Franchise theatre school invests in students’ next steps in the industry

An award-winning franchise has shown that its commitment to its students goes above and beyond with an exciting event to talk with Principals, teachers and teams about how to best prepare students for their next steps in this exciting but highly competitive industry. 

Razzamataz Theatre Schools invited Principals, Assistant Principals, Teachers and Teaching Assistants together to ensure consistency, quality and high standards are being delivered across the network in our additional class called Project Intense, which helps prepare students for college and university at either age sixteen or eighteen.  

The event was held at the grand Finsbury Town Hall, home to the prestigious Urdang, based near London’s vibrant West End and in the heart of the performing arts industry. Project Intense classes are perfect for students who wish to embark on a career in the performing arts and is the first step to helping them achieve their dreams. 

The day explored the Razzamataz Project Intense product including its values, aims, opportunities, merchandise, recruitment, lesson planning, structure, and standards and discipline. To see the classes in action, attendees watched the new training videos featuring the talented students at Razzamataz Medway. The day was led by Emily Louise Connor, Alumni from The Urdang Academy who is passionate about equipping Principals and teachers with the knowledge they need to prepare students for their next steps into professional and vocational performing arts training or university. Emily is the Creative Coach at Razzamataz and was one of the original team who pioneered Project Intense, drawing from her experience as a performer and teacher in performing arts colleges.

“It was amazing to get the network together and really ensure we are delivering the Razzamataz Project Intense product to the highest standard in all the schools across the UK,” says Emily. “I am a firm believer that technical dance training must never be about going through the motions, the students must understand the deep level and understanding of muscle training and be able to add their performance, personality and individuality too. It’s also so much more than just technical dance and vocal training, it’s about taking ownership of your journey, professionalism and etiquette, punctuality, presentation, and being able to take feedback. These skills are so transferable, absolutely into the performing arts industry but also whichever route our students choose to take when their time comes. Our teams left empowered and energised to go back to their schools and implement lots of exciting new elements to their classes.”

Emily was joined by special guest Laurie Scarth, alumni from Arts Educational School London and current Head of Dance at The Emil Dale Academy to talk about how to best prepare students aiming to go to a performing arts college. This included what the audition process at Emil Dale Academy looks like and what they look for in a potential student. Laurie has appeared in lead roles in some of the most iconic musicals including Grease (London Piccadilly), High School Musical (Hammersmith Apollo), Hairspray (UK Tour) and Sister Act (UK Tour), to name but a few.

The ethos of Razzamataz means that students are exposed to life skills that will help them achieve in whatever career they wish to pursue. The professionalism, confidence and understanding how to develop a can-do attitude means they leave Razzamataz with maturity beyond their years.

 The Project Intense training day and the accompanying manual is just one of the many benefits of being part of the Razzamataz network. There is a significant investment in training for both Principals and teachers, to allow them to offer the highest standards of performing arts training to their students. Charlotte Olivares, franchise partner at Razzamataz Maidstone explains: “There has clearly been a lot of time and effort spent on creating the manual which is super helpful for both Principals and teachers. I’m thankful for all the efforts that went into the training session. The day was pitched perfectly, and I came away with a refreshed love for Project Intense.”

 Felicity Clifton, Co-Principal of Razzamataz Romford, Hornchurch and Dagenham greatly appreciates the involvement from Head Office to ensure Principals are given the tools they need to run a fantastic business. She says: “All of the effort to fit so much useful information in to support us is really appreciated. Thank you for giving us so much energy as always, it’s so fun to watch Emily present, her energy is infectious.”