsal for The Boyfriend at the Menier Chocolate Factory.

The Recent Graduate Award was collected by Amara’s proud mother, Dr Ebere Okereke, who is delighted with her daughter’s achievement:

“It was a privilege and an honour to represent my daughter at the inaugural Black British Theatre Awards ceremony on Sunday, and a double pleasure to receive the award for outstanding recent graduate on her behalf. She thanked ArtsEd and NYMT for her training and for the opportunities that training has given her. It is thanks  to her training that she has had such a phenomenal start to her career.

Awards such as this bring visibility to the black people in the industry. One of the award recipients on the night said ‘I feel seen’ and that captured for me exactly why this award ceremony is so badly needed. With this event and the database of excellence that it proposes to create, black performers will be ‘seen’. As the parent of a performer it gives me great comfort to know that my daughter has such esteemed company who understand her experience that she can call on. It’s a wonderful thing Solange and Omar have created and they are to be congratulated.”

ArtsEd Principal, Chris Hocking also attended the awards ceremony, and couldn’t be more proud:

“Amara has taken the industry by storm. She is such a kind, generous and talented actor and a brilliant Ambassador for ArtsEd.”

This year sees ArtsEd celebrate 100 years of world-class training in the performing arts by launching in Dubai and across the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Earlier this month, our spectacular launch in the UAE was celebrated with a dinner and performances from our very own ArtsEd graduates at the beautiful venue Weslodge, Marriott Marquis, Dubai. Attending the dinner were, UK Consul General Mr Andrew Jackson, Director General of Dubai Culture Mrs Hada Badri, and representatives from KHDA and the eight schools with whom ArtsEd will be working: DESC, GEMS Wellington Silicon Oasis, GEMS Wellington Primary School, Jumeirah College, Jumeirah Primary School, GEMS Wellington International School, Safa Community School and Kings School, Al Barsha. Representing ArtsEd were Chairman of ArtsEd International, Mark Burch and CEO, Chris Hocking and teachers and graduates from ArtsEd.

HM Consul General, Andrew Jackson, welcomed ArtsEd International to Dubai, saying.

“I am pleased to congratulate ArtsEd on the launch of their innovative performing arts training in the UAE.  This is a great example of creative partnership between the UK and the UAE, bringing together culture and education.   ArtsEd have a long history of excellence in training and it is particularly exciting that they have chosen to make the UAE launch part of their centenary celebrations.”

This centenary year will see our talented team deliver world-class performing arts training across the UAE to international partner schools. ArtsEd will work with schools to achieve their strategic goals, including increasing enrolment, harnessing creativity, building self-esteem and confidence, and developing vital skills amongst their students and teachers. ArtsEd will also be providing open programmes for students across the region to attend during the holidays.

Principal, Chris Hocking says:

“We are thrilled to be bringing ArtsEd to Dubai. Our fantastic teachers, brilliant graduates and talented students will work with our UAE partner schools and their students to deliver world-class bespoke programs helping to develop a full range of performance skills internationally.”

For more information about ArtsEd in the UAE, or how to become an ArtsEd partner school,

Please contact  Dr Andrew Lee in Dubai: Tel: +971 56 135 4704 Email: Alee@artsed.co.uk

Scarlet Grace, currently in the Sixth Form at ArtsEd has just been cast as Charlotte White, a lead role in Truth Seekers, an exciting new comedy/horror series for Amazon Original.

Starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, best known for hit films Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead, Truth Seekers follows a team of part-time paranormal investigators, who travel the UK, sharing online their ghostly sightings. As their supernatural sightings become more frequent, so does their sense of serious danger, as they begin to uncover a conspiracy that could impact the entire human race…

Scarlet began her training at ArtsEd Day School and continued on into the Sixth Form, studying BTEC Acting and A Level Film. Scarlet is no stranger to the big screen. Earlier this year, she played Pickle in the Holmes & Watson movie, starring Will Ferrell and John Reilly. When asked about this exciting new venture, she told us:

“I had an amazing time filming for new Amazon Series, ‘Truth Seekers’!  Written by Nat Saunders and James Serafinowicz, and starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the series will launch on Amazon Prime Video in over 200 countries, and I am playing the role of Charlotte White with a twist to her character!”

Truth Seekers began filming the eight-part series in September, with the launch date still pending… watch this space!