HNC has revealed that our Dance and Musical Theatre students recently enjoyed a trip to see the West End touring musical ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ at Leeds Grand Theatre. The experience was a great opportunity to gain a flavour of what life might look like as a professional performer, and inspired conversations about the importance of becoming your authentic self.
The trip involved both our Applied Dance and full time Musical Theatre students, many of whom aspire to work in the performing arts sector. Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is currently touring the UK following a record-breaking three-year West End residency and an award winning film. The show-stopping musical tells the story of 16 year old Jamie who lives on a council estate but doesn’t feel he quite fits in, and he questions how he can live his unusual dream. In this coming of age story, Jamie becomes his authentic self during a journey that isn’t easy, or without some difficult points!
Cat John, Teacher of Dance and Musical Theatre says: “Our students were genuinely inspired by this experience. Not only was it a chance to gain a flavour of the standard expected of West End performers and see some potential careers in action, the musical explores how becoming your authentic self is a journey that sometimes isn’t easy. The musical reflects and celebrates many of our values of a College, including how we can tackle prejudice in all its forms and how by celebrating our own uniqueness and that of others, we can create a better world for all. We were all certainly talking about Jamie at the end of this, and left feeling inspired about how performances like these play an important role in helping people to explore some of the key issues in society.”