Welcome to
Footlights Nottingham
Contact: nottingham@footlightstheatre.co.uk or call Sofia 07914 937060.
JOIN THE UK’S LEADING STAGE SCHOOL!
Does your child want to learn how to act, sing and dance?
Register now for a FREE TRIAL
Where we are:
We’re based at
Alderman White School in
Nottingham, NG9 3DU
Your child is welcome for a free trial at anytime, for more information email nottingham@footlightstheatre.co.uk or call Sofia 07914 937060.
About Us
The Footlights Head Office is based at Media City in Manchester, just around the corner from the main hub of the BBC & ITV studios. We were established in 2005 by our founder Jo Fisher, a trained actor and teacher, and who continues to have a hands-on role across our stage schools. Read more about Footlights and our history here.
We have robust processes to keep your child safe; all of our staff have DBS status and a trained first aider is always on site at each of our venues. You can read and download our safeguarding policy here.
What are you waiting for?
Book a no-obligation free trial today.
Do you live in or around Nottingham?
If so, does your child…
Love performing & dream of being on the West End stage, on TV or in film?
Want to learn how to act, sing and dance?
Want to meet & make friends with children who share their interests?
Does this sound like your child?
Then Footlights Nottingham is the right place for them!
What to expect?
During your child’s time at Footlights Nottingham, our tutors will mentor them to help them realise their dreams of becoming a performer, by sharing their professional experiences, as well as facilitating and teaching performance techniques.
Footlights delivers quality performing arts training and our aim is to ensure that each child gets the most out of their experience by building their essential life skills and instilling confidence, whilst having lots of fun and meeting new friends. In addition to core performing arts skills, they will:
- Have confidence when socialising and in nursery or school
- Be encouraged to talk expressively in a structured, yet exciting forum
- Be inspired when taking part in discussions
- Be listened to when building skills in decision making
- Always be working as part of a team
Their learning will give them the basics and arguably the most important components of the performing arts.
The younger the child is when they take up an activity or interest the better, as in the right environment and with the right teacher they underpin the foundation to their learning and will already have a head-start on their peers.
You will find the Footlights approach friendly and energetic. We pride ourselves on inclusivity and being an encouraging company for your child to thrive in acting, singing and dance. We have superb progression rates from our schools, with the majority of our young students going onto performing arts colleges and drama schools.
We know you want to find the right balance between ensuring your child gets a good performing arts education, has fun and at the same time keeps up with their important mainstream education. We understand this, so this is why our method to developing your child’s Acting, Singing and Dancing will complement their academic studies. Plus, at Footlights, your child will benefit from the opportunity to take internationally recognised examinations through LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts).
There is also the option for students to audition for professional work in film, theatre and modelling via our agency, Footlights Personal Management (our recent successes include Game of Thrones and the CBBC series ‘KATY’).
Book a free trial today at Footlights Nottingham and see for yourself.
Want to know more? Why not take a look at our FAQ’s
Shows
Each summer, all of our children take part in a performance. It’s a full-scale show where parents/carers, family and friends can come and watch their progress.
The Autumn/Winter and Spring term schedules focus much more on skills and technique with a shorter informal presentation at Christmas.
The teaching teams provide written feedback each Easter, so you can track your child’s progress. We also practice an open door policy for anytime that you wish to discuss your child’s progress. You can use this form to contact us, or speak to us directly.
We hope you enjoyed reading all about us and look forward to greeting you and your child at our school – just sign up here or message us.
Exams
We offer both Arts Award and LAMDA exams – find out more via your school
Class Timetable
Fridays
Venue: St Jude’s Church, Woodborough Road, Mapperley, NG3 5HE
Day: Friday term time
Timings : Tinys – 4:30pm – 6pm
Main School – 6pm – 7:30pm
Discipline – Acting, singing and dancing
Tutors: Sofia Ben Achour and Cherylanne Beastall
Our Staff
Alfie & Sofia Ben Achour
Directors
Read Bio
Footlights Nottingham is owned and ran by our fantastic sister and brother team Sofia Ben Achour and Alfie Nathoo. They both adore performing arts and work professionally within the industry; with Sofia as an actress and Alfie a singer.
Originally from London, they have settled in Nottingham with their families after falling in love with the city. Sofia and Alfie decided they wanted to bring performing arts to Nottingham and teamed up with the multi-award winning Footlights stage schools to make it happen!
Cherylanne Beastall
Cherylanne Beastall
Read Bio
During Acting your child will learn improvisation, script reading, character analysis, explore new plays, learn about tv and film acting, all within a safe, fun environment. Acting class creates a place where your child can express themselves freely and we will ensure encourage them to be their best self, drawing on their existing skills and teaching them new ones so they can reach their full potential.
You will see their transformation when they perform twice a year, we also offer LAMDA qualifications in acting so you can track their progress.
Lauren Carter
Singing Tutor
Read Bio
Lauren Carter, also known by her stage name Lauren April, is a singer and songwriter who has been performing since the age of three and graduated with a BA Honours in Music Studies at Nottingham University. Lauren has since gone on to establish herself as a recognised country singer and still performs at concerts as well as at private events. Her EP ‘Picture on the Wall’ received rave reviews from radio stations around the UK including: Mark Forrest’s BBC Radio Show, Chris Country Radio and CMR Nashville. Lauren is very passionate about helping children develop through music in enabling them to find their own unique voices, as well as how to train them correctly in a professional manner.
In Singing classes your child will learn how to warm up their vocal chords, how to use their bodies to create the best sound, they will learn breath control, how to support and sustain their voice and how to sustain it. We’ll train them to sing in harmonies, a group as well, or in a duet. They will learn about composers from Musical Theatre, as well as sing pop songs. In class, we also encourage them to sight read and recognise terminology. All this is done in a safe environment where they will learn to relax so the voice can sing – we can’ wait to hear them!
Alice Kirkby
Dance Tutor
Read Bio
Alice Kirkby is a lively and motivational dance teacher who graduated with a BA Honours in Dance at Nottingham University. She has since been very active in the Nottingham dance community and has choreographed for various dance shows which included The Chinese New Year Celebration at the Lakeside Art Centre and the National Tea Day Extravaganza at Nottingham City Centre. Alice brings out the best in our children as she not only teaches a mixture of contemporary, commercial and street dance, but she also encourages the children to find the dancers within themselves and how to discover their own dance moves
Your child will learn the techniques of commercial dance, ballet, contemporary and musical theatre, we will have them leaping in the air in no time! And, even if your child wants to be an actor, they’ll need the discipline of dance for posture, movement and flexibility. If your child has never danced before, don’t worry our first class choreographer will break everything down into bite-size chunks so everyone learns at their own pace, whilst our more experienced dancers will be challenged.
Cherylanne Beastall
3yrs – 6yrs Tiny’s
Read Bio
Our dance tutor aims to teach your child brand new skills in dance, commercial, ballet, street and of course musical theatre. Their passion and drive will keep your child engaged and develop their excitement even further in the art of dance. Your child will work on timing, precision and technique as well as choreography, we will tailor her lesson to the groups skill set, so if your child is a little more advanced we will challenge them and if your child is brand new they will be set short term achievable goals to inspire them.
My 5yr old girl loved footlights summer camp. Shes not use to singing and dancing in groups or on stage and is generally quite reserved, the staff at footlights really took her under their wing and encouraged her. She had a great time performing in the Matilda musical.
Lauren Hi#olmes
