Sarah secures drama place
A 16-year-old schoolgirl from Barlestone has a lot to celebrate after securing a place at a full-time drama school in London.
Sarah Fowles, who is currently attending the Market Bosworth School, will be taking up a place at PQA Studios London in September after wowing judges at her audition earlier this year.
Actor Pauline Quirke, who is best known for her role as Sharon in the hit BBC sitcom Birds of a Feather, is the brains behind PQA Studios London, a new full-time drama school.
The new academy is for young performers aged 16 and 19 and will offer Diploma level and Foundation training in performing arts. The academy is based in the original Poor School building in Pentonville Road, Kings Cross, which closed last year after three decades, just a stone’s throw from where Pauline herself went to school, and discovered acting, at the age of nine.
Pauline’s team has completely renovated the building, which now has a fully equipped in-house theatre and several large, high spec studio spaces, and it reopens as PQA Studios London in September 2018.
Sarah, who auditioned in front of a panel of industry judges to secure her place, will be studying on the twoyear Diploma in Performing Arts course, at the end of which, she will be awarded an OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma in Performing Arts (a Level 3 qualification); the equivalent to three A Levels, for entry into professional vocational diplomas/HE institutions.
Many of the teachers at the PQA Studios London have all performed in hugely successful West End shows, so Sarah will be learning from teaching professionals, who also have the experience of what it is like to be a performer at the top of their game.
Sarah has previously attended the Pauline Quirke Academy weekend stage school in Loughborough.
Pauline launched her first weekend, non-selective performing arts school 10 years ago with her husband Steve, and there are now 170 of these weekend stage schools across the UK.
Talking about heading to London to take up her place at PQA Studios London in September, Sarah said that the two-year Diploma in Performing Arts course appealed to her more than A Levels because A Levels limit creativity. “A Levels focus more on academic subjects and I feel they won’t offer me the same opportunities as a theatre school.
“I have always been interested in a career in theatre and I believe PQA Studios London will be the best path for what I want to achieve, which is a career in musical theatre in London’s West End.
“Being chosen to be a part of PQA London Studios was a fantastic achievement and one that I will be forever proud of. I’m extremely excited to start at the studios in September and get to know the students I will be spending the next few years with.”
The next audition day for entry in September 2018 is June 14. Applicants must have five GCSEs (grade A* - C) and the audition takes a full day. Partial and fully-funded scholarships are available.
For more information and to apply, please visit pqastudios.com.