Musical theatre students from Lorayne McLucas Performing Arts academy took their show on the road when they attended the European Junior Theatre Festival in Birmingham on Sunday 19th May. The event, which is organised by Music Theatre International, was held over two days at the city’s International Conference Centre and was attended by over 2,200 young performers from across the UK and Europe. Each group performed a 15 minute section of musical theatre, to be adjudicated by a panel of globally renowned professional judges who work across the world – including in London’s famous West End and New York’s Broadway.
Lorayne McLucas, who is the founder of LMPA, told the it was an amazing experience for the senior students – who are all aged between 12 and 17. She said: “We’ve been looking for a festival for the students to attend that would encourage and build the student’s confidence, as well as showcasing the joy that theatre can bring to their lives. “The MTI Junior Festival, directed by Ryan Macaulay, is the best festival of its type we have ever attended.
We had the chance to take 15 students to showcase a section of our production of ‘Beauty and the Beast Junior’ to hundreds of other musical theatre students and world renowned theatre writers, directors and performers. “There were workshops in acting, singing, dancing and performances from West End stars and new productions. We are extremely proud of all of them for taking part in the event and giving.
