Helping young performers to build their confidence and tap into their star quality, Stagecoach Performing Arts Cirencester offers professional performing arts classes for rising stars aged four to 18.
During her eight years at the school, local superstar Lizzi Siddons has trod the boards at West End theatres, performed in iconic musicals and gained formal qualifications in acting – with SoGlos hearing from her about what it’s like to step into the spotlight.
Meet the student – Lizzi Siddons from Stagecoach Performing Arts Cirencester
Lizzi Siddons, 14, is a talented young performer who has been a student at Stagecoach Performing Arts in Cirencester for eight years, participating in workshops and weekly classes, as well as starring in stage shows and taking graded exams in acting.
Welcoming children aged four to 18-years-old, Stagecoach Cirencester offers professional performing arts classes for young people who love to sing, dance and act across two venues.
What are your top three highlights from the past eight years of being at Stagecoach Cirencester?
I would say my top three highlights from my time at Stagecoach so far would be performing at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London with other Stagecoach schools from around the UK; performing as little Inez in Stagecoach Cirencester’s production of Hairspray; and performing as Dorothy in our most recent production of The Wizard of Oz!
What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt from your time at Stagecoach so far?
It may be cliché but Stagecoach has given me so much confidence since I was a little girl wanting to perform. Learning how to use that confidence on stage through performance to help portray a character has been super beneficial to me as a performer.
Can you tell us about the extra opportunities you’ve had at Stagecoach?
I’ve been able to do lots of extra opportunities with Stagecoach. Some include performing in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat at Cheltenham’s Everyman Theatre, singing at the Cirencester Christmas lights switch-on and taking part in a Guinness World Record-breaking performance with 73 international Stagecoach schools.
These opportunities are not something many people get to do. Performing with groups of like-minded young performers is so much fun and something that I love doing!
We hear congratulations are in order as you’ve gained a place to perform in the Summer Showcase! Can you tell us a bit about the Summer Showcase, the audition process and your upcoming performance?
I’m very excited to be part of the Stagecoach Summer Showcase! This year, Stagecoach is putting on a production of The Addams Family. I’m really excited to start rehearsing since it is my first Summer Showcase – I can’t wait to learn how they put on a show in only two weeks!
The audition process was a full day in front of assessors, where we put together some choreography, along with a song and a script that was sent in advance. Although auditioning can be a little daunting, the teachers and staff really help to make sure that everyone is still having fun and enjoying themselves.
How did you prepare for your LAMDA Grade 7 Acting exam and how did the Stagecoach team support you?
I’ve been doing LAMDA with Stagecoach’s support since I was eight years old. I’ve gone from Grade 1 to my most recent Grade 7 exam.
My LAMDA teacher, who’s also called Lizzie, gave me some pieces to choose from and I had to learn, memorise and perform three monologues, each around three to five minutes long: one Shakespearean, one post-2000 and one pre-2000.
In all honesty, Grade 7 has been by far the hardest exam. Learning all the context of the plays for Grade 7 is a lot of extra work, but I love challenging myself to help further my career. I’m really lucky to have had four LAMDA teachers in the past six years, and my current teacher, Lizzie, was so kind and made the whole learning process much easier.
Lizzie and I would have sessions just talking about the play, its themes and the writers, just so I could gain extra knowledge for the exam. The whole Stagecoach team are supportive of people doing LAMDA no matter how they do, because they know that it’s really hard work.
What can people expect from the summer holiday workshops at Stagecoach? Would you recommend them to young people who are interested in the performing arts?
I’ve been lucky enough to do several different Stagecoach summer workshops in Cirencester, including Alice in Wonderland, Greek mythology, The Chronicles of Narnia and last year’s show, Journey through the Eras.
You start off getting to know everyone through fun games and acting improv. Then, you start working on your show, which you perform at the end of the week on Friday. This task seems impossible at the start of the week, but whenever I have done the workshops, the Stagecoach team help to make it so much easier and everyone gets a piece to say, sing and dance.
Having new people every year come and do the workshop really helps you meet other people who love to perform. I would recommend Stagecoach’s summer workshops to any young people who want to get involved in performing arts. It’s a great way to get a feel for exactly what performing and acting is all about.
It’s a fun and relaxed environment full of people that love to act, sing and dance. I’ve had friends in the past who have joined me and always said they’re so glad they did it because although the idea of meeting new people can be scary, Stagecoach workshops were the perfect way to introduce them to the musical theatre world.
