About us

Stageworks Studios are a specialist performing arts school based in St Neots, Cambridgeshire and provide full-time training in musical theatre, acting and professional performance for ages 16-21. 

All students train five days a week and are taught by leading industry experts. Students receive a personalised training programme and train in small classes (approx. 10-15 students). Each year group is a maximum of 40 students which allows for key one-to-one contact time and continued professional and pastoral support throughout the course.

Our students have the opportunity to take part in full productions with professional set and costumes, which gives them the necessary experience on a professional stage. Our purpose-built studios are easily accessible from Cambridge, Peterborough, Bedford, Huntingdon, Biggleswade, Stevenage and Stamford and we can also provide accommodation for students who are moving away from home.

Our courses have a 100% success rate, and our graduates are now performing around the world and in the West End, as well as undertaking further training in establishments such as Mountview, Bird College and The Urdang Academy.

The course is fully-funded for students eligible to receive EFA funding, so students can train for 18 hours per week for free. Students also have the option to add 7 hours per week of audition preparation training, which includes private singing lessons, fitness classes and monologue tuition to improve their chances of securing scholarships when applying for further training.

Stageworks also offers a 3 year degree-level Professional Performance Diploma in musical theatre which involves full-time specialist training in singing, dancing and acting to prepare students for a successful and sustainable career in the performing arts industry. Applicants are accepted from as young as 16 depending on talent and ability and all students are subsequently represented by Stageworks’ dedicated talent agency during their time on the course, with the opportunity to extend this representation on graduation.

Why Stageworks

Stageworks College prides itself on getting to know all its students on a one-to-one basis. Training programmes are individually tailored to strengthen each student’s talents in all areas and class numbers a purposefully kept small so that everyone is given the attention they need to flourish. We believe feedback and individual attention is crucial to student development, and find it difficult to justify the purpose of large class numbers. The focus is on nurturing natural talent and helping students to become well-rounded performers who will be successful at audition and enjoy a long and sustainable career in the performing arts industry.

Classes are taught by industry experts and professionals from the West End, RSC and BBC to name just a few. Often teachers will fit classes around filming and performance schedules, giving students a real insight into what it is like to work in the industry today.

The college is based less than an hour from Central London and the West End, so students can enjoy all the benefits of training at a professional performing arts college with easy access to the city and without the expensive living costs. All accommodation is managed by the college administration team and each student has a dedicated welfare representative, offering parents reassurance as well as giving students added support during their course.

We believe that it is essential that students practice performing in front of an audience as much as possible. With fewer students alongside you in classes at Stageworks, you can expect a greater chance of being profiled in performance opportunities and all students get the chance to perform in a full musical production giving them as near an experience as possible to performing on a West End stage, with a live orchestra and professional set.

Why train full-time?

For GCSE students considering a career in the performing arts industry, it can seem like a good decision to study just one performing arts A-Level or Level 3 BTEC alongside other academic subjects in order to keep their options open.

However, bear in mind that if these students then want to apply to a performing arts college for vocational HE training, they will be going up against students who have been training full-time and will be more experienced.

At Stageworks College we recommend that if you are serious about becoming a professional performer, age 16 is the time to commit to training full-time. Anything less will not develop you enough to give you the best chance at auditions and scholarships.

While many other non-specialist colleges also offer Level 3 BTEC Performing Arts, these courses are often limited in terms of what they can offer. Students may only study for a couple of hours a week or only practice a particular discipline for one unit at the beginning or end or the course, which doesn’t give them the adequate time or opportunity to develop these skills with audition preparation in mind.

At Stageworks we have designed our course to give students an experience that resembles that of the next level of training, offering high quality professional tuition that is comprehensive and consistent, with an aim to build on their skills over the two years they are with us to nurture their talent and develop their performance abilities to prepare them for that next important step in their career.

How do I apply?

How do I apply?

Students interested in applying need to download an online application form from our website and send it to us by email to info@stageworksstudio.co.uk or by post. They will then be invited to an audition day.

9-4 GSCE English and Maths is desirable but not essential. Students who are offered a place with Stageworks but do not achieve 9-4 GSCE English and Maths will be required to resit these exams.

We recognise that all students attending Stageworks for the first time will arrive with a variety of talent, some whose specialism is acting or singing who may never have danced before and others who have danced for many years but never sung in public or taken part in a drama class. Students should not be deterred from auditioning if they are not experienced in a particular discipline. Our objective is to spot natural talent, build on existing skills and introduce, develop and expand the areas that students have less experience in.