Autumn Term 2015 PQA Enfield Autumn Term 2015 Welcome to our Autumn Term Newsletter. It has been wonderful reflecting on all the fantastic opportunities our students have experienced this term and it has been wonderful watching our students continue to develop in self confidence whilst having lots of fun and laughter. This term our students were treated to an exciting eccentric mad magic master-class; many of our students have recently been cast for great roles through our Quirky Kidz Agency; we have started rehearsals for our National Theatre Connections Play What are They like and preparations for our 1st ever Red Carpet Film Festival and the PQA Empire Film Festival are underway; all groups are producing fantastic short films. This term we have also watched our students continue to flourish into confident and very professional young performers. Well Done to all our students for their consistent hard work and dedication this term! Will McGinley PQA Enfield Students Casting Success Blue group students Briana and Emily have been cast for roles in two highly anticipated films, whilst Green group s Jack has recently started a six month run as a Small Boy in Billy Elliot the Musical at the Victoria Palace theatre in the West End of London. Briana spent 10 days filming in Newcastle with awardwinning Director Ken Loach (Cathy Come Home, Kes, The Wind the Shook the Barley). Briana plays Daisy, the daughter of the female lead. Briana said PQA has made me gain confidence and self-belief through the unique modules of comedy and drama, film and television and musical theatre. I've been provided with excellent opportunities such as being part of a recent feature film in Newcastle alongside international film director Mr Ken Loach, which I am eternally grateful for. I, DANIEL BLAKE is set for release in 2016. Emily was cast in Warner Brothers Conjuring 2, which is being filmed in Enfield during November and December 2015. The first Conjuring movie is the second-highest grossing original horror movie to date, with the second set to be just as haunting. Emily has said Being a member of PQA really changed my perception of performing as I learn so many new things each lesson. When I first joined, I was just proud of my singing skills but as we started many different topics in acting, I found that singing wasn't the only thing I could do. PQA inspires me to push myself further and simply to enjoy myself. It gave me many opportunities to audition for different parts and although initially I was nervous, I learnt how to manage situations like that. PQA made me realised that I could go further than I ever knew I could go and... It has made Saturday my favourite day of the week! Talking about his role in Billy Elliot, Jack said I am very proud for getting the part of Small Boy in Billy Elliot the musical in London. The rehearsals have been hard work, but very rewarding and great fun. All the people I have met at Billy
STAGE WHISPERS Elliot have helped me learn and prepare myself for the role. My opening night was amazing! I love PQA Enfield because the people there are really talented and they have helped me learn amazing stuff, like developing my singing, dancing and acting. I love all the classes at PQA because they are so much fun and have been great training for Billy Elliot. Briana, Jack and Emily honed their acting skills at PQA Enfield where students aged 4-18 receive tuition in Comedy and Drama, Musical Theatre and Film and Television. PQA students have the opportunity to perform on a West End stage, complete Trinity London College exams, participate in masterclasses with industry professionals, and take to the red carpet at a private cinema screening of the short films they have created during the year. Briana, Emily and Jack each won their fantastic roles through PQA s exclusive agency, Quirky Kidz Creative Management. Quirky Kidz have secured roles in productions such as; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (West End), Les Miserables (West End), Matilda (West End), Fortitude (Sky), PAN (Warner Bros) and EastEnders to name a few! Speaking of the success of the students, Principal Will McGinley said, As Principal of PQA Barnet and PQA Enfield, I am immensely proud of the amazing achievements of our students. This all the greater when you take into account the fact that we have only been open for two years. I look forward to seeing many more of our amazing students achieve the same success that Briana, Emily and Jack have in the years to come. We also want to say a huge well done to Harry Price, Downtown Abbey, Tiana Anikitou and Emily Tasker in You Can TuTu, Greta Major, Adriana Carlot, Ayse Orhan-Pennell, Sonny Charlton, Lucy Allen, Bethany Brown, Lemonitsa Petris, Holly Butcher, Archie Langthorne, Aaron Drummond Hay, Shakira Barber, Sam Wannell who were all on set in Muswell Hill shooting for a feature film 2 hrs and well done to Archie L and Sonny C who took part in CARMEN on its UK tour. About: Quirky Kidz is a creative management agency exclusively representing PQA Students who wish to be considered for professional jobs in theatre, television and film. If you re serious about a career in the performing arts our Academy shares your passion, teaches you the skills you need and supports you all the way. Being a student at PQA means you are eligible to join our exclusive agency for professional work. What Quirky Kidz Creative Management Do: Quirky Kidz Talent Coordinators continuously receive casting breakdowns and make suggestions to Casting Directors from the QK client list. They then liaise between the parent/ guardian and the Casting Director to arrange the audition, ensuring you are fully briefed and have all the information you require, including the appointment time, venue and what to prepare. If your child is offered a part in a production, they negotiate all the contractual and payment issues on your behalf and coordinate areas such as child licensing and other legalities. Casting Days: The Quirky Kidz Creative Management books will reopen again in the Spring of 2016. We will be distributing letters and booklets from the agency in the middle of the Spring term with all the information you will need regarding casting days. Here is Briana and Emily with legendary film directors Ken Loach and James Wan. PQA ENFIELD
STAGE WHISPERS PQA Enfield s Red Carpet Film Festival 2016 We are really excited to announce that our first Red Carpet Film Festival will be taking place on Sunday the 20th March 2016 at The Everyman Cinema, Great North Road, Barnet, EN5, 1AB at 10.30am 12pm. Tickets are 13.00. Tickets can be purchased from January 9th 27th February. We are hoping to invite Carmel Jane Photography to the event who will be there from 9:30am to take photographs of the students on the red carpet before the doors for our screening open at 10:15am. The photographs will then be available for you to purchase, if you wish to, from Carmel Jane Photography the week following the screening at our Academy. There will also be an awards ceremony after our private film screening. Nominations for our Film awards will be made by our students in the Spring Term. National Theatre Connections Festival We are pleased to announce that both our academies, PQA Enfield and Barnet, have been selected to take part in the National Theatre Connections Festival 2015-2016 a nationwide celebration of new plays for young people. Connections is produced by the National Theatre and supported by a number of individuals, trusts and foundations. Connections plays are commissioned for and about young people from some of the best contemporary playwrights, for performance by schools and youth theatres all over the UK and Ireland, making Connections one of the world s largest celebrations of youth theatre. For their 21st Anniversary, Connections is working with 500 youth theatres and schools to stage 12 fantastic plays, picked from the 150 plus they have commissioned for young people since 1995, and transfer their production to one of Connections 40 Partner Theatres across the UK. Following the performance at the Partner Theatre, one production of each of the twelve plays will be selected to perform at The National Theatre. This performance will take place in June or July 2016. We have all therefore, had a very busy term in Film and TV as we have been planning, writing, rehearsing directing, filming and starring in our very own short films. We will not only be screening your fabulous film work to family and friends at The Everyman Cinema, we will also be sending your work to Head Office to be entered in the Empire Film Festival. What are they like? by Lucinda Coxon: Adolescence is a rough ride. You've got existential angst, mood swings, fashion fiascos, terrifying physical changes, never enough money... And that's just the parents. How well do you know yours? Rehearsals are now underway and we can confirm that our Partner Theatre Festival Dates will fall between 8th-10th May 2016 at the Queen s Theatre Hornchurch. PQA...
Exciting Plans for the Spring Term: Thank you to David Pibworth who delivered a fun and informative eccentric magic master class to all our main academy students this term. Students were introduced to misdirection, thumb tips, lights from anywhere, card handling, escape from chains, Tommy Cooper bottles, the sword through the neck, the head twister, the flaming book and more. We are planning a special effects make up master class in the new year and a Les Miserables the musical Master Class with West end star and original cast member of the musical Josie Brightwell. Students will continue working towards their Musical Theatre Showcase, which we are currently planning to have at The Millfield Theatre in June (more details will follow closer to the time). In Comedy and Drama, students will begin devising their very own short plays in preparation for their Drama Trinity Examinations more details regarding Trinity Exams will also follow in the new year. As you probably already know, we offer the opportunity for our students to take FREE Trinity group Examinations. The PQA syllabus runs alongside Trinity s requirements and so there will be no extra work required from the students. As Trinity exams are recognised throughout the world and officially recognised by education authorities, they represent an outstanding opportunity for the student s work to be recognised. Will McGinley will@pqacademy.com 07807 142 648 Spring Term Dates: Term starts on Saturday 9th January 2016 Last day of term Saturday 19th March 2016