Izuka Hoyle (above, with Julia McKenzie), who graduates from ArtsEd this summer, has won the prestigious Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year. The SSSSPOTY prize – a silver salver and a cheque for £1,000 – is awarded to the student who, in the opinion of the judges, gives the best performance of their two songs.

Izuka performed ‘Last Midnight’ from Sondheim’s Into the Woods and ‘The Matchmaker', a new song by Claire McKenzie and Scott Gilmour, at the Noel Coward Theatre on Sunday 11 June. Izuka has been rehearsing for the competition alongside appearing in Working at Southwark Playhouse.

The winners were selected by a panel of judges including Rachel Kavanaugh, Simon Lee, Alex Young and Janie Dee chaired by Edward Seckerson, with Julia McKenzie presenting the prizes.

Fellow third-year student Shaq Taylor was named runner-up for his performances of 'Epiphany' from Sondheim's Sweeny Todd and new song ‘Apology to a Child’ by Tom Slade. Shaq took part in the competition just the day before he makes his West End debut in Les Miserables.

“We say every year that the standard gets better and better but this year we saw a real change in the talent on offer. How the judges could choose from such a talented group is beyond me. All three students recognised in the top three were outstanding and are undoubtedly destined for stardom.”
Craig Glenday, Chairman, Stephen Sondheim Society

This year’s competition was directed by ArtsEd’s Deputy Principal Chris Hocking. He was delighted with the result: “The dedication and commitment from all the students is inspiring and the pride that they have in representing their drama school is so great to be a part of.”

The 12 student competitors represented drama schools from across the country including RADA, LAMDA, Royal Welsh College of Music, GSA, Mountview, Italia Conti, Oxford School of Drama and the London College of Music.

We look forward to seeing where all our other talented 2017 students fly off to once they graduate.

Good luck everyone!

Photo credit: David Ovenden

ArtsEd has staged two memorable world premieres for the second year running. This year’s brand new plays have again proved a success and the third year BA Acting students enjoyed working with the writers to help shape the plays in the year-long process.

Sonny, written and directed by Deborah Bruce, ran in The Andrew Lloyd Webber Theatre from 16-20 May and was a play about the ‘haves’, the ‘have-nots’ and everyone in between.

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Deborah was delighted to work with ArtsEd students:

'As a writer/director this was a very rewarding experience. With a blank page and an open mind I met a fantastic year of committed and enthusiastic students to explore ideas and themes that resonated with us as a group. I was then able to write specifically for them, and see the project through into rehearsals for their final show, continuing to work with them on a company owned piece, as they turned into professional actors. I found there was a very satisfying sense of completion about the whole project.'  

You can still catch Philip Ridley’s The Beast of Blue Yonder – Studio Theatre, 23-27 May, 7.30pm – BOOK NOW

In 1930’s Hollywood, Tex Maverick is casting his new film. He doesn't need a great actress. He just needs someone who can scream. In 1980’s Essex, four young people enjoy a summer’s day. They play Frisbee and make plans. Then something happens that changes their lives forever. In 1960’s East London, Scott is mourning the death of his wife. He wants to talk to her again. Then he meets someone who makes that happen.

Three different stories from three different times, but all hurtling towards the same thing. The thing everyone fears the most…The Beast of Blue Yonder.

‘Very well written, intriguing and the cast were fantastic’ said Principal Jane Harrison.

While Director of Acting Gareth Farr commented:

'To witness the development of two brand new plays written by two hugely successful playwrights alongside the development of our students has been incredible. The students work with the writers for over a year, building a solid working relationship and feeding directly into the process. Their voices are woven into the fabric of these plays. This is a truly special project for both student and writer. The plays are exceptional, the knock on effects of the student experience is far reaching.'

Philip Ridley summed it all up:

I've just been on the most amazing journey. It's called Working with ArtsEd Students for Eighteen Months. Together we've explored lots of new places and experienced lots of different stories. We talked, we played, and – we as we did all these things – so I started to write. And, as I wrote, it became clear that the play was going to be a bit of an epic. Of course it was. I was surrounded by epic talent. And the play kept twisting and changing, juggling genres and different time lines, becoming more and more challenging, and every challenge I threw at the students, they rose to. They rose and they soared. The play would not have been possible without them. I have enjoyed every single moment of this Eighteen Month Journey. I wish I could do it all over again!

The BE OPEN foundation – a charitable organisation designed to foster creativity and innovation, has named the Arts Educational Schools London as one of the top five schools and colleges in the UK and one of the top 40 in Europe.

The latest report – A Review of Policy, Provision and Excellence in Arts Teaching Across Secondary Education in Europe, examines creative education in eight European countries and identifies the five strongest schools and/or colleges in each country.

BE OPEN’s aim in creating this report is to help define ‘excellence’ and recognise leadership in creative education. The ranking reveals that there are relatively few schools where one can gain a rich creative experience, however those which do recognise the potential of creative education are able to give proven argument for its approach, with pupils being more engaged and obtaining better results overall.

Jane Harrison, Principal says: “It’s fantastic to be recognised by the BE OPEN foundation, alongside such prestigious schools from within the UK and internationally. We believe that a well-rounded curriculum which incorporates the arts and creative study alongside a strong academic education gives our pupils the best preparation for their next step.”

All at ArtsEd are thrilled to have been recognised on this international platform and to be placed as a leading example of excellent provision of a creative education.

The ArtsEd Sixth Form Theatre Company are taking Moira Buffini's black comedy, Dinner to the Chelsea Theatre, London. After weeks of rehearsals, the company of Year 12 & 13 students will be taking to the professional stage on 8th and 9th of May.

The Sixth Form Theatre Company provides fantastic opportunities for our students to grow and develop as performers. Paul Tully, Head of Drama and Acting and Director of Dinner says: “This opportunity allows the students to experience something different to performing in school. They need to be able to adapt quickly to the new environment and it really does give them a taste of what it is like to be performing in a professional space.”

In recent years the Sixth Form Theatre Company has won awards at the National Student Drama Festival and the Independent Schools Association’s Drama Competition as well as taking part in the National Theatre Connections project.

The students have worked exceptionally hard on this production and would be delighted if you could come and see this vicious comedy:

On a night thick with fog, Paige organises a dinner party to celebrate her husband's new book. This is no normal dinner party though. Primordial soup and frozen matter are served with aplomb by a 'dumb' waiter, while her guests savage each other as the evening proceeds. A laugh out loud black comedy one moment and then a dark twisted story the next. From party games to terrorising guests, this is a party that has surprising twists at the end. Some would say the dinner date from hell!

Tickets are available via the Chelsea Theatre website chelseatheatre.org.uk

The ArtsEd Extra Youth Theatre is looking forward to making their West End debut this week, performing in the National Theatre’s Connections Festival – a celebration of young people, theatre-making and the importance of access to the arts. The company of young actors has come together from across West London and will perform Tim Etchells’ Status Update at Soho Theatre on 31 March at 7pm.

{image2}Status Update is an unflinching and amusing catalogue of the things teenagers learn, believe and appear to have sussed out about the world. It’s a challenging piece for ArtsEd Extra Youth Theatre’s first project as the entire cast remains on stage throughout the performance, relying on their ability to work together as an ensemble.

Director and Head of Part-Time Leaning, Jonathan Goodwin has watched the group step up successfully to the challenge: “I’ve seen a huge development in the skills level and confidence of the entire cast throughout this project. Each performer has shown a great commitment during rehearsals and as a result we’ve received amazing feedback from friends, family and representatives of the Soho Theatre and the National Theatre.”

Tickets for the performance at Soho Theatre are available here.

If you would like to be involved in similar projects please register your interest with Jonathan Goodwin jgoodwin@artsed.co.uk / 020 8987 6692

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Image credit: Joe Thomas, Lighting Designer and Operator www.joethomasdesign.co.uk

ArtsEd is one of Britain’s leading drama schools. Our 3rd Year BA Acting students participate in a significant amount of film work, making them highly employable in the industry. Launched in 2014, the Original Screenplay Project has gone from strength to strength. Each year a limited number of films from the project are submitted to film festivals. In 2016 we were thrilled to win the Best Comedy award at the Crystal Palace International Film Festival for Paul Houghton’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

We are delighted to invite writers to submit their scripts for the fourth season.

Shortlisted scripts will be read in a workshop situation and once the final eight scripts have been selected, writers may be required to develop or adapt their work. They will subsequently be filmed in March 2018, by a professional director and cameraman, supported by a full student crew. Each film will then be edited to broadcast standard and screened before an industry audience.

Each script should combine a clear, narrative arc with a degree of dramatic action and must also fulfil the following criteria: 

Be of 10-12 minutes duration
Be suitable for filming on a limited budget
Require a maximum of 4 simple locations and not involve difficult technical set ups i.e.: long driving scenes, period settings etc.
Tackle contemporary subject matter, both comedy and drama and be set in the last decade
Be suitable for a cast who are in their twenties, with a minimum of 3 to 4 strong roles
Avoid any extreme violence or explicit sexual content
Require a limited number of older cast or none at all ideally

All writers will be fully credited for their work, retain copyright of the script and receive a professional standard showreel of the film. We are sadly unable to offer remuneration to writers but see this as a great opportunity for a writer to have their work developed and produced in order to showcase their talents.

We will acknowledge receipt of submissions but regrettably, due to the volume of submissions we are unable to provide individual feedback. Decisions regarding shortlisting of scripts will take place after the closing date, and final scripts will be chosen by September 2017.

To submit a script for our consideration, please email a copy in PDF or Word format to scripts.artsed@gmail.com and remember to include your name, contact details, and script title on the front page, together with a brief synopsis and character breakdown.

Deadline for submissions is Wednesday 24 May 2017

The summer season at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is going to start with great style and verve this year with four ArtsEd faces leading the cast of On The Town.

Class of 2017 graduates, Siena Kelly and Miriam-Teak Lee, will make their professional stage debuts as Ivy and Hildy, joined by ArtsEd alumna, Lizzy Connolly as Claire, three roles played in the original film version by Vera-Ellen, Betty Garrett and Ann Miller. Siena and Miriam-Teak are well prepared for their stage debut having performed lead roles in Lady Be Good and The Life during their final year of training.

The male lead, Gabey, will be played by ArtsEd alumnus, Danny Mac, recently seen in the finals and live arena tour of Strictly Come Dancing. The role of Gabey is well known to Chris Hocking, ArtsEd’s Deputy Director, who played the character on the last UK tour of On The Town in 1989.

Chris Hocking says: “It’s an incredible achievement for Miriam-Teak and Siena to launch their professional careers in such an iconic musical. We are ecstatic to see ArtsEd students and alumni in four of the six lead roles!” 

Playing 19 May to 1 July 2017, On The Town is based on a concept by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, including the hit song “New York, New York (it’s a helluva town)”.  The production will be directed and choreographed by Drew McOnie. Drew won the Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreography for In the Heights before scoring a hit with his choreography for Jesus Christ Superstar in 2016, for which he is nominated in The Olivier Awards 2017.

Photo credit: Hugo Glendinning

ArtsEd Youth Dance Company (AEYDC) performed as part of RichDance 17 at Hampton School on Saturday 4 March – a performance platform for youth companies and professionals. The company of dancers from Years 10-13 took to the stage to premiere their new dance piece 'RED'.

Company Director Christopher Reynolds commended the performers saying: “The students’ performance was extremely professional and their support of the other participants was fantastic. RichDance was a great day for AEYDC to bond as a company as well as being ambassadors for the Day School and Sixth Form. I am extremely proud of them all, well done!” 

RichDance, now in its 15th year, forms a part of the Richmond upon Thames Music and Drama Festival. The weekend is a fantastic showcase for dance companies and choreographers, professional and emerging dance artists, local schools, and youth and community groups from across London.

ArtsEd Youth Dance Company will next be performing here at ArtsEd in The Dance Show from 27-31 March in the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation Theatre. Tickets are available from 2pm Thursday 9th March via the Box Office.

It has been announced that third year musical theatre student Tarinn Callender will be joining the original cast for the highly anticipated West End debut of Hamilton. Tarinn will make his professional debut playing the roles of Hercules Mulligan and James Madison.

Performances will begin in November at the Victoria Palace Theatre, which will re-open its doors following major refurbishment work. Only a handful of castings have been announced so far, with the lead roles of Hamilton and King George III still firmly under wraps. We can't wait to find out who will be joining Tarinn over the coming months.

ArtsEd is delighted that Gareth Farr is taking up the post of Director of The School of Acting in April 2017. Gareth joined the School as a freelance director in September 2009 and immediately inspired the students with his passion and enthusiasm for actor training.

Before coming to ArtsEd Gareth worked as an actor and he continues to work as a writer bringing many Industry contacts to the School. His debut full-length play, Britannia Waves the Rules, won the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting in 2011. His latest play, The Quiet House, which explores infertility and the taboo surrounding it, opened at Birmingham Repertory Theatre in May 2016 and transferred to Park Theatre in London in June 2016.  

As an actor Gareth has worked for the RSC, Royal Court, Young Vic, in the West End and at many regional theatres. His TV credits include Skins, Misfits, Vera, Doctors, Heartbeat and Holby City.

Principal Jane Harrison says: “This is a great addition to the ArtsEd team and we wish him every success in his new role.”

While Gareth is equally delighted: “I feel thrilled and extremely privileged to be taking on the role of Director of The School of Acting.  ArtsEd is about to embark on a new and exciting chapter and I am delighted to be part of this.”