Essex has a brand new theatre school launching this September. The Musical Theatre Centre promises to give children everything they need to pursue a career in theatre and lots more. We ask Director, Ashton Moore, just what makes this school stand out amongst the many others out there; and what children can expect to gain from the wealth of experience himself and the school's team of highly experienced teachers have to offer!
Ashton Moore
STS: First of all, can you tell us about The Musical Theatre Centre and what makes it different to all the other stage schools out there right now?
AM: The idea of The Musical Theatre Centre is that it is a stage school that focuses in a thorough and passionate way on the three core disciplines of singing, acting, and dance, and in applying these disciplines to performance on stage in theatre and musical theatre. My feeling is that the time is right to use my experience of what works and create environments in which young people feel valued, respected, and empowered to thrive.
What were your absolute priorities in setting up the school?
A core team of tutors with high-level current/recent theatre experience: I want to make sure that the teaching and guidance our young people receive is relevant, current, and given by people who are currently and/or very recently active in the industry at the highest level.
The very best in pastoral care: It is important for me to have members of our management and teaching staff who have excellent experience in full-time education and pastoral care. We collect thorough information from parents when registering their children to train to ensure we provide the best possible medical, emotional, and pastoral care for all, and we have also committed to a scheme which I believe to be unique: every student will have a scheduled but informal "check-in / catch-up" meeting with a member of our management team every term.
Non-exclusivity: There are so many brilliant centres in Essex and there's so much to celebrate about each. The world is wide enough for all of us not only to co-exist but to actively support and enhance each other. We are more than happy for students to come to us for musical theatre training and go elsewhere in addition (for example, for ballet, tap, or ballroom). We are confident in what we offer and as much as we are delighted when people choose to train exclusively with us, we are equally delighted when people choose to make us a part of their own personal development and training programme.
Teaching connected skills: This is a simple one. Too many times I've watched dance, acting, and singing being taught as completely separate skills, with no actual training on how to connect the skills (acting through song, character and performance when delivering choreography, how to sing and dance healthily and strongly etc.)... well, we're here to change that.
Creating a happy, healthy environment: We've all been involved in schools or environments where we felt like commodities, and I just won't let that happen at The Musical Theatre Centre. We know that our students and parents are trusting us with their time and efforts in a formative time in their lives and it's incredibly important that we create an environment that people look forward to coming to, and in which they feel valued as people - not just as business assets or performing monkeys! We have a non-negotiable limit on class sizes (the largest maximum for any class is 30) to ensure that every student gets seen, noticed, and actively worked with. Like most schools we have a zero tolerance policy for any form of discrimination or intolerance and we are a completely safe space for every person, including members of traditionally under-represented groups, and the LGBTQ+ community.
Another key part of creating a happy, healthy environment for our young people is something we are pioneering called Personal Skills classes. These are optional small group classes that our students can take at any age, and the classes focus on managing stress and anxiety, teamwork, leadership and communication skills, and positive mental health.
Where is the school based?
We are based in central Chelmsford on New London Road. Facilities include a large (free) on-site car park, and we're very close to the town centre and public transport. Being so central in Essex, too, means that we're already seeing a fabulous range of young people from as far north as Colchester and Suffolk, and as far south as, well, Southend!
AM: The idea of The Musical Theatre Centre is that it is a stage school that focuses in a thorough and passionate way on the three core disciplines of singing, acting, and dance, and in applying these disciplines to performance on stage in theatre and musical theatre. My feeling is that the time is right to use my experience of what works and create environments in which young people feel valued, respected, and empowered to thrive.
What were your absolute priorities in setting up the school?
A core team of tutors with high-level current/recent theatre experience: I want to make sure that the teaching and guidance our young people receive is relevant, current, and given by people who are currently and/or very recently active in the industry at the highest level.
The very best in pastoral care: It is important for me to have members of our management and teaching staff who have excellent experience in full-time education and pastoral care. We collect thorough information from parents when registering their children to train to ensure we provide the best possible medical, emotional, and pastoral care for all, and we have also committed to a scheme which I believe to be unique: every student will have a scheduled but informal "check-in / catch-up" meeting with a member of our management team every term.
Non-exclusivity: There are so many brilliant centres in Essex and there's so much to celebrate about each. The world is wide enough for all of us not only to co-exist but to actively support and enhance each other. We are more than happy for students to come to us for musical theatre training and go elsewhere in addition (for example, for ballet, tap, or ballroom). We are confident in what we offer and as much as we are delighted when people choose to train exclusively with us, we are equally delighted when people choose to make us a part of their own personal development and training programme.
Teaching connected skills: This is a simple one. Too many times I've watched dance, acting, and singing being taught as completely separate skills, with no actual training on how to connect the skills (acting through song, character and performance when delivering choreography, how to sing and dance healthily and strongly etc.)... well, we're here to change that.
Creating a happy, healthy environment: We've all been involved in schools or environments where we felt like commodities, and I just won't let that happen at The Musical Theatre Centre. We know that our students and parents are trusting us with their time and efforts in a formative time in their lives and it's incredibly important that we create an environment that people look forward to coming to, and in which they feel valued as people - not just as business assets or performing monkeys! We have a non-negotiable limit on class sizes (the largest maximum for any class is 30) to ensure that every student gets seen, noticed, and actively worked with. Like most schools we have a zero tolerance policy for any form of discrimination or intolerance and we are a completely safe space for every person, including members of traditionally under-represented groups, and the LGBTQ+ community.
Another key part of creating a happy, healthy environment for our young people is something we are pioneering called Personal Skills classes. These are optional small group classes that our students can take at any age, and the classes focus on managing stress and anxiety, teamwork, leadership and communication skills, and positive mental health.
Where is the school based?
We are based in central Chelmsford on New London Road. Facilities include a large (free) on-site car park, and we're very close to the town centre and public transport. Being so central in Essex, too, means that we're already seeing a fabulous range of young people from as far north as Colchester and Suffolk, and as far south as, well, Southend!
Rehearsal spaces at the Centre
Tell us a bit about your own experiences of theatre when you were growing up?
I came to theatre quite late! I only became interested in it in my mid-teens (and wasn't confident enough to sing on my own until I was around 14!) and so never really trained formally beyond some fun youth theatre plays and musicals. Through local youth theatre groups I was then given the opportunity to work as a musical director, which immediately became a passion and area of interest for me, which has continued to this day! One big regret I have is that I came to performing a little too late and didn't take the opportunity to train somewhere and really build my skills - especially my dancing, which as anyone who's performed with me will tell you, needs several centuries' worth of training.
And what do you do now?
It's a bit of a running joke that I work a lot. I like to keep busy! I'm a theatre composer with one musical in professional development and another that I hope will be soon, I'm one of the deputy keyboard players for the West End production of Get Up Stand Up (I recently played my 50th show with them and am in the final stages of learning the MD role in order to come on board as an Associate Musical Director), I teach singing and musical theatre on a freelance basis including regularly for Stagebox, one of the UK's top training institutions, at their centres in London, Edinburgh and Manchester. Occasionally I do one-off gigs for theatre, weddings, and corporate events on the piano or saxophone. I do a lot of sleeping on trains.
I came to theatre quite late! I only became interested in it in my mid-teens (and wasn't confident enough to sing on my own until I was around 14!) and so never really trained formally beyond some fun youth theatre plays and musicals. Through local youth theatre groups I was then given the opportunity to work as a musical director, which immediately became a passion and area of interest for me, which has continued to this day! One big regret I have is that I came to performing a little too late and didn't take the opportunity to train somewhere and really build my skills - especially my dancing, which as anyone who's performed with me will tell you, needs several centuries' worth of training.
And what do you do now?
It's a bit of a running joke that I work a lot. I like to keep busy! I'm a theatre composer with one musical in professional development and another that I hope will be soon, I'm one of the deputy keyboard players for the West End production of Get Up Stand Up (I recently played my 50th show with them and am in the final stages of learning the MD role in order to come on board as an Associate Musical Director), I teach singing and musical theatre on a freelance basis including regularly for Stagebox, one of the UK's top training institutions, at their centres in London, Edinburgh and Manchester. Occasionally I do one-off gigs for theatre, weddings, and corporate events on the piano or saxophone. I do a lot of sleeping on trains.
How difficult was it to find good teachers for the school and can parents be assured that their children will be getting taught by the best?
We have only considered teachers who have experience working in high-end professional theatre or at schools, colleges or institutions which are recognised for excellence in theatre education - or both of the above - and that experience has to have been within the last five years. Further, it's not enough to just be a talented performer in their own right; all of our teachers have recent experience working in education, youth theatre, or care.
These are people who not only command respect and set high expectations, but are they fundamentally kind, caring, supportive people who can create a positive, thriving environment.
We have only considered teachers who have experience working in high-end professional theatre or at schools, colleges or institutions which are recognised for excellence in theatre education - or both of the above - and that experience has to have been within the last five years. Further, it's not enough to just be a talented performer in their own right; all of our teachers have recent experience working in education, youth theatre, or care.
These are people who not only command respect and set high expectations, but are they fundamentally kind, caring, supportive people who can create a positive, thriving environment.
I always said I would not open the school until we found the right people, people who we completely believe in, who our young people believe in, and who will believe in our young people. I'm delighted to say we have now found those people!
Tell us about some of your teachers and what they’ve accomplished in theatre?
Our team is quite exceptional and you can read all about what they've been up to at www.themtcentre.co.uk/about. Our Head of Acting, Biancha-Maria Szynal, has an extraordinary CV that includes Matilda, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, Billy Elliot (all West End), Bring it On (UK Tour), Legally Blonde, 101 Dalmations (both Regents Park Open Air Theatre), as well as the movie musicals Matilda and Everybody's Talking About Jamie, while our Head of Dance, Hannah O'Brien, is a former National Champion in contemporary and lyrical dance who has worked with Matthew Bourne and The Royal Ballet. Among our team are exceptional people who have founded theatre and film companies, led West End musicals, and toured the world with dance and musical productions. All are passionate and truly inspirational to aspiring performers of any age.
Our team is quite exceptional and you can read all about what they've been up to at www.themtcentre.co.uk/about. Our Head of Acting, Biancha-Maria Szynal, has an extraordinary CV that includes Matilda, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, Billy Elliot (all West End), Bring it On (UK Tour), Legally Blonde, 101 Dalmations (both Regents Park Open Air Theatre), as well as the movie musicals Matilda and Everybody's Talking About Jamie, while our Head of Dance, Hannah O'Brien, is a former National Champion in contemporary and lyrical dance who has worked with Matthew Bourne and The Royal Ballet. Among our team are exceptional people who have founded theatre and film companies, led West End musicals, and toured the world with dance and musical productions. All are passionate and truly inspirational to aspiring performers of any age.
Devon-Elise Johnson,
Natasha Mason,
Hannah O'Brien,
Lily Streames,
Ashton Moore,
Biancha-Maria Szynal
Stage/theatre schools are renowned for being quite pricey, how do you justify the costs and are there opportunities for children whose parents may not be able to afford stage school prices?
We're passionate about being accessible to as many people as possible. Venue hire and teaching costs are considerable, but we have set prices that we understand to be among the lowest of any similar institution. Our "top price" (for students in school Years 10-13) is £295 per term, which cover our Core Training in musical theatre on Saturdays from 10am - 1pm for a full Essex County Council term. That works out at around £6.50 - 9.00 per hour. Our lowest price (for students in school Years 3-6) is £265 per term.
Further to this, to increase accessibility, we offer parents the option to apply to pay our fees per month, rather than per term. This doesn't affect the notice requirements, but helps families in genuine need to break the cost down into more manageable chunks.
We also offer a small number of auditioned, talent-based scholarships of up to a 50% discount on fees - parents can apply to be considered for a scholarship through our application form.
Do children have to audition to get in?
No. We believe that we offer training that is strong enough that anyone with a committed, positive attitude can achieve something exceptional with us. Apart from our scholarship award, which is auditioned by necessity, anyone can apply for a place to train with us and they will be accepted, unless we have hit the maximum capacity for classes.
Will students be encouraged to take exams (ie; LAMDA)?
This is something that I believe very strongly is important to approach on a case-by-case basis. For some people, the routine and nature of examinations is valuable and helps to accelerate progress and build enjoyment. For some people, both examinations themselves and preparation for them can be negative experiences and can potentially lead to boredom (spending too much time on the same material, or being restricted by set work / the syllabus, etc.) or a lack of passion in general. Our one-to-one tutors will work with students and parents to identify the best way to work, and if examinations are part of that for a certain individual, then examinations will be undertaken! If another individual's progress and development is better served by working without examinations, then that's the way we'll go. Our students are individuals and it's up to us to find the best way to work for each individual.
Is this a school for children who want careers in theatre or can anyone just come for fun times if they want to?
Young people who are considering a career in theatre will be extremely well served by us - especially our excellent one-to-one tuition, and our Personal Skills classes, which are partly aimed at preparing young people for an industry that can be extremely difficult mentally and emotionally, as well as physically. Truthfully, the industry is not for everybody, and we can and will provide excellent experiences for those who may not pursue theatre to a professional level, but do still love performing. The skills and confidence gained from good theatre training reverberate far wider than performing on a stage. We hope all students will leave us at 18 years of age positive, confident, happy and healthy, with a clear idea of what they want to achieve in the future and how to do so.
What's the deadline for applying to get in?
Honestly, as soon as possible! We've been delighted with the applications coming in at the moment and while no class is full just yet, some of our one-to-one tutors have only one or two slots left available. In theory, we are happy to take on new students at any time throughout the year, but once we hit maximum capacity we will not make exceptions.
The school's first day of training is Saturday 10th September, with scholarship auditions being held a week earlier on Saturday 3rd September.
Applications for places (including scholarships) are online only, here: www.themtcentre.co.uk/join.
We're passionate about being accessible to as many people as possible. Venue hire and teaching costs are considerable, but we have set prices that we understand to be among the lowest of any similar institution. Our "top price" (for students in school Years 10-13) is £295 per term, which cover our Core Training in musical theatre on Saturdays from 10am - 1pm for a full Essex County Council term. That works out at around £6.50 - 9.00 per hour. Our lowest price (for students in school Years 3-6) is £265 per term.
Further to this, to increase accessibility, we offer parents the option to apply to pay our fees per month, rather than per term. This doesn't affect the notice requirements, but helps families in genuine need to break the cost down into more manageable chunks.
We also offer a small number of auditioned, talent-based scholarships of up to a 50% discount on fees - parents can apply to be considered for a scholarship through our application form.
Do children have to audition to get in?
No. We believe that we offer training that is strong enough that anyone with a committed, positive attitude can achieve something exceptional with us. Apart from our scholarship award, which is auditioned by necessity, anyone can apply for a place to train with us and they will be accepted, unless we have hit the maximum capacity for classes.
Will students be encouraged to take exams (ie; LAMDA)?
This is something that I believe very strongly is important to approach on a case-by-case basis. For some people, the routine and nature of examinations is valuable and helps to accelerate progress and build enjoyment. For some people, both examinations themselves and preparation for them can be negative experiences and can potentially lead to boredom (spending too much time on the same material, or being restricted by set work / the syllabus, etc.) or a lack of passion in general. Our one-to-one tutors will work with students and parents to identify the best way to work, and if examinations are part of that for a certain individual, then examinations will be undertaken! If another individual's progress and development is better served by working without examinations, then that's the way we'll go. Our students are individuals and it's up to us to find the best way to work for each individual.
Is this a school for children who want careers in theatre or can anyone just come for fun times if they want to?
Young people who are considering a career in theatre will be extremely well served by us - especially our excellent one-to-one tuition, and our Personal Skills classes, which are partly aimed at preparing young people for an industry that can be extremely difficult mentally and emotionally, as well as physically. Truthfully, the industry is not for everybody, and we can and will provide excellent experiences for those who may not pursue theatre to a professional level, but do still love performing. The skills and confidence gained from good theatre training reverberate far wider than performing on a stage. We hope all students will leave us at 18 years of age positive, confident, happy and healthy, with a clear idea of what they want to achieve in the future and how to do so.
What's the deadline for applying to get in?
Honestly, as soon as possible! We've been delighted with the applications coming in at the moment and while no class is full just yet, some of our one-to-one tutors have only one or two slots left available. In theory, we are happy to take on new students at any time throughout the year, but once we hit maximum capacity we will not make exceptions.
The school's first day of training is Saturday 10th September, with scholarship auditions being held a week earlier on Saturday 3rd September.
Applications for places (including scholarships) are online only, here: www.themtcentre.co.uk/join.
