News - BARTA Theatre Academy

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BARTAs NEXT 3 EVENTS - The BARTAs, Blood Brothers and Doctor Dolittle.

BARTA STUDENT NOMINATED FOR BAFTA

Amazing Bash Croft, who attended BARTA between 2012 and 2014, before moving to London has just been nominated for the Best Young Performer BAFTA for Horrible Histories: The Movie.

It’s great to see BARTA alumnus out there and doing great work.

#sebastiancroft #bafta #BARTA #Theatre #Performing #Creativity #Opportunity

INFO FOR PARENTS OF PERFORMING CHILDREN

COME FROM AWAY

BARTA Elite students enjoyed a night in the West End when we went to watch Come From /Away in July.
The evening and tickets were arranged by BARTA patron Cat Simmons who is actually one of the cast of this incredible show. It's the remarkable true story of the small town that welcomed the world.
If you get the chance to go watch Come From Away and Cat perform then we would highly recomment it.

Les Miserables, Gielgud Theatre

Delighted to share that BARTA singing teacher and vocal coach Holly has been cast in the new Les Mis concert at the Gielgud Theatre from the 10th August.

Well done Holly, top job. 💕

BBC Filming

Just submitted and confirmed 8 students / children in a BBC filming for Sunday 28th July. Can't say what, where or why yet, its a secret :-)

Netflix Drama

10 students cast in a brand new drama for Netflix. Filming to take place in August.

Top job everyone. Enjoy.

Wrath of Achilles

Kieran and Keir From BARTA Elite will be performing in this new piece of writing at the Bath Festical, South Hill Park Arts Centre, The Unicorn Theatre and the Edinburgh Fringe this August.

Well done, fantastic news and great experience for you both.

Bash in Horrible Histories

Amazing to see BARTA alumnus Bash star in the new Horrible Histories: The Movie this summer.

Lots of Bash in this trailer.

Amazing achievement. Top job Bash, you deserve it.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND, The Whitty Theatre

Well done to all our newest BARTA Theatre Academy students.

What a fantastic piece of theatre our Alice audiences were treated to.

You only started work on this in February and, not that age is a factor but, the average age of cast member was just 9 years old.

You should all be very very proud.

OUR HOUSE, April 2019, RHODA MCGAW THEATRE

What a mad fun week. The students just keep getting better and better. AMAZING!
Next up is Jukebox Musicals Megamix, Alice in Wonderland, Blood Brothers and a very special show for May 2020 to be announced very soon.
mail@berkshireartsacademy for more information on how to join BARTA (Ages 6-21)

OUR HOUSE, RHODA MCGAW THEATRE, WOKING

BARTA Bracknells next show is 'OUR HOUSE' 3 - 6th April 2019 at the Rhoda McGaw Theatre, Woking.

It’s gonna be #AWESOME
www.berkshireartsacademy.com/tickets

#BARTA #performing #TheatreAcademy #OurHouse #DramaSchool #RhodaMcGaw #Bracknell #Elite #Friyay

BLOOD BROTHERS
Delighted to announce that BARTA Elites next performance, after the Madness Musical ‘Our House’, will be Blood Brothers (play version) by Willy Russell at South Hill Park by special arrangement with Samuel French Ltd.
Show dates 8-12 April 2020
www.berkshireartsacademy.com/elite.html
#performing #drama #Elite #Age16to21 #theatre #BARTA

SPRING AWAKENING, AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
- Singing and harmonies great. Punchy, powerful and energetic. Brilliant performance.
- Watched Spring Awakening tonight. Superb! So impressed with the maturity of the acting & fabulous vocals. A huge congratulations to all involved, you should be very proud of yourselves.
- An amazingly talented cast Tackling some seriously dramatic themes with maturity and professionalism rarely witnessed. Well done to all involved.
- Massive congratulations on the exceptional performance of Spring Awakening.
- Outstanding performances from the whole cast. Mature themes tackled with such professionalism, dedication and sincerity. Wonderfully choreographed and staged with such subtle movement to big effect. Well done! Xxx

SPRING AWAKENING, 20 - 24 MARCH 2018
BARTAs Elite company present Spring Awakening. Young adolescents explore their desires in this powerful rock musical about the trials and tribulations of growing up. Spring Awakening is gritty, dark and intense, an electrifying fusion of morality, sexuality and music.
Suitable for 15+ years (contains explicit content)

HAPPY NEW YEAR
It has been a brilliant 2017, here's to a fantastic 2018. Looking forward to the 2018 BARTA productions of Spring Awakening and Alice in Wonderland plus Hit The Mark Theatres return of AnimAlphabet The Musical.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND
All your favourite Lewis Carroll characters and more in our next big BARTA show in May 2018 at South Hill Park. Looking forward to seeing this one in rehearsal next term.

Mark Hooper - Story and Lyrics / Director,
Charlotte Steele - Choreographer,
Tim Cumper - Music and MD,
Dean Penn - Story and Lyrics / Producer.

UPDATE - TICKETS ON SALE - WED 28TH MARCH - SOUTH HILL PARK

SOUTH HILL PARK AUDITIONS
Summer - The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
Lucy Pevensie: Female actress aged between 14-24. Principal role .
Peter Pevensie: Male actor aged between 16-25. Principal role.
Edmund Pevensie: Male actor aged between 14-24. Principal role.
Susan Pevensie: Female actress aged between 16-25. Principal role. www.southhillpark.org.uk/2017/04/audition-call-lion-witch-wardrobe/

Christmas Pantomime - Beauty and the Beast
36 performers required, age 7-18
www.southhillpark.org.uk/2017/04/young-stars-needed-shp-panto/

ANIMALPHABET THE MUSICAL
AnimAlphabet is a brand new musical thats a fun, fast paced comical journey that will leave the audience smiling with joy. You'll be singing the catchy songs all day long!
Mark Hooper - Writer / Director, Charlotte Steele - Choreographer, Kerry Ingram - Voice of Metro The Gnome, Dean Penn - Writer / Producer.
UK AND CHINA TOURS, WINNER OF BEST CHILDRENS SHOW AT THE EDINBURGH FRINGE 2018
www.animalphabetmusic.com

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE :-)
We hope you've all had a great 2016 at BARTA. Thanks to everyone (students and parents) for all your hard work, its been quite a year. Lots of students have had new performing experiences this year and to everyone appearing in panto, Anna, Amy, Natasha, Louis, Issie and Brad we hope you have a great time.

Here's to an equally brilliant 2017 and lots more fun. We hope you like your BARTA beanies.
Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

BREAK A LEG 'WEST END' HOLLY, 12th Dec 2016
It's Hollys first Les Miserables West End performance tonight. At the end of the day you're another day older. And that's all you can say for the life of the poor. - so exciting.

Are you READY FOR CHRISTMAS? 10th Dec 2016
Well done to BARTA parent Russell Turner (composer and lead vocalist) and BARTA students Morgan (vocals) and Dom (drums) on the release of the charity christmas single, Ready For Christmas.
Its very festive and raising money for 2 great charities including South Hill Park. www.readyforchristmas.co.uk

READING LIVING ADVENT, 6th Dec 2016
Well done to the BARTA and Elite students who performed this evening at the Reading Living Avent this evening. You were all amazing.

3 BARTA STUDENTS IN NHS FILMING, 5th Dec 2016
Well done to Asha, Holly and Alex, enjoy your first days filming for the NHS.

ANIMALPHABET THE MUSICAL, 1st Dec 2016
AnimAlphabet The Musical is in the papers.
Al and Sam from the Hoosiers have created the music for this new childrens musical, Kerry Ingram will be
the voice of Metro The Gnome. Mark Hooper is Writer / Director and Dean Penn Writer / Producer for the production. Get Reading Article.

LES MIS, 1-3 June 2017 at Woking Theatre 10th November 2016
The Les Mis cast has been emailed out. Well done, great auditions from all 71 students. Rehearsals start on Saturday, its going to be an amazing show

KERRY IN DOCTORS, BARBARIANS RISING AND NETFLIX DRAMA, 4th October 2016
Who saw BARTA Elite student Kerry in Doctors yesterday? Kerry has also been on our screens in a History Channel drama called Barbarians Rising and is currently filming a new childrens TV drama for Netflix. Well done Kerry :-)

DOM IN SHORT FILM WHEN ALL THE BEES FLEW AWAY, 30 September 2016
Dom recently filmed a short film which is currently in edit called When All The Bees Flew Away. Looking forward to seeing this in 2017.

BETH CAST IN THE HAUNTING, 27 September 2016
Well done Beth, cast to play the role of Mary (a ghost) in the Feb 2017 production of The Haunting.

ANIMALPHABET CLASSES, 25 September 2016
Something for the younger ones, age up to 5, introducing AnimAlphabet music and movement classes. Music by Al and Sam of The Hoosiers. Classes start on SAT 1ST OCTOBER at South Hill Park, Bracknell. Class times are 12.05 - 12.50. £6 per session. mail@berkshireartsacademy.com to book a place

JUNE 2016 TRIALS FOR SEPTEMBER STARTS, 12 June 2016
Age 6-9, Saturdays 1-3pm @ South Hill Park / Age 10-12, Saturdays 3-6pm @ South Hill Park / Age 13-17, Saturdays 3-6pm @ South Hill Park / Age TBC, Saturdays 12-3pm @ South Hill Park
NEW - Elite Academy (school year 11+ by invitation or audition) Tuesday evenings 6.30-9.30pm
Please contact 07584 044619 or mail@berkshireartsacademy.com to arrange a trial class / audition, spaces are limited.

AUTOGRAPHS AND PHOTOGRAPHS, 7 JUNE 2016
An amazing reaction to Wizard of Oz last week, nearly 1600 people came to watch the The Wizard of Oz over 4 days. The children (and some adults) from the audience enjoyed the opportunity to get cast photographs and autographs. A number of the audience thought that the cast were paid, professional, adult performers and everyone agreed it was an incredible show.
The Maidenhead Advertiser called it 'a production that wouldn't go amiss on a West End stage'.

THE WIZARD OF OZ REVIEWS, 4 June 2016
The Wizard of Oz opened to great reviews from the press. Get Reading, Maidenhead Advertiser,
Broadsheet Boutique and Radio Berkshire all attended performances of the show. Read the reviews below.
Get Reading
Maidenhead Advertiser
broadsheetboutique.com

Houston - Make Me Fall - Acoustic Live, 30 May 2016
2 of our fab teachers make up 2/3 of Houston. Charlotte Steele choreographed Wizard of Oz for BARTA and Holly-Anne Hull is currently in Singapore on Les Mis Asia tour and back in October.

HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY, 21 April 2016
It seems like we've done so much in a very short space of time. Thanks to all who've helped. Happy BARTAday

BARBARIANS RISING
Kerry Ingram in Barbarians Rising, coming to Sky TV this summer. Kerry had a great time filming for the series, looking forward to watching this later this year.

Holly-Anne Hull, Les Mis, Asia Tour, 13 April 2016
Just been chatting to Holly, she's having a fab time in Les Mis in Manilla and looking forward to working with you all again in October.

BARTA CHRISTMAS PARTY 2015
We had lots of fun, photos and a talent show at the annual BARTA christmas party. 60 students from all 3 of our classes, age 6-17 came together at South Hill Park for a Christmas celebration.

WELL DONE BASH, 15 August 2015
Great Stark! Sebastian Croft has been 'cast' as young version of Sean Bean's Ned for flashback scene in Game of Thrones' upcoming 6th season.

BARTAs NEXT BIG PRODUCTION, WIZARD OF OZ, 18 July 2015
Outdoor performances of Aesops Fables, Midsummer Nights Dream and Romeo and Juliet today. Then we focus our attention on this. Calling all Dorothies, wicked witches and cowardly lions we are putting on a show and the plan is bigger and better than Bugsy and Lord of the Flies. Already excited about the band, set, costumes, lighting and special effects. It's going to be a very special production.

SHIREEN BARATHEON, 7 June 2015
After 3 seasons in Game of Thrones Shireen (aka Kerry) was sacraficed at a post. It was a harrowing scene and really well done but Stannis does need to take a long look at himself, its no way to carry on. Well done Kerry, we are sure we will see you in many things in the future.

Charlie is currently in rehearsals for Fawlty Towers 2, directed by Adam Stafford
The same hilarious team that packed out the house in 2013 bring you an evening of high drama and comedy this October. Check in to the most disorganised hotel in the country, where Basil, Sybil, Polly and, of course, Manuel will try and make their guests feel welcome. But don’t be surprised if things go hilariously wrong!
Watch the cast bring three episodes of this cult TV series to life in an unforgettable night of entertainment.
http://www.southhillpark.org.uk/events/fawlty-towers-2/

LORD OF THE FLIES, 20-22 Feb 2015
Tickets are now on sale for Lord of the Flies, we've got 6 shows to pick from;
Fri 20th Feb, 2.30 and 7pm
Sat 21st Feb, 2.30 and 7pm
Sun 22nd Feb, 12 and 4pm
LORD OF THE FLIES TICKETS

Kerry in Wolf Hall, 4 January 2015
Excited to announce that Wolf Hall airs this month! Kerry plays young Alice Williamson

Kate Young, West End Musical Director, 3 Jan 2015
Kate has worked with Cameron Mackintosh and Really Useful on productions including Oliver, Joseph, Jesus Christ Superstar and Starlight Express plus many more. Kate has a passion for teaching children and we're looking forward to her vocal workshops using drama techniques.

Christmas Party and Talent Show, 13 Dec 2014
Wishing all our students, parents and teachers a brilliant Christmas and a Happy New Year. We had a wonderful time at the talent show and Christmas party

Bash Croft in Baby Its Cold Outside
Looking smooth, nice work Bash in the Idina Menzel and Michael Buble video, Baby its cold outside. Feeling Christmassy now.

Teachers Trip to Fright Night, 12 Oct 2014
The BARTA teachers had a great day at Thorpe Parks fright night, we went on all the rides and through the mazes and lot of fun was had by all.

Rachel in Philips hue advert, 17 Sept 2014
How many years does it take to change a lightbulb?
Well done Rachel, great advert and nice clothes.

Bugsy Malone, Show Week May/June 2014, 14 July 2014
Earlier this year the BARTA students (with a professional team of Director, MD, Choreographer, Costume, Set, Lighting and Sound Designers supporting them) performed 8 shows of Bugsy Malone in the Wilde Theatre. The show was a great success and 1520 people came to watch the show. The show exceeded our high standards and the feedback was incredible, some of the comments were; better than the film, amazing, too good, can't wait for your next show, I was entertained from start to finish. Catch a glimpse of the students in action in this small promo video, hope you enjoy.

Trinity College Arts Awards, 12 July 2014
From September the opportunity and guidance for students to complete Trinity College Arts Awards will be offered by BARTA in addition to our normal classes and at no additional cost. Students Age 6-9 can complete the Discover award, Age 10-12 Explore (11+) Award and Age 13 plus Bronze Award. Arts Award offers young people an inspiring arts journey and each path can take a different direction – drama, film-making or dance as examples. Arts Award’s unique qualifications support young people to develop as artists and arts leaders and the programme is designed to develop their creativity, leadership and communication skills.

Introducing BARTAs A-mazing Teachers for September, 11 July 2014
We are very proud of what we achieve at BARTA and a lot of this is due to the quality and knowledge of our teachers. BARTAs goal is to teach whilst making classes fun and memorable and to do this we select teachers who are talented, enthusiastic and have lots of industry experience to share with our young performers. If you are interested in finding out more about BARTA and available classes please email sally@berkshireartsacademy.com

Cat Simmons Verdict on Bugsy Malone, 16 June 2014
Cat is currently prepping to take a Kate Tempest play, Hopelessly Devoted to the Wiesbaden International writing festival. She's taken a bit of time out to send us this.
Bugsy Malone!!!! Absolutely delightful. Berkshire Arts Academy students, that was amongst the most disciplined and together performances I have ever seen children of this age group perform. Talent shone, words and story where clear, choreography was tight and most of all, you looked absolutely exhilarated to be upon that stage. I was definitely watching future stars with genuine bonafide talent and it brought a tear to my eye. You really were all stars. Keep up the hard work. I can't wait to see your next venture and I hope you all celebrated your success. Best of luck with the new term.
Kind Regards and Big Love Cat Simmons x

BUGSY MALONE GETS RAVE REVIEWS, 2 June 2014
Well done to all the BARTA students who performed in Bugsy Malone at the Wilde Theatre, South Hill Park. The show exceeded everyone expectations and the audience feedback included - better than the film, incredible, I was entertained from start to finish, too good, can't wait for your next show? Over 1500 people came to watch the show, a massive achievement, well done everyone :-)

BARTA success at UDO Southern Street Dance Championships, 1 June 2014
Well done to the BARTA students Ellie (solo), Ryan and Charlie (Youth team) who competed on Sunday at the Southern Street Dance Finals, they all came top 3 in their catagories and qualified for the World Finals.

BARTA students in music videos, 3 June 2014
Well done Charlie, Oscar and Sophie who have recently filmed music videos for Radio 1 DJ Danny Howard and Martin Luke Brown.

This is cool, Watch the Bugsy set get built (quickly)
at South Hill Park, 27 May 2014
All in a days work, watch the Bugsy set take shape and how many hands it takes to organise. Thanks to everyone who helped yesterday and to Clive at LivelyWood Pictures for capturing. Thats the band at rehearsals sounding fantastic in the background. Come see the show if you can, its looking amazing.

Sebastian Croft, Tommy in Matilda, 18 Mar 2014
Bash, have a great opening Matilda show tonight, enjoy the moment, you work so hard and deserve all the success that comes your way. Cant wait to come watch you. Break a leg.

South Hill Park Showcase, 18 Jan 2014
Very, very, very early on in Bugsy rehearsals, some of our students took part in a performance at South Hill Park, it was mid Jan, only a few weeks into rehearsals, heres the video, hope you enjoy.
Show dates are Thursday 29th May - Sun 1st June 2014.
Tickets - South Hill Park Box Office.
01344 484123 www.southhillpark.org.uk

WELL DONE, 1 March 2014
March is being quite kind to us, this month we've got a student filming a BBC drama, another student starts performing in a major west end musical, one singing in the Albert Hall and another cast on NYMTs production of The Ragged Child, more locally Kates performing in Witches of Eastwick at South Hill Park, 11-15 March. Hope everyone has fun.

Bugsy Malone, Wilde Theatre, South Hill Park,
Thursday 29th May - Sunday 1st June 2014
Plans are really taking shape for our big show, Bugsy Malone. Rehearsals are well under way and its looking fantastic.
Tickets go on Sale, 10th March 2014, South Hill Park Box Office.
01344 484123
http://www.southhillpark.org.uk/15950/shows/bugsy-malone.html

NEW FRIDAY EVENING CLASS, 31 Jan 2013
We are delighted to announce the opening of a new Friday evening class at South Hill Park for children Age 10-13. Classes start on Friday 2nd May (first term is 10 weeks long - £164)
Classes will run for 4-6pm and training will be focused on drama, vocal work and stage movement. For more information on this class of any other information on BARTA please contact mail@berkshireartsacademy.com. As usual a free trial session is available.

WELL DONE, 30 Jan 2013
Well done to everyone who has recently finished performing in pantos and plays around the county. It was so good to hear that you all had loads of fun.
Well done also to the BARTA students who performed last weekend at SHPs showcase, they did a few numbers from Bugsy Malone to an audience of over 200. The feedback has been fantastic from the event which was held to raise awareness of and money for South Hill Parks creative learning department to enable them to continue to offer such a diverse range of courses.

Christmas Party 2013, Talent Show, 8 Dec 2013

Well done to everyone who took part in the talent show, heres a few clips that we managed to capture. Thanks to all our helpers and magic man Julian Hirst (see Julian and Bugsy choreographer Jake in panto at South Hill Park this year).

Its been another fantastic year, we cant wait for next year and Bugsy 29th May - 1st June 2014. Have a very Happy Christmas and a great New Year

Bash Croft, What Christmas Means (to me)

What Christmas Means (to me) Bash Croft, 4 Dec 2013

Forget the X factor and AC/DC this is the Christmas single for 2013. Bash has written and recorded a Christmas charity single and will be selling the CDs for donations after he has performed the song at BARTA this Saturday (£2-£3 min donation, or more if youre feeling charitable) He has paid for all this himself and every penny raised will go to a charity nominated by the children at his school. He hopes to raise over £500 from CD sales. The CD cover is brilliant and so is the song, please support if you can.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE SONG

Well Done George, 3 Dec 2013

Just seen George on TV in this Primula Ad, Squeeze on George, you can watch the ad via this link
http://vimeo.com/80480023

Recent Successes, 2 Dec 2013
Well done to Kate who has been cast in CMPs production of the Witches of Eastwick, Kate will play the part of Little Girl in the show. Also congratulations to Ryan who has been cast as Nathan in the Full Monty at Kenton Theatre, Henley. Break a leg to Oscar, Rachel, Charlie and Kerry who perform in A Christmas Carol, in the dark, between 3 - 15 Dec at South Hill Park.

New, Age 2 - 5 Class Starts 9th November 2013, 23 Oct 2013
New class starts Sat 9th November for children age 2 - 5. Spread the word.
A creative class to build confidence and imagination through music, dance and active storytelling. Its a movement based session using exercise, themes and games to improve physical and social development as well as having lots of fun! Children will also discover a variety of dance styles including Just Jhoom! Bollywood, Street Dance and Freestyle.
The class takes place on Saturday afternoons at South Hill Park (excluding Holidays). 1:00-1:40pm. PAYG - £5 / week

Message From Cat Simmons, 19 Oct 2013

Received this from one of our patrons Cat Simmons ahead of auditions for Bugsy Malone.

Wow, you did not disappoint, the auditions were amazing, the staff and teachers at BARTA are so excited about working with you on this. Show dates are 29 May - 1 June 2014 in the Wilde Theatre.

Click here for the link to the Bugsy Facebook Event

Rachel, Ellie, Lauren and Charlie in the Circus Project, 19 Oct 2013

Ladies and Gentlemen, Girls and Boys, Crazy Cats and Acrobats. Well done to everyone involved in the#CircusProject

Order your CIRCUS PROJECT DVDs, if you didnt manage to catch it live this show is well worth seeing.
pay securely via paypal here:http://t.co/EXC9iycOnM

BARTA students in Oklahoma (the show), 19 Oct 2013

This shows next for BARTA students, Ryan, Lauren and Stephen. YEE HAA, tickets are available from The Camberley Theat-ar. Cant wait to see them back on stage.

Well Done Brianna, 5 Oct 2013
Fantastic News, well done Brianna who successfully auditioned for Quince Players next production, which is the pantomime, The Wind in the Willows.

Zensi in Tottenham Kit Advert, 25 Sept 2013

Congratulations to Zensi who recently filmed this advert for the new Tottenham Hotspur 2013/2014 kit film "Calling All Spurs". Zensi was fortunate to work with BAFTA and Oscar Nominee Michael Coulter.

BARTA present Bugsy Malone, Wilde Theatre, 29th May - 1st June 2014

Looking forward to bringing this fantastic show to the Wilde Theatre in May 2014. BOOM, its gonna be lots of fun, auditions later this year, rehearsals start October 2013
SPLAT, SPLURGE, SPATS and SONGS - IT'S BUGSY MALONE

Well Done Ryan, 22nd September 2013
Ryan will be playing the part of John Darling in Peter Pan at the Princes Hall Theatre, Aldershot this December, great news, you've worked really hard and deserve it. Peter Pan Tickets

Mark (Wedgie) Hedges, Oliver / Newsies Workshops, 14 Sept 2013

A few clips from yesterdays workshops with Wedgie.
Well done everyone, quite complicated choreography learnt in a very short space of time. Consider Yourself (age 6-9) was the choreography from the UK Oliver Tour and Seize the Day (age 10+) was the choreography from the recent London auditions for West End casting of Newsies.

Lucy Jane Adcock, Chorus Line Workshop, 7 Sept 2013

Some clips from yesterdays age 6-9, 10-12 and 13+ Chorus Line workshops with the amazing and lovely Lucy Jane Adcock. Lucy Jane has recently finished a West End run with A Chorus Line, other credits include Mamma Mia, Starlight Express, Chicago, Top Hat and more. So much fun, well done all.

West End Workshops for September, 10th August 2013

14th September - Lucy Jane Adcock will be joining us for A Chorus Line workshop, Lucy Jane has recently finished a West End run with A Chorus Line, other credits include Mamma Mia, Starlight Express, Chicago, Top Hat and more. Lucy Jane can be seen here in action at the Olivier Awards.
21st September - Mark Hedges Oliver / Les Mis Workshop. Marks credits include Starlight Express, Les Mis Dance Captain / Swing for 3 years and Childrens Director for the UK Oliver Tour. Mark is also Head of Dance at LSMT. Simon Bowman will also be joining us, Simon was Marius and later Jean Valjean in Les Mis, Simon also starred in Miss Saigon and Phantom plus many others.
Very excited to have 3 individuals of the calibre on Lucy Jane, Mark and Simon joining us in September and as usual there is no extra charge for these workshops for BARTA students.

I Thought You Were Different, 5th August 2013

Our 13+ students spent 12 Saturdays between Apr & July working on the short film, I Thought You Were Different. With the help of creative writer Jane they created the story, developed the characters, devised a script and then started filming. We hope the students enjoyed being involved in the entire creative process and learnt valuable lessons in creating characters and bringing them to life, developing a story and keeping it moving, format and structure, capturing an image, how to act for camera, setting and continuity. The project evolved as the weeks went by and you should all be very proud of what you've created. Special thanks to Mark Hooper, Dan Little, Jane Howard, Sophie Spencer and Clive Elkington.

Whales and Pirate Tales, 21st July 2013

Congratulations to our 6 - 9 year olds who put on a short performance of Eel Skin Radley at South Hill Parks 40th Anniversary celebrations today. Mark our drama teacher just sent this message "a huge thank you and congratulations to the two younger groups for all of their hard work, commitment and fantastic performances. I thought that both of the BARTA performances were excellent and they should all be exceptionally proud of their achievement. GO BARTA! Also a big well done to the 13+ group - we got all of the scenes shot - they came up with great characters and scenario ideas and I hope the end product is something that they will all be proud of! They certainly should be. Great performances!

A Day At BARTA, 21st July 2013

Video from yesterdays class. A behind the scenes look at what we do on a Saturday afternoon at BARTA. All our students from age 6- 16 work on Drama, Dance and Vocal skills.

Whales and Pirate Tales, 14th July 2013

Congratulations to our 10 and 11 year olds who put on a short performance of Eel Skin Radley at South Hill Parks 40th Anniversary celebrations today. We are very proud of them all, well done. Here's a recording of the performance.

Doctor Who BBC Proms, 13th July 2013

Congratulations Kerry who performed this weekend at the Royal Albert Hall in the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary BBC Proms. You can hear Kerry on iplayer 51 minutes into the show. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b036ts7t/BBC_Proms_2013_Prom_02_Doctor_Who_Prom/

Whales and Pirate Tales Rehearsals, 13th July 2013

A few pics from Whales and Pirate Tales Rehearsals, our 6-9 year old and 10 and 11 years olds rehearse Eel Skin Radley (his tale ends badly) at South Hill Parks 40th Anniversary celebrations. a very hot day. Well Done Everyone

Trinity College Arts Award, 12th July 2013

We will be offering all our students Age 7+ the opportunity to work towards Trinity College Arts Award qualifications from September term onwards. Our younger students will look at Discover and Explore awards, our older students will work from Bronze awards upwards. Arts award qualifications are nationally recognised and will run in parallel with our normal classes. For more information www.artsaward.org.uk

Globe Young Players, 23rd June 2013

Cat Simmons sent us this. Its for 12-16 year olds and will be an amazing opportunity for those involved to train with the Globe and perform in what will be a beautiful theatre, the candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. Cat is working at the Globe at the moment and its a wonderful place to work. It would be great to see some local talent involved in this one.

Kate, Fiddler on the Roof, 23rd May 2013

BARTA student Kate is performing as Sprintze and Chorus in Fiddler on the Roof at South Hill Park, shows 21st-25th May 2013, have fun, looking forward to watching.

More Good news for Bash, 22nd May 2013

Fantastic News, Bash has just been cast in a major West End Musical. He will start rehearsing in June and be performing in the show from early September 2013 to late March 2014. Cant wait to see you in this one.
WELL DONE BASH :-) - Exciting.

Oscar in Eastenders and Feature Film, 22nd May 2013

Fab to see Oscar on Eastenders this week (Mon and Tues) playing the part of Joe (friend of Sharon Mitchells son). Its been a busy week for Oscar who just got back from Norwich where he played the part of Young Rob in the feature film, Im Still Here.

Britain's Got Talent, 19th May 2013

Lovely to see BARTA student Bash and BARTA teacher Dan on TV in Britain's Got Talent over the last couple of weeks. Well done Guys.

BARTA students in Oliver, Camberley, 8th May 2013

Wishing all our Oliver boys and girls a brilliant week with CAMUS at Camberley Theatre, you've worked so hard and we're sure you are all going to be amazing. Have fun and enjoy. Its opening night for Lauren, Ryan and Stephen tonight and for Ellie and Charlie tomorrow.
Cat Simmons, Oliver Tour Nancy has sent you a message Break a leg!!!! BARTA students, Emma Dukes, who was Bet on the UK tour also sent a message wishing you all the best for the run.

Kerry in Game of Thrones, 29th April 2013

Lovely to see Kerry on TV tonight in Game of Thrones, the first of many appearances we are sure. Kerry plays the part of Shireen, daughter of Stannis Baratheon in series 3 of Game of Thrones. Starring alongside an all star cast including Paul Kaye, Diana Rigg, Clive Russell and Mackenzie Crook to name a few.

Cat Simmons Workshops, 27th April 2013

Cat Simmons (Nancy from the UK Oliver Tour) joined us for drama workshops at South Hill Park. 44 students aged 6 - 15 enjoyed working with Cat and learning important improvisation skills and technique.
What Cat had to say, "I had a really enjoyable day at Berkshire Arts Academy. It's a wonderful thing you have and the children were fantastic. I would be delighted to be a patron. Please keep me informed about the children's progress, I'm über interested and slightly in awe at some of their glittering careers and natural talent. You're already on the map."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BARTA - 1 TODAY, 21 April 2013

Our younger students (and some of our older ones) celebrate BARTAs first birthday #WeAreOne.
Thanks to everyone for making our first birthday and the last 12 months so special. Its been an incredible year and we plan to make the next one even better. We've some exciting plans for this term and some bigs news coming up. Thanks to all who've helped make BARTA possible, the students, parents, teachers, guest teachers, South Hill Park and anyone else we've missed. #SaturdaysAreSpecial

Oliver The Musical, Camberley Theatre, 8th-12th May 2013, 21 Apr 2013

BARTA students Lauren, Ellie, Ryan (gang) Stephen (Charley Bates) and Charlie (Dodger) are in this and it would be lovely to get a big crowd supporting them.
Lauren, Ryan and Stephen perform on Wed 8th May (eve), Fri 10th May (eve) and Sat 11th May (mat)
Ellie and Charlie perform on Thurs 9th May (eve), Sat 11th May (eve) and Sun 12th May (mat)
Tickets can be purchased from Here

Rachel in RBS / Nat West Advert, 12 Apr 2013

In Oct / Nov 2012 Rachel was filmed for this RBS / Nat West Bank advert.
Its just been released and will now be shown in RBS / Nat West branches across the country for the next 12 months.
Well done Rachel, its Ad Fab.

Summer Term News / Teachers, 3 Apr 2013

Please find below information for the summer term and details on our talented teachers for this term (images open larger when clicked). Please note the Cat Simmons workshops have been rescheduled for Saturday 27th April due to an unexpected commitment.

Berkshire ARTs Academy, BARTA Summer Term Flyer

Berkshire ARTs Academy, BARTA, Summer Term Promotional eFlyer

Berkshire ARTs Academy, BARTA, Summer Term 2013 Teaching Team

Easter Newsletter, 20 Mar 2013

As our 3rd term comes to a close we look forward to our first birthday and second year of classes. We have put together this newsletter to share some of the highlights of our first year.
To save trees the newsletter is on here, which can be viewed full screen. You should be able to print if you like or we can email you a copy.
WELL DONE EVERYONE.

Well Done Bash, Good Wednesday News, 20 Mar 2013

Congratulations Bash who has just been cast as Perry for pre West End workshops of a new musical called Bumblescratch.
WELL DONE BASH :-)

Jake in Thorpe Park Advert, 20 Mar 2013

Drama Teacher Jake is currently on TV in a new Thorpe Park advert for The Swarm. Nice one Jake, this ride looks scary.
Take a look at the video to the left, Jake is in the falling seat at the end. #awesome

This photo made our day, 12 Mar 2013

Our youngest student George, Age 7, filming earlier today as Young Henry for a BBC2 documentary. Well done George, simply marvellous :-)

Teenstar Live Regional Final, 12 Mar 2013

Good luck to BARTA student Gaby who is singing this Saturday, 16th March in the Teenstar Live Regional Final at the Beck Theatre, Hayes in front of a professional judging panel. The show starts at 12 o'clock and the best singers in the region are competing to win a place in the live National Final at the O2. Tickets are available at £8 each, for more ticket information please email; mail@berkshireartsacademy.com

Lift Off 2013, 5 Mar 2013

On Saturday 2nd March BARTA students took part in Lift Off at South Hill Park, it really was a great evening. Our students rehearsed for a number of weeks for the event and had great fun performing. This is the video of the build up to #liftoff2013

For a copy of the official performance DVD please contact
Chris O Shea
mediatec@live.co.uk

Cat Simmons, Screen and Script Workshop, 4 Mar 2013

BARTA are delighted to announce that the lovely Cat Simmons, Nancy from the UK Tour of Oliver, will be joining us for a screen and script workshop on Sat 27th April.

Oliver The Musical, Camberley Theatre, 8th-12th May 2013, 27 Feb 2013

Fiddler on the Roof, 21st - 25th May 2013, 27 Feb 2013

BARTA student Kate will play Sprintze in Crowthorne Musical Players production of Fiddler on the Roof. The show is being performed at South Hill Park and tickets can be purchased from Here Kate will be in each show, alternating between playing Shprintze and chorus. Kate will play Shprintze on the Wednesday eve, Friday eve and Saturday matinee.

Lift Off 2013, 23 Feb 2013

Only 4 days to go until the Lift Off Dance Festival at South Hill Park. Last weeks rehearsals went really well and we are in good shape for the show. We have 35 children taking part in our performance, ages range from 7 - 16 all of whom we are sure are really excited about being in such a prestigious show with performers from all over Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey.

Over 90% of the 330+ tickets for Saturday nights performance have now been sold, if you still need tickets please contact 01344 484123 or book via the south hill park website.

The Avenue School, Tilehurst, 23 Feb 2013

We recently supported a project which enabled children from this very special school in Tilehurst to go to the circus. It was lovely to receive this from the children of The Avenue School.

Britains Got Talent, 13 Feb 2013

Well done to Bash and Out By Friday who performed in a live Britains Got Talent audition on Sunday in Birmingham.
The judges were Simon Cowell, David Walliams, Amanda Holden and Alisha Dixon.
We will have to wait until later this year to see how they got on.

New Class added from April, 13 Feb 2013

Like Bruce Bogtrotters Belly BARTA's getting bigger. New Saturday class added from April, spread the word.
Age 6-9, Age 10-12, Age 13+
www.berkshireartsacademy.com or mail@berkshireartsacademy.com for more info

SPECIAL OFFER - Just got wind of this special offer. £40 DISCOUNT, Was £121, now £81, 12 Feb 2013

Wind in the Willows comes to South Hill Park this Easter. A springboard for many of our young performers, the South Hill Park easter show is a must. Directed by Luke Sheppard (Matilda, Singing in the Rain) theres lots of fun to be had and great experience to be gained.
http://www.southhillpark.org.uk/5179/events/7416786

South Hill Park 40th Birthday Celebration Performances, 12 Feb 2013

Initial details are in for our performances at SHP's 40th birthday celebration "Whales and Pirate Tales - The Legend of Moby Dick" which will take place on the lake in the grounds of SHP. Dates for the performances are TBC between 13th July - 24th July 2013. The title of our piece is "Captain Radley, his tale ends badly." We will work on this from April onwards and the intention is to involve all our students age 6-9 and 10-12 and some of the older students too.

Oliver Tour, 2011-2013, 1 Feb 2013

As the Oliver Tour reaches it final destination of Bristol we would like to congratulate BARTA students Bash (Oliver), Charlie (Captain) and Charlie (Snake) on a job well done. The adventure started with 4 weeks of rehearsals in Pimlico in October 2011 before moving to the Millennium Centre, Cardiff. 17 months, 10 venues, 165 shows in 4 countries later and they are nearly done, enjoy the final few weeks boys.

SNOW UPDATE, 19 Jan 2013

All classes on today as normal. Just had a drive around Bracknell and South Hill Park and all the roads are clear. South Hill Park is open as normal, and so are we. The SHP car park still has snow so just take care when parking.

Keep warm and BARTA on.

Lift Off Dance Festival 2013, 15 Jan 2013

The choreography is taking shape for #LiftOff2013 on Sat 2nd March. Our younger students are doing an Indian / Bhangra dance and our older students are performing to big spender by Theophilus London. We will try and group book tickets - parents, if you haven't already, please let us know if you would like to be part of the group booking and how many tickets you would like. Performers include: Berkshire County Dance Company Youth, ACE Dance Company, Creative Academy, Zambesi Youth, The Hip Hop Replacements, Berkshire ARTs Academy, Surrey Boys Dance Company, iID (Intergenerational Dance) Company, Senior West Berkshire Youth Dance Company, Fledgling Youth Dance Company, Jawahir Bellydance, Vanquish Youth, Lafour Theatre School, Hampshire Youth Dance Company and The Point Youth Dance Company. CLICK FOR TICKETS

BARTA 2012 Christmas Party, 16 Dec 2012

Its been quite busy since we started in April, we are very proud of what you have all achieved, confidence and technique is improving and hopefully everyone is having fun, keep up the good work. We've still got lots to do but in our first 2 terms the following has happened.
Ryan in Full Monty, Kate in Fiddler, Rachel, Charlie and Kerry in A Christmas Carol Radio Play, Ellie, Lauren, Charlie and Stephen in Oliver, Camberley, Freya in panto in Newbury, Luca, Ryan, Sol and Ellie in panto at South Hill Park, Kerry won an Olivier award, filmed Les Mis and Game of Thrones, Rachel, Stephen and Gaby in Titanic, Theatre Royal, Windsor , Sebastian, Charlie and Charlie in the UK tour of Oliver (next stop Dublin), Paige, Zensi, Hannah, George, Rachel, Honey, Brianna and Charlotte in Gondoliers. Also helped raised £650 for Save the Children, raised over £200 for Great Ormond Street Hospital and are proud to support Step Up for South Hill Park. Honey was in a short film, A Fathers Gift and Rachel in a national bank advert. We put on A Christmas Carol in the studio theatre, an end of term showcase and a talent show at the christmas party. We also had Jo Hawes, Sam Spencer Lane, Ballet Boyz, Joss Arnott, Penny-Anne O'Donnell, Blackeyed Theatre, Supremacy, Oliver and Shakespeare workshops and did free workshops for over 100 children at Big Day Out. We have also been selected to perform in Lift Off dance festival at South Hill Park. I think thats all folks.

Recent Audition Success, 13 Dec 2012

Congratulations to BARTA students who enjoyed success at recent auditions, Kate will play Shprintze in Fiddler on the Roof at South Hill Park and 4 of our students will perform in Oliver the Musical at Camberley Theatre, Lauren and Ellie will play parts in Fagins gang, Stephen will play Charley Bates and Charlie plays Dodger.
Well done to everyone who auditioned and had a go, its not easy and can be very disappointing when you aren't successful, dont look at it as a no, its a not just yet.
Keep calm and BARTA on.

A Christmas Carol, 3 Dec 2012

This is a short 3 min 30 second video including a selection of pieces from Saturdays performance. Parents and students can watch the full performance in the members area.
On Sat 1st Dec the students of BARTA put on a performance of A Christmas Carol for family and friends. They put this together in 6 rehearsals on Saturday afternoons at South Hill Park, they all did incredibly well and raised £202 for Great Ormond Street Hospital. Well Done Everyone.

A Christmas Carol, Sat 1st December, 29 Nov 2012

Berkshire ARTs Academy, BARTA take to the South Hill Park stage on Saturday in an original musical adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol. Both shows are now sold out with all revenue from both performances being donated to BARTAs chosen charity for 2012, Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Lift Off Dance Festival, March 2013, South Hill Park, 22 Nov 2012

FaB NeWs, BARTA have been selected to perform in next years Lift Off dance festival, 2 March 2013, at SHP. Many local dance companies are also performing including Vanquish, BCDCY and ZoieLogic. We will be working on this next term (alongside our normal drama / vocal work). It also ties in quite nicely with a creative film / dance project we have planned. Thanks to Alex (Junior dance teacher) for organising, any questions, mail@berkshireartsacademy.com

BARTA student invited to Downing Street, 20 Nov 2012

Kerry Ingram and her Olivier award winning Matilda friends attend a special Downing Street event tonight to celebrate British Theatre.
Kerry and the Matildas joined fellow Matilda alumni Bertie Carvel and Rob Howell, Sweeney Todd co-stars Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton, actress Ruth Wilson, lyricist Tim Rice and theatrical impresarios Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber and Sir Cameron Mackintosh at the event.

LONDON CONTEMPORARY THEATRE,
20 NOV 2012

Latest London Contemporary Theatre offerings from BARTA teachers, Jonno and Phil.

Lots of BARTA student and teacher involvement in both these projects.

The Gondoliers, South Hill Park, 6 Nov 2012

Wishing 8 of our younger BARTA students all the best for the Opening Night of Gondoliers. The show runs from Tues 6th - Sat 10th of November, tickets available from the South Hill Park website. Break a leg everyone.
UPDATE, feedback from Melinda, The Gondoliers choreographer. "I loved working with all the children, I thought they were brilliant! We know who to contact if we ever need any children's roles filled in the future".

Ryan to play the part of Nathan Schofield in the musical The Full Monty, 5 Nov 2012

CoNgRaTuLaTiOnS to BARTA student Ryan who will play the part of Nathan Schofield in the musical The full Monty early next year. Well done Ryan you really deserve it.

Titanic, Theatre Royal Windsor, 1 Nov 2012

3 BARTA students are taking part in SWMTCs production of Titanic this week at the Theatre Royal Windsor.
Hope you all have lots of fun and dont get too wet.

BARTA student Rachel books national bank advert, 26 Oct 2012

Congratulations to BARTA student Rachel who has just been confirmed to do a national RBS advert. Following filming she will be appearing in adverts in every RBS and Nat West branch for the next 12 months :-)

A Christmas Carol, Radio Play, 26 Oct 2012

Reserve your copy of A Christmas Carol now and collect at BARTA on Dec 1st. A very talented cast of professional performers, including a few of our own students, perform in this Dickens Christmas classic, adapted for Radio and in support of Great Ormond Street Hospital. Only £7 and we may even be able to get a few of the cast to sign it for you.
http://www.londoncontemporarytheatre.com/shop.html

Well done everyone - Raising money for Save the Children, 7 Oct 2012

Congratulations to Vanquish, Berkshire ARTs Academy and Berkshire County Dance Youth Company students who took part in a 5 hour danceathon today to raise money for Save The Children. You all danced your socks off and looked like you had lots of fun. Well done everyone, over £650 raised for charity :-)

Message from Sam Spencer-Lane, 29 Sept 2012

We just got an email from Sam Spencer-Lane, here's what she said. High praise considering Sam spent 26 years at Mountview and was the Head of Dance. Well done folks.
"It was such a privilege to work with your students yesterday, I had such a great time and really enjoyed seeing what you are all doing at BARTA. The students were so eager to learn and they took on board all the advice as if they were full time students. Their energy, commitment, obvious passion and the quality of work they produce is a credit to them and this academy. I would welcome the opportunity to return, anytime x"

A Christmas Carol, The Radio Play

A CHRISTMAS CAROL CAST ANNOUNCED, 3 BARTA students cast in this play for radio, scheduled to be broadcast and to purchase on CD / itunes this December.
CAST - PAUL PRESCOTT, MELANIE STACE, JONATHAN MORRIS, NICK RICKETTS, PETER POLYCARPOU, JONATHAN ASHBY, KERRY INGRAM, GREGORY COX, PHILIP RYDER, LIV WILLIAMS, JODIE MARSH, RACHEL INGRAM, ALEX RIVERS, DAVEY KELLEHER, CHARLIE PENN, JAKE ADDLEY
www.londoncontemporarytheatre.com

BARTA students enjoy success at recent auditions

We are delighted that 19 of our students will perform in a variety of local and national shows over the next 3 months.
3 students were successful at auditions for Titanic and will perform at the Theatre Royal Windsor.
4 students successfully auditioned for this years Panto at South Hill Park, Bracknell.
7 students will take part in the production of Gondoliers by EBOS at South Hill Park, Bracknell.
1 student successfully auditioned for this years Panto at the Corn Exchange, Newbury.
3 students touring the UK in Oliver the Musical, currently in Newcastle before travelling to Leeds, Dublin and finally Bristol.
1 student who recently completed filming Les Mis and Game of Thrones.
3 students have been selected to take part in a recording of A Christmas Carol for radio.

Big Day Out is back at South Hill Park, Saturday 15th September from 1pm

Get ready for a day of performing arts and new music, in the grounds of South Hill Park!
The 7th annual Big Day Out returns after a year off presenting its instantly recognisable and hugely popular blend of fanfare (acoustic brass), folk, pop, world and jazz music and performing arts in a specially tweaked format for the Cultural Olympiad.
Dont Forget to visit Berkshire ARTs Academy who are offering FREE workshops for Children Age 7-16. Workshops will consist of Gymnastics, Drama, Street Dance, Circus Skills and Stage Combat. Each workshop will last for 45 minutes and children are welcome to attend one or more of the workshops. Non BARTA and BARTA students welcome to attend Free Workshops on a first come first served basis.

Day 7, News - West End Performing Workshop for Age 7-10 and 11+ groups with Peter Howe

Peter recently finished performing in Matilda the Musical, playing Matilda's brother, Michael Wormwood. He performed in the musical for 2 years at both the Courtyard Theatre, Stratford and the Cambridge Theatre, London.
Peter trained at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) and has numerous credits to his name including Lucky and Hans in The Snow Queen (Theatre Royal, Stratford East).
Peter also created the role of Sam Gamgee in the world premiere of The Lord of the Rings in Toronto and received a Dora Mavor Moore Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. Peter reprised his role as Sam for The Lord of the Rings transfer to the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Peter stayed with the show throughout its London run.

Day 6, News - Sam Spencer-Lane, Musical Theatre Workshop for Age 7-10 and 11+ groups

On the 29th September Sam Spencer Lane will join BARTA for a musical theatre workshop. After a successful performing career as a Dancer, Singer and Recording Artist, Sam began her choreographic career working for Thames Television. After Five years Sam moved to the Theatre, choreographing Musical Theatre and Plays. Sam has also been Head of Musical Theatre, Dance and Movement at Mountview Academy for the past Ten Years, and is an external examiner for Arts Educational. Sam is known for her work on new shows at the Bridewell Theatre, and more recently the Menier Chocolate Factory, working with Jason Robert Brown on the Uk Premier of his shows THE LAST FIVE YEARS and SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD, and with Maltby and Shire on their brand new musical TAKE FLIGHT. In 2008 Sam joined forces with David Walliams and Matt Lucas to choreograph their hugely successful show LITTLE BRITAIN LIVE which enjoyed a long run at the Hammersmith Apollo, London and a UK tour. Sam credits also include, to name a few, TRACEY BEAKER GETS REAL (UK Tour), DEMON HEADMASTER (UK Tour), Rodgers and Hammerstein's CINDERELLA (Bristol Old Vic), WIZARD OF OZ (Theatre Clwyd) and the Film, PRIVATE PEACEFUL which is due for release next year.

Day 5, News - Bursaries and Step Up

Berkshire ARTs Academy are delighted to announce we have 2 new bursary places available in our age 7-10 class and 1 new bursary place available in our 11 plus class. Our bursaries provide assistance of up to 50% of the term fees and are available to families on low income or in receipt of benefits. Please email to apply, explaining why you think this experience would benefit your child. mail@berkshireartsacademy.co.uk
Berkshire ARTs Academy are also pleased to have recently become supporters of Step Up for South Hill Park, a scheme for those wishing to further support Bracknell’s multi-purpose community arts centre. ‘Support this amazing centre which does so much for its local community and for all the young performers whose careers start there’ – Kate Winslet, actress and SHP patron.

Day 4, News - The BARTA Ball.

On Saturday the 15th December we're going to rip up the script.

Its not really a ball but we have hired the cellar bar at South Hill Park and plan to host a BARTA party, featuring a talent comp, music and fun stuff for both age groups. Get dressed up, glam up and get ready to party at our final get together of 2012. Double the fun as you're more than welcome to bring a friend.

Day 3, News - Free Workshops @ Big Day Out, Berkshire ARTs Academy, BARTA.

On Saturday 15th September BARTA will provide free workshops for Children Age 7-16 at South Hill Parks Big Day Out event. Workshops will consist of Gymnastics, Drama, Street Dance, Circus Skills and Stage Combat. Each workshop will last for 45 minutes and children are welcome to attend one or more of the workshops.

Non BARTA and BARTA students welcome to attend Free Workshops on a first come first served basis.
Max 20 students per workshop. Age 7 - 16. SOUTH HILL PARK BIG DAY OUT

mail@berkshireartsacademy.com for more information.
CLICK POSTER FOR LARGER IMAGE.

Day 2, News - Mother Courage and Her Children Workshop, Age 11+ group

"Blackeyed Theatre are one of the most critically-acclaimed theatre companies on the UK touring circuit" (The Stage).

Prior to a national tour of Mother Courage members of Blackeyed Theatre will join us to present a workshop of their new production of Mother Courage and Her Children. Blackeyed Theatres production is a modern interpretation of one of Brecht's most well known plays. The original play follows the fortunes of Anna Fierling, nicknamed "Mother Courage", a wily canteen woman with the Swedish Army who is determined to make her living from the war. Over the course of the play, she loses all three of her children, Swiss Cheese, Eilif, and Kattrin, to the same war from which she sought to profit. Click for Education Pack

Day 1, News - Voice Workshop for Age 7-10 and 11+ groups with Penny-Anne ODonnell BSc (Hons)

Penny-Anne ODonnell BSc (Hons) London MRCSLT MASLTIP HPC Reg joins us for a voice workshop. Penny's fascination with voice started whilst at the National Youth Theatre. She then studied Speech Sciences at UCL and worked for many years within the NHS in both adult and paediatric fluency and voice. Recently she enjoyed working with the RSC and Cameron Mackintosh's touring company.
(In the run up to our second term we bring you 7 days of BARTA news, a taster of a few of the exciting plans for the new term. We hope you like the workshops and events we have organised). mail@berkshireartsacademy.com for questions or enquiries.

A Fathers Gift

Link to the video A Fathers Gift featuring Honey from our age 7-10 group. We all think you are great as Alejandra Rosencof, well done :-)
http://vimeo.com/33240759

Shakespeare Workshop Date Confirmed - 2nd September 2012

BARTA have just confirmed the date of our first Shakespeare workshop, which is open to both members and non-members. The workshop will take place at South Hill Park on 2nd September 2012 from 10am - 4.30pm and looks at bringing Shakespeare to life in a fun and imaginative way. The course is suitable for Secondary School children, and includes the following elements;
1 - Characterisation
2 - Understanding
3 - Improvisation
4 - Bringing the text to life
5 - Putting the play into context
6 - Introduction to stage combat
7 - Conclusion and Group performance

Win 12 weeks free Performing ARTs Training @BerkshireARTsAc

Berkshire ARTs Academy, BARTA, is a leading Theatre & Performing Arts Academy, based at South Hill Park Arts Centre in Bracknell. One lucky child (age 7+) will win a term of free lessons (worth £189) from BARTAs professional dance, drama and singing teachers. In a new, fun, exciting and vibrant environment students will improve their skills in the 3 key performing areas alongside BARTA students who perform professionally in TV, Film, West End and UK Touring productions. Please follow the link to enter the competition.
LINK TO BERKSHIRE ARTS ACADEMY, BARTA - FAMILIES ONLINE COMPETITION

Summer Showcase - R first term ever, well done everyone ;-)

Jonathan Ashby, Backhand Theatre and Music Video

Drama teacher Jonno is currently in Edinburgh with Backhand Theatre preparing for their Edinburgh Fringe Festival show, Greek Myths.
Jonno will be back on Sun 2nd September for the Shakespeare workshop and you can spot him in Spectors new music video, Never Fade Away.
Spector, Never Fade Away Youtube link

Dan Little from VANQUISH

Anyone else excited about this, we definitely are. The amazingly talented dancer and choreographer Dan Little working with BARTA from September (tiny naughty word at 1.32 you might want to avoid).

Great News Jake Addley, Mother Courage Tour and Panto in Devon.

Congratulations to Jake who's been offered a part in the UK tour of Mother Courage and her children. Jake has been on Blackeyed Theatres radar for some time and Jake is delighted to be offered the role Swiss Cheese.
Jake graduated in 2009 from The Brit School Of Performing Arts. His previous theatre credits include One Fine Day (Edinburgh Fringe and Waterloo East), for which he was nominated for The Stage Award of Acting Excellence for Best Solo Performer, Peter Pan (South Hill Park), Orphans (Jampot Productions), Dick Whittington (Towngate, Basildon), A Slice of Saturday Night (Random Productions), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Original Theatre Company UK Tour). Film and Television credits include Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Ketchup and Goodnight (The London Film Academy), Mourning Light (Saoirse Films) and Victim (Reaper Studios). Jake is also a member of the award winning all male dance company Fuzzy Logic, which was commissioned by Sadler’s Wells to devise a performance highlighting the plight of AIDS victims, which toured to Namibia. At Christmas, Jake will be appearing as Will Scarlet in Robin Hood at the Queen’s Theatre, Barnstaple.

Titanic the Musical at The Theatre Royal, Windsor

Congratulations to BARTA students, Rachel, Stephen and Gaby who will be appearing in Titanic the Musical at the Theatre Royal, Windsor in October with SWM Theatre Company.
Looking forward to seeing you all perform, lets hope you're one of the lucky passengers.

Game of Thrones Series 3 Cast Announced

13 year old BARTA student Kerry Ingram has finally been confirmed to play the part of Shireen, daughter of Stannis Baratheon in series 3 of Game of Thrones. Starring alongside an all star cast including Paul Kaye, Diana Rigg, Clive Russell and Mackenzie Crook to name a few. Well done Kerry, very exciting. Good luck with filming can't wait to see Series 3.

Berkshire ARTs Academy students enjoy success at Panto auditions

Congratulations to the following BARTA students who have been offered a place in this years Panto at South Hill Park. We all look forward to watching you in this years Christmas show, Jack and the Beanstalk.
Well done Ryan, Sol, Luca and Ellie who will be appearing at South Hill Park between 1 Dec 2012 - 5 Jan 2013.

Berkshire ARTs Academy supports Step Up For South Hill Park

Friday 29th of June was a special day for South Hill Park as it marked the first Anniversary of the Step Up for South Hill Park scheme. Step Up is a philanthropic scheme for individuals and businesses wishing to support Bracknell’s community arts centre. Step Up was created for those who would like to play a part in SHP’s future.
A number of existing supporters of the scheme and guests were invited to an event to celebrate the schemes 1st birthday. Jake Addley, a teacher at BARTA and Kerry Ingram, a student both performed at the event. A clip of the performances can be seen on the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtYUvBR3ijo
For more information about Step Up contact South Hill Park on 01344 413511 or email supporters@southhillpark.org.uk

Nick Pack on tour with Angelina Ballerina

Congratulations to BARTAs dance teacher Nick Pack who will perform in the UK and Ireland Tour of Angelina Ballerina, The Mousical. Well done Nick, its well deserved, enjoy the tour. We look forward to catching up with you soon.

Phil Ryder on tour with Quantum Theatre

Congratulations to BARTAs music teacher Phil Ryder who will tour the UK and Ireland in Quantum Theatres Summer Tour of A Midsummer Nights Dream. We hope you have lots of fun touring many wonderful cities and venues and we look forward to hearing your midsummer tales when you return to BARTA in September.

"Jake Addley's portrayal of the child-like Philip is superb." WOS - Katherine Graham

Well done Jake, BARTAs Drama and Dance teacher, on one fine performance as Philip in Jam Pot Theatres, Orphans. The brilliant performances of all the cast received many wonderful reviews following shows at South Hill Park, Waterloo East in London and Eastleigh. BARTA students will recognise Jake as our very talented and very energetic dance teacher.
http://thegoodreview.co.uk/2012/05/orphans-south-hill-park-2/

CoNgRaTuLaTiOnS Freya, you did it.

Freya Collington wins a place in the Festival Factor Grand Final at the Anvil, Basingstoke. Everyone at BARTA is very proud of you. Have lots of fun on the 30th of June, we will be cheering you on. There are three age categories & nine finalists but only one can win. The finalists are;
16 and under - Freya Collington, Iona Gross and Ellie Lane
17 to 24 years old - Carl Fryer, Rosie Burns and Tom Rampton
25 years and over - Paul Bettley, Natasha Mulvey and Simon Williams

Shelter TV Advert - Kerry Ingram

Jack and the Beanstalk Auditions

South Hill Park are looking for girls and boys aged 8 to16 years old to take part in their annual pantomime. Join in on the fun this year doing the adventurous Jack and the Beanstalk!
They would love to see you come and audition for the Christmas Show. They will be welcoming back Julian Hirst as the Dame AND the Director, as well as Ann Ogden as the Choreographer and Tim Cumper as the Musical Director.

Supremacy

Dance teacher Nick Pack and Supremacy got through to the Sky TVs Final of Britain Does Variety last night. Incredibly proud of you all, there were some really great acts but you were SIMPLY THE BEST.

Congratulations

Musical hit Matilda is the toast of this year's Laurence Olivier Awards, becoming the most recognised single production in the event's 36-year history. Congratulations Kerry on winning an Olivier award for Best Actress in a Musical, a role shared with the 3 other Matilda's.

Day 7, News - Patron

Berkshire ARTs Academy are extremely fortunate to have the support of Simon Bowman as our Patron.
Simon was born in Cardiff and trained at Mountview Theatre School. He has recently finished playing the lead role of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables at the Queens Theatre in London’s West End. Simon also created the role of Chris in Miss Saigon in the original West End cast at the (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane). www.simonbowman.com (under construction)

Day 6, News - Bursaries Available

Berkshire ARTs Academy are delighted to announce we have up to 4 bursary places available to students (2 places in our Seven2Ten group and 2 places in our Eleven+ group).
These places are available to families in receipt of benefits or on low income. Please email to apply, explaining why you think this experience would benefit your child. mail@berkshireartsacademy.co.uk

Day 5, News - Matilda, Les Mis & Olivier Nomination

Congratulations to BARTA student Kerry Ingram who, after fantastic RSC Stratford and West End runs, now leaves Trunchbull, Miss Honey and her Matilda classmates to try her hand at something different. Following her success as Matilda in Matilda the Musical, including an Olivier and a Whats On Stage Best Actress Award nomination, we look forward to seeing Kerry on the big screen later this year in Les Misérables. We are all keeping our fingers crossed for Matilda at the Olivier awards on April 15th 2012. You can watch the Olivier awards and see a special Matilda performance via the BBC red button from 6pm on Sunday.

Day 4, News - Oliver Workshop

Berkshire ARTs Academy are pleased to confirm an Oliver! workshop for Seven2Ten students on Saturday 21st April.
The BARTA teachers and 5 child cast members from Oliver! West End & UK Tour will work with our younger BARTA students, aged 7-10, on a number of the big hits from the musical.

Day 3, News - Balletboyz

Berkshire ARTs Academy are working in conjunction with South Hill Park to provide the opportunity for BARTA students to workshop with the famous, Sadlers Wells, Balletboyz.
On the 23 June BARTA students will be led through warm up and routines as well as learning some of the Balletboyz repertoire. Spaces may be limited, this workshop is for BARTA Eleven+ students only.
www.balletboyz.com

Day 2, News - Consider Yourself... One of Us!

Congratulations to BARTA students, Sebastian, Charlie & Charlie. These 3 talented boys have been touring the UK with Oliver since December 2011 and have just been offered extensions to continue on tour until March 2013. The Oliver UK Tour takes them to fantastic venues in the UK including Cardiff, Edinburgh, Manchester, Newcastle and Dublin.

Day 1, News - Supremacy Street Dance Workshop

Berkshire ARTs Academy are delighted to announce that members of Supremacy Dance Company, representatives of Great Britain at the International Dance Festival 2012, www.idfb.co.uk, will present a street dance workshop for all BARTA students, age 7-16. in May.
During our first term BARTA will also work towards the formation of BARTAs own junior street dance crew – Auditions to take place September 2012.

6th April – BARTA News

April has been a quiet month for BARTA news, until now that is. Everyone at Berkshire ARTs Academy has been busy preparing for opening on the 21st April and the year ahead. We've prepared an exciting programme of special events for our first term and, over the next 7 days, we will announce fabulous daily news including exciting workshops, events and exclusive opportunities for BARTA students.
Keep up to date with daily news on the website or by liking the Facebook page.
www.facebook.com/pages/Berkshire-ARTs-Academy-BARTA/131075033680552

Orphans, May Tour. Congratulations Jake Addley

BARTA Teacher, Jake Addley (The Stage Best Solo Performer nominee and must see recommendation at Edinburgh Fringe 2011 for One Fine Day) is confirmed to play the part of Phillip in Jam Pot Theatre's May tour of Orphans.
Off-broadway audiences gave this moving drama standing ovations. Two brothers live in a house in North Philly. Although adults, there is something child-like about these orphans. The eldest supports himself and his slightly retarded brother by petty thievery. One night he brings home a rich older man to get him drunk and rob him. It turns out that the man - Harold is very rich and on the run from a hitman. Harold establishes the house as a base of operations and, in a strange, hilarious and moving way, becomes the father figure the boys have always yearned for.
Tour Dates:
South Hill Park, Studio Theatre (Bracknell) - Wed 16 - Sat 19 May Book online 01344 484123
The Point, Studio Theatre (Eastleigh) - Sun 20 May Book online 02380 652333
Waterloo East Theatre (London) - Wed 30 - Thu 31 May Book online 02079 280060

Matilda The Musical - Well Done Kerry

Well Done Kerry who returns as Matilda in MATILDA THE MUSICAL from October 2011 at the Cambridge Theatre.
Following a sensational sell-out season at The Courtyard Theatre, the RSC's production has transfered to London's West End. Roald Dahl's much-loved story bursts into life on stage in this brand new musical version by Dennis Kelly and award-winning musician and comedian Tim Minchin. Children and adults alike will be thrilled and delighted by the story of the special little girl with an extraordinary imagination. www.matildathemusical.com

Oliver UK Tour - Well Done Charlie

Well done Charlie who has been cast in the Fagins gang in the UK tour of Cameron Mackintosh’s Oliver! Fresh from its record-breaking run in the West End at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, one of the most beloved British musicals ever, Oliver!, is on tour around the UK from 10 Dec 2011
The tour opens at The Millennium Centre Cardiff before visiting Manchester, Birmingham, Southampton Edinburgh and other locations nationwide.
www.oliverthemusical.com

BARTA NEWS READ ALL ABOUT IT!