Carlisle’s award-winning youth musical theatre company is saying goodbye to some of its students as they go and begin their next steps into their careers.
StagedRight Youth Theatre is ‘sad’ to say goodbye, but ‘thrilled’ to see a number of students graduating from the Carlisle-based group and heading off to careers within the arts whilst others are graduating from top drama schools and heading into the professional world of TV and theatre.
Robbie Anson leaves Carlisle to begin study music at Cambridge University whilst also being a choral scholar in the world-famous choir of Kings College, where the iconic service of nine lessons and carols is recorded and broadcast across the world on Christmas Eve.
Robbie was award nominated for his performance as Grandpa Potts in StagedRight’s Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang and most recently played James Bailey in the group's production of Barnum.
Sophie Richardson, who won Best Comedy Female in the Northwest for her performance as Carlotta in StagedRight’s production of The Phantom of the Opera, is heading to Leeds Conservatoire to study classical music, whilst Evie Draffan is moving to Manchester to study musical theatre at The Hammond Theatre School.
Nathan Yielder who performed with the National Youth Music Theatre this summer is starting a musical theatre course at Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London.
Meanwhile, StagedRighter Toby Cass has recently graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and was immediately offered a position within the Integration and Control Department at Tait Towers.
It is this company who designs and builds automation for many West End Musicals, international pop concerts and Cirque Du Soleil.
StagedRight principal David McNeill said: “We are always sad to see StagedRighters leave but know they are heading out into the big wide world to follow their dreams.
“Being offered coveted places at top theatre schools and conservatoires is wonderful and we are thrilled that StagedRight has set them on their road to a wonderful career.
“It’s never easy to keep track of where everyone is going, who has graduated and who has been offered work but so many former StagedRighters stay in touch which is wonderful.
“Performing in our lavish productions and working so closely with our creative team, certainly helps students with drama school auditions and entering the business."
StagedRight has an impressive honours board of former students who have trained or graduated in theatre with students now performing all over the world.
READ MORE: StagedRight production of Barnum described as 'absolute triumph'
These include Joe Usher who is currently appearing in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Royal Exchange in Manchester; Jonny Irving is working on the Voice for ITV; Matthew Smith is cruising the world entertaining; Eve Pereira spent the summer in a production of Alice in Wonderland; and Molly Barton recently appeared in ‘Fool Me Once’ on Netflix.
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