Foundations of Musical Theatre

Initially developing dance and theatre school provision, Victoria moved swiftly into further education and apprenticeships in performing arts and sport, with programmes receiving external recognition such as ‘Outstanding’ judgements (Adult Leaning Inspectorate), Beacon status for teaching and learning, and professional industry acknowledgement. This led to partnerships with higher education providers, and the development of the musical theatre provision at Trinity Laban.

As a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Trinity Laban Senior Teaching Fellow, Victoria is committed to access and participation, and the development of teaching and learning environments that support progression and achievement. Most recently, she has utilised her MSc in psychology to research the area of mental health and wellbeing in tertiary musical theatre education settings, identifying how programmes and interventions can be established to support the development of good mental health in educational setting, and when transitioning into employment.

Victoria believes that the student is the absolute centre of the learning journey, and that it is important to support personal development beyond the core curriculum outcomes, fostering the unique individual and personal identity within the learning community.

Victoria is a Trustee for a growing Multi Academy Trust in Kent and External Examiner for other Musical Theatre programmes across the UK .

Creative Outputs

Performance credits include: Aladdin, Cinderella and Humpty Dumpty (Millfield Theatre), A Chorus Line (MYT), Fran in A Christmas Carol (Terry Hawes Productions), Aida, MTV, Dream Team (Hewland International), 100 Years of Cinema (Mermaid Theatre), Lead vocalist and dancer for various cabarets.

Choreography Credits include: Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Bugsy Malone, Oklahoma, Little Shop of Horrors, Dick Whittington, Wizard of Oz, Oliver, Corporate Events, Cabarets and College Showcases.

Lyndsay’s credits include: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Mayflower Theatre); Betwixt! (Trafalgar Studios); Venus and Adonis (Turner Sims Concert Hall); Nicholas Nickleby (Chichester Festival Theatre, Gielgud Theatre); Godspell (Hanger Farm Arts Centre); TheThreepenny Opera (BADA); Alice in Wonderland (Queen’s Theatre); You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Network Theatre); Hello Again (George Cecil Wood Theatre); The Threepenny Opera (Nuffield Theatre); Jesus Christ Superstar (Bournemouth Rep); Liar (Nuffield Youth Theatre), and Much Ado About Nothing (National Theatre).

After gaining an MA in Music Performance from the University of Southampton, Rhona trained at the Guildford School of Acting, where she was awarded the Professional Development Award on completion of her studies.

Theatre Credits of note include: The Light In The Piazza (Royal Festival Hall / LA Opera / Chicago Lyric Opera); Flowers For Mrs Harris (Chichester Festival Theatre); Moonfleet (Salisbury Playhouse); The Addams Family (Original UK Cast); Oliver! (The Watermill Theatre); Saturday Night Fever (UK Tour and English Theatre, Frankfurt); Grease (Ljubljana International Festival, Slovenia); Legally Blonde the Musical (Original UK Tour); Billy Elliot the Musical (Victoria Palace Theatre); Chess (Oslo Spektrum, Norway); The Pirates of Penzance (inaugural performance at the Kilworth House Theatre, Leicestershire); 42nd Street (Nuffield Theatre, Southampton).

Rhona has also performed extensively as a soprano soloist. Concert experience includes: Britten’s Hymn to St Cecilia (Wells Cathedral); Ravel’s Sheherazade (Turner Sims Concert Hall, Southampton); Haydn’s Nelson Mass; Charpentier’s Te Deum; Vivaldi’s Gloria; Mozart’s Coronation Mass; Handel’s The Messiah, and she has also been a soloist at Westminster Abbey.

Television and radio credits include: Tonight at the Palladium (ITV); Harbour Lights (BBC); the recording of the theme for The Ashes (BBC Radio); Soap and Glory (commercial).

Finally, Rhona is also an accomplished pianist, saxophonist and bass player and has performed in many bands, pit bands, with a Rock n’ Roll group called The Daisy Chains and on stage as an actor-musician.

Verity is also an experienced session and concert singer and has sung backing vocals for Dionne Warwick and Josh Groban, performed in three Proms and a national tour with the John Wilson Orchestra, and was a featured vocalist in a collaboration with the English National Ballet at the Royal Albert Hall entitled Strictly Gershwin.

Educationally, Helen holds a PhD in Surveillance Performativity/ Immersive Performance from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London, where she was a recipient of a Research Bursary under the tutelage of Professor Stephen Farrier. She holds an FHEA through Trinity Laban, an MA Performance Practices and Research, also from RCSSD, and a BA First Class (Hons) Acting from Bretton Hall.

Helen’s directing credits include Amour, The Beggars Opera, Company, Electra, The Dreaming, The Pirates of Penzance, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Anything Goes, Epsom Downs, Zombie Prom, many industry-showcases and various devised and research-related, personal works. As a guest director for The Dot Collective – a theatre company ‘[…] with access needs at its core, reducing isolation for those with additional needs and dementia’ – Helen has, most recently, collaborated in research and development for Project Portmanteau, in addition to co-directing the 2023 tour of Alice’s Adventures in Aerieland.

Helen has several practice-based research avenues, including, Meisner Technique for Neurodivergent Student-Actors, Immersive Performance, and Surveillance Performativity in Public Space, about which she has presented a number of papers at a variety of academic conferences.

Helen continues to work as an actor. Her theatre acting credits include, classical (mostly Shakespeare) and contemporary non-musical and Musical Theatre (the latter, including Les Misérables, Singin’ in the Rain and the UK premiere of Lippa’s John and Jen). Helen’s experience in television – much to the amusement of her students – includes roles in BBC’s BAFTA winning Trapped and the BBC-British Museums collaboration Relic: Guardians of the Museum (also BAFTA winning).