Hurtwood House School

Josh recently got in touch to let us know that having finished a 3 month tour of Italy playing the title role in "The King Of Rock - A Musical Celebration of Elvis Presley" he has just heard that he has won the role of Sky in the West End production of Mama Mia starting in June. Congratulations Josh.

The Orpheus Centre offers a big thank you to everyone at Hurtwood House school who have very kindly donated over £3000 worth of technical sound equipment! This will help the students multimedia work as well as the recording of both their performing and musical performances.

The Orpheus Centre is a performing arts centre for young disabled people, generally with physical and/or sensory impairments or learning difficulties. Since we started over 10 years ago, many young people have completed a Learning Programme with us and left us to go to college, live in their own flats and generally live life with a level of independence that they, their parents and social workers say would have been unthinkable without their years at Orpheus.We don't set out to train our students to be actors, singers or musicians. www.orpheus.org.uk

You can currently catch Nikki as last surviving Government Minister Samantha Willis in the second series of the popular BBC drama series "Survivors".

 Having attended a Hurtwood Shakespeare Drama Summer School, Vanessa Kirby  has ended up with the lead role in Middleton's 'Women Beware Women' at the National Theatre. In the meantime she is finishing her stint playing three leading female roles to die for at The Bolton Octagon.  Her leads in Ibsen's 'Ghosts,' Miller's 'All my Son's' and as Helena in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' have already won her The Manchester Evening News' Best Newcomer' award and consideration for the much coveted Iain Charleson award.  What's next we wonder? Could it be Hollywood? All this has happened barely a year out of university when she came to Andy Johnson, Hurtwood House's  Director in Residence, for some help in getting in to Drama School.  Her talent was spotted and we tipped off an agent.  And all the rest.... Is history.

Hurtwood student Tor Richards has won 2nd prize in the ACT One-Act Playwriting Competition with her play "Bathroom Sincerities".This follows the success of Dan Walker who won last year's competition with his play "Tapping" The play will be performed at The Arthur Cotterell Theatre on Thursday 25th February at 7pm. Tor also wins £250 for her efforts!