Stagecoach

[elphiethegreat]

My DD is only five but has always been extremely outgoing, has always expressed herself through singing and dancing and acting out her favourite musicals.

From the age of three she has frequently said she 'wants to be on the stage', however I never thought too much of it or pursued it. Although lately I have felt like I may be wasting a potential talent by not at least introducing her to acting/drama classes. She has asked to go to acting classes although more so since hearing me and DF discussing it. She did do ballet for two years but it wasn't really her, she's too much energy for ballet!

I did a bit of research into local drama schools and unfortunately there isn't a lot. One from age 8 which is no good at the moment and then Stagecoach.

Does anyone have any experience with stagecoach? Is the cost worth it? Any information would be extremely helpful as still deliberating at this stage. Thanks.

Best advice is that they are a franchise and quality can be variable. Also v pricey compared to community drama and theatre groups. Perform is similar.

I have no personal experience of stagecoach but have heard basically what LIZS said, that it is a franchise and can be great or can be terrible.

My children go to an independent dance and drama school which works perfectly for us. Drama often is from about 7 or 8 in a lot of places, I presume this is partly to do with ability to concentrate. One of mine is the youngest in their group but is very mature for her age whereas a lot of her friends couldn't learn poetry and prose yet or do proper acting (she is 5).

I think the other thing is that doesn't stagecoach suddenly have a price increase in about yr1 or yr2?

My DD1 went to perform with many of her friends and it was outstanding. We were in London and she did an hour of drama, an hour of music and an hour of dance once a week so 3 hours in one go and 2 shows a year. We are abroad now and it's one of the few things she misses. She started when she was about 8 so I have no experience of it for younger DC but I hear it was excellent. DD2 did Perform from age 5. Great for that age or younger but nothing like Stagecoach.

Like other posters, I have no personal experience of stagecoach but have also read often on these boards that it is a franchise and can be great or can be terrible.

Lots of kids don't like the structure of ballet. (DD2 loves it).

Have you looked into Modern, Jazz, Hip Hop or Musical Theater, these are more uptempo. Most dance schools will put on at least one dance show during the year.
Where we live, age 10-12 get to audition for dance parts in local Christmas panto, and these are the styles that are favored.

Agree with everybody about variability in quality.

We weren't impressed when we tried it (some years ago now), gave it a chance until they'd done their show but it really wasn't great. It was three hours a week back then. One hour of acting, one hour dance (jazz and theatre dancing), one hour music. They did have a casting agency attached which you could join for extra charge.

My DD is older 11 and is actively pursuing musical theatre. Firstly it seems to be really necessary to have a basic grounding in a core dance either tap or ballet. Also to get a good musical grounding to as they are expected to be able to read music.
DD did ballet for four years and then switched to tap. Played the recorder for 3 years and then switched to the clarinet. She sings in two choirs.
She is now also a member of our local community junior musical theatre group which offers more hours per week for half the cost of stagecoach. It produces two professional productions a year. She also attends Italia Conti on Saturdays.
Honestly if she hadn't start with the dance and music she wouldn't have the stamina for what she does now.

My DD is also very involved in Music Theatre. She started aged three in ballet and now does Performing arts, ballet, tap, singing and a range of other dance genre.

The group that really fired her passion though was a youth theatre group called Rare Productions with whom she has been involved since she was 11.Think they admit DCs to their shows from 8 years by way of an open audition.

They do two productions a year in a local theatre. She started in the chorus and now regularly gets main roles. Each show costs around £130 for all the rehearsals (dancing, acting, singing) costumes and shows. I have seen a few Stagecoach shows locally and they are nowhere near as good as the Rare shows. DD has made the most amazing friends and just loves it.

Not sure where you live but I know they have loads of areas in the South East. Might be worth considering for the future.

Disclaimer- I DO NOT work for Rare- just a very impressed mum!

I'm another mum whose dd performed with Rare (3 productions) and had a really good time.

My DDs (age 10 and 12) love Stagecoach. I sent them to help improve their confidence though, not because they have any real intention of careers on the stage. It's worked fabulously, and they both now volunteer for all sorts of parts in plays/music performances/singing/reciting at school, which they would never have done a couple of years ago. It is expensive, but where we live there weren't many alternatives.

My dd has been going to Stagecoach for nearly 4 years. The 1st one she went to was ok, but not that special. However the one she attends now is excellent. She has danced at the NIA in Birmingham, Disneyland Paris, and is off to the West End in June to perform in a Stagecoach production. They have a show most terms, plus DD takes additional drama classes so is taking Lamda exams and taking part in local festivals.
Having said all that, I think that over the next couple of years as she hits her mid teens, we will encourage DD to look at local youth drama groups if she wants to take this more seriously. But certainly up to now it has been the perfect introduction and mix of projects for her.

I don't know if this is feasible at all, though I have suggested similar things before:

If you have a secondary school near you, or even a FE college, that has good drama/dance/stage courses AND also parenting/child development classes, approach them to see if there is any way you could 'lend' DD to them for a couple of hours, for their students to 'practise' on/with.

Maybe a crazy idea, but you won't know if you don't ask!

My dd did Stagecoach for 8 years. She loved it & it gave he a lot of confidence. A few years after starting Stagecoach she also started ballet but she feels that Stagecoach really helped her in her Drama & singing.

She left age 11 to go to full time PE forming arts school but still likes to visit them when she's home.

DS started stagecoach when he was 4 - just for fun. He ended up auditioning for, and performing in, a number of professional shows - with big parts.

Now he's 13 & has decided he really wants a performance related career - but stagecoach really isn't challenging him enough. It's very inclusive, but our local one at least isn't really set up to challenge the kids who need that (it used to be, tbh as they had an additional audition only very small group that produced work to a high standard, but the format of that has changed).

So we're looking somewgere else. DS is probably more interested in becoming an actor who can sing rather than MT, and there are excellent (& cheap) entry by audition opportunities from 14, but he's a bit stuck now.

What's best for your DD will depend very much on what is available locally. In terms of franchises italia conti tends to produce a higher level of dance tgan stagecoach, although I have no idea what their acting classes are like (would be interested, if anyone has a view) & they do seen to have a pathway for people interested in drama schools.

Rereading your first paragraph - yes at 5 stagecoach would be fine. Tbh at that age most drama/dance groups are about games & fun. It might be worth trying ballet/tap etc again though? DS has only really started dancing this year (as in 2015) - outside stagecoach anyway - and lacking a basic tap/ballet understanding would be an issue for him if he wanted to pursue MT.

Saintly you asked about Italia Conti. I don't know about others, but the one my DD attends is all taught by staff from the main stage school. The standards for everything that is taught is very high, many children go on to the main stage school and many have gone on to have professional careers.

Thanks lonecat - that backs up my impression really. I'll give them a ring next week. DS2 is at the age & has done enough that he needs/wants stretching now. Especially if he continues to want to go audition for drama school.

I have an awkward relationship with Stagecoach. As someone else has mentioned, being franchise businesses, the quality varies from the most outstanding, to absolutely shockingly bad!!! And even for the good ones, I think most parents find it hard to justify the extortionate fees.

I will simply say this... if you take your child to Stagecoach, do so with your eyes wide open.

Stagecoach exists for one reason, to make MONEY and lots of it. Ignore the gimmicky marketing, the Stagecoach 'agency', and promises to help make your child a star. For 95% of the kids who go there, Stagecoach is nothing more than a few hours of fun in the week and leads to absolutely nothing!