Alex Bloomer

Alex has always wanted to act and has been involved in youth theatres since he was young. Keen to gain some academic qualifications before starting college, he previously completed A Levels and an Art Foundation course at the University of Northampton. He has just achieved his BTEC National Diploma in Performing Arts and is about to start at the prestigious Mountview Stage School.

‘I always knew I would end up on the stage. I love performing, I always have, so being able to study it at college before progressing on to stage school was brilliant. It’s a really practical course and the teaching is fantastic. I’ve learnt so much as it’s so varied. We covered ballet, tap, jazz, musical theatre, basically every genre and technique you can think of. Experiencing the different routes as part of the course has helped me realise it’s definitely what I want to do.’

Being involved in performances throughout the two-year programme was one of Alex’s favourite elements of the course. ‘Performing to an audience is the best feeling and allows you to test out your new skills – I think it’s great the teachers push you to take part in various shows. For the final end of year show we performed ‘Children of Eden’ which is a meaty musical unlike anything I’ve ever done before. That’s was the best thing – being pushed out of your comfort zone and trying new things.’

Alex is looking forward to three years at Mountview before starting his career.

Antony Hewitt

Antony is one of many learners on the Musical Theatre course to get into a top London stage school. With a full scholarship at Arts Ed, he is looking forward to following the footsteps of Julie Andrews, Bonnie Langford and Will Young.

‘I got places at Mountview, Bird and Arts Ed so I was in a lucky position to be able to pick. Drama schools are the best way of getting on in the industry but you need to go through intense auditions to get in. They want to see first hand what you’re capable of. Your CV is important but your skills and techniques are what get you noticed at the audition. The Musical Theatre course prepares you for all that. I don’t think I could have done it without the help of my tutors.’

Antony has always wanted to be a West End performer. In the hope of realising his dream, he completed A Levels in music, drama and psychology at school before enrolling on the Musical Theatre course at college.

‘My A Levels gave me a good academic grounding but the great thing about the college course is that it’s so practical. You’re encouraged to take part in lots of performances so I’ve been able to perfect my singing and acting and work on my dance techniques.’

Emma Jamieson

Emma exceeded her expectations on the BTEC in Performing Arts by gaining triple Distinction grades. Her achievements at college didn’t stop there either – she’s since gone onto achieve an overall Distinction on the HND programme.

‘I’d previously completed A Levels at school which were very theory based and involved a lot of written work. I still wanted to gain more practical experience in theatre so college seemed like the perfect progression. Enrolling onto the BTEC before the HND programme was a good stepping stone and gave me a really good understanding of theatre and the performing arts industries. I worked really hard to get good grades and the support you get from the lecturers is great but even I wasn’t expecting triple Ds.’

The HND was a bit more of a challenge for Emma. ‘The HND was definitely a big jump and the workload is a lot more intense across a range of areas but I really enjoyed pushing myself. I am starting a year top up course at the University of Northampton which will give me a BA honours degree qualification on top of my A Levels, BTEC and HND. After that I hope to work in theatrical make up.’

Victoria Haynes

Victoria loved everything about the BTEC National Diploma in Dance which she completed with straight distinction grades. She was an enthusiastic learner who put a huge amount of effort in to achieve her outstanding grades whether the work was theoretical or practical. When she took part in the various performances and shows Victoria’s enthusiasm was infectious among the rest of the group. 

She has just started a one year intensive diploma at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts.

Lois Brookes

Lois has wanted to be a West End performer since she was a child and saw the BTEC National Diploma in Musical Theatre as the perfect course for her to achieve that dream. She was a zealous learner from the outset, throwing herself into every aspect of the programme and thriving on the new skills and techniques she was absorbing. Her love of other people made her a positive addition to the group and enabled her to inspire other learners. She was given a lead role in the end of term production of Seussical and gave a brilliant performance. She has begun a three year degree in Musical Theatre at the acclaimed Urdang Stage School.

Alex Pritchett

Alex Pritchett achieved a triple distinction on the BTEC in Acting, which is the highest grade anyone has got on the course at Booth Lane. His impressive grades meant he was offered a place at one of the country’s leading theatre schools, Mountview Academy Theatre of Arts, and Alex said the skills he learnt during his BTEC definitely helped him impress the judges at his intense audition.

Alex has decided to defer his place until next academic year when he hopes he will have more experience. He said, “I am one step further to achieving my acting dream.”

Kimberley Birtwistle

Kimberley studied a BTEC National Certificate in Performing Arts at Daventry and loved the freedom and creativity the course gave her.

Towards the end of the year long course, Kimberley applied to various universities up and down the country and ended up with the pick of the bunch, getting unconditional places at all six of her choices.

Kimberley has since achieved a double distinction and accepted the offer at Loughborough University where she will study for a degree in Drama and Theatre.