MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
I know that quite a few of you on here are up in the Northwest, so I thought at least one or two of you might find this relevant: that is, my brother has been working for some time with a brilliant group of colleagues to start a performing arts school in Blackburn, with a view to making it as accessible to the community as possible - especially for those young people who are often underrepresented on stage.
It is called iPAN for [Institute of] Performing Arts North, and it is now open for students.
You can read more about it in the Lancashire Telegraph, but regardless of whether or not you 1) live close to Blackburn; 2) have children/grandchildren of the right age; 3) have ever thought of the performing arts before as worthy of your attention, remember: your favourite programmes and/or music had to be made by somebody, and exposure to acting/music/dance in an otherwise practically-oriented world is nothing if not rebellious!
I thought you'd appreciate that. Anyway, go on. Show your support by visiting the page, reading the article, and signing someone up.
What a great initiative!
If only my grandchildren were somewhere near Blackburn; two live in the US and this is something their mum would love with her performing and singing background - dad would also love it.
Their 4yr old son loves dancing - takes after his mother!
Good luck to all - teachers, staff, students!
All the vety best - renewing my interest as an adult in performing arts has been genuinely trasformative, I really wish I'd cracked on with it as a youth.
In tragic contrast, Mrs Pondo's secondary school drama course does not put productions on, and has not for some years - delivering the performance is the whole end game for me, I have no idea what the point is of a drama course that doesn't perform.
I know it’s still on the first page, but one bump wouldn’t hurt.
** What's that noise? **
That's the noise of Binners frantically donning his legwarmers, to finally live his dream of being Leroy from Fame
Happy to bump this
Jnr came home from uni on Sunday where he is studying music to do a 3 day session with the county youth orchestra - last night was the first concert they've done in 2 years.
Given that the youngest in the supporting schools orchestra was 9, those missing two years are huge in terms of those kids musical development, and also the social development that residential courses with their peers provide.
They sounded ridiculously good in the circumstances, great to see friendships made and rekindled now many are now at uni, and Jnr has made great contacts via the conductors.
I'm now waiting for the McDonald's breakfast at the services to kick in having dropped him back to uni this morning.
Easy to dismiss the performing arts, they play a huge part in our lives even if we don't always recognise it.
Looks good! I'm South Manchester based so will be a bit too far away for me, but the kind of thing I'd love to get my hooligan 6yr old into!