Sylvia Young Theatre School is an independent fee-paying stage school, in Westminster

Westminster

Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...

, London, named after its founder and Principal, Sylvia Young

Sylvia Young

Sylvia Young OBE is the founder and Principal of Sylvia Young Theatre School in London, UK.-Sylvia Young Theatre School:Young founded her theatre school in 1981 in Drury Lane, London before moving to Rossmore road Marylebone premises in 1983. In 2010 they moved to their current location near...

.

Outline

The school was originally established in 1981 on Drury Lane

Drury Lane

Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster....

, London but due to expansion it moved to Rossmore Road, Marylebone

Marylebone

Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....

 in 1983. The school moved its premises once again in 2010, with the school now being in Nutford Place, Westminster, in an imposing building that was converted for this purpose from an old church. Students either attend full-time with board, Saturday or evening classes or holiday school. Full time fees for 2008-09 range from £2,100 a term (£6,300 a year) to £3,210 a term (£9,630 a year) depending on the child's age. Meanwhile exists, besides classes for children, also classes for adults.

The school admits both boys and girls from the ages of 10 to 16. The school provides a clear focus on performing arts

Performing arts

The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...

 (drama, singing and dancing), but full-time students receive education and examination in all areas of the GCSE curriculum

Curriculum

See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...

. Entry to the school is gained by audition

Audition

An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performing artist.Audition may also refer to:* The sense of hearing* Adobe Audition, audio editing software...

, with an interview and written assessment.

Notable alumni

Many well-known performers have attended the school. Unless referenced otherwise, the following people are named on the school's ex-students website (people indicated with an asterisk are from Part-Time Schools):

• Jodi Albert
  Jodi Albert
  Jodi Mary Albert is an English actress and singer, best known for playing Debbie Dean in the British soap opera Hollyoaks on Channel 4 from 2002 to 2004, returning for guest appearances in 2005 & 2006, and her inclusion as one fifth of Irish girl group Wonderland.-Biography:Albert attended the...
  
  
• Natalie Appleton
  Natalie Appleton
  Natalie Jane Appleton Howlett is a Canadian pop singer and actress who rose to fame as a member of the band All Saints. During All Saints' five years of inactivity, she was a member of Appleton with her younger sister Nicole.-Biography:...
  
  
• Nicole Appleton
  Nicole Appleton
  Nicole Marie Appleton-Gallagher is a Canadian pop singer and actress who rose to fame as a member of All Saints. She was formerly a member of Appleton along with her older sister Natalie.-Early life:...
  
  
• Desmond Askew
  Desmond Askew
  Desmond Askew is an English actor of film and television. In 1983 he had the lead role of 'naughty schoolboy' in the promo video of the Wham single Bad Boys. He has appeared in films such as Go , Repli-Kate , The Hills Have Eyes and Turistas...
  
  
• Nick Berry
  Nick Berry
  Nicholas "Nick" Berry is a British television actor and musician. He is best known for his roles as Simon Wicks in the British soap opera EastEnders from 1985 to 1990 and as PC Nick Rowan in the British drama television series Heartbeat from 1992 to 1998.-Career:Berry started acting at the age of...
  
  *
• Dani Behr
  Dani Behr
  Dani Behr is an English singer, actress and television presenter.-Early life:Behr was born in Mill Hill London, of South African Jewish descent. Her father is a partner in London estate agents Behr & Butchoff...
  
  
• Melanie Blatt
  Melanie Blatt
  Melanie Ruth Blatt is a singer, actress, television personality and was a member of the multi-million selling girl group All Saints. Following their split she launched a solo career.-Early life:...
  
  
• Kellie Bright
  Kellie Bright
  Kellie Bright is an actress who is known for her roles as a child actress on British television in the late 1980s and the 1990s, and later in Bad Girls and The Archers.-Early career:...
  
  
• Dionne Bromfield
  Dionne Bromfield
  Dionne Julia Bromfield is a British soul singer-songwriter. Bromfield's debut album, Introducing Dionne Bromfield, was released in 2009 by Amy Winehouse's Lioness Records label...
  
  
• Claire Buckfield
• Emma Bunton
  Emma Bunton
  Emma Lee Bunton is an English pop singer/songwriter and TV and radio presenter. She was a member of the 1990s girl group, the Spice Girls, in which she was known as Baby Spice as she was the youngest member. In 2010, she joined the judging panel on ITV's Dancing on Ice...
  
  

• Clare Burt
  Clare Burt
  Clare Burt is an English actress and singer, best known for her stage work and for her appearance on the television series The Bill.-Biography:Burt attended the independent fee-paying Sylvia Young Theatre School....
  
  
• Matt Di Angelo
  Matt Di Angelo
  Matt Di Angelo in London, England is an English actor and singer.He is mostly known for playing fictional character Deano Wicks in the popular British soap EastEnders, and for his current role of Sean Kennedy in the BBC series Hustle.-Education:He attended Southgate School, and started studying...
  
  
• Letitia Dean
  Letitia Dean
  Letitia Dean is an English actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Sharon Watts in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, who was one of the serial's original characters. Dean was part of the original cast in 1985 and remained in the series until 1995...
  
  
• Laura Evans
  Laura Evans
  Laura Evans is a Welsh actress best known for her role as Madison in the popular BBC children's show The Basil Brush Show.- Early training :At the age of 14, Evans won a scholarship to the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School in London....
  
  
• Perry Fenwick
  Perry Fenwick
  Perry Fenwick is an English film and television actor. He has one sister, Tracey, and two brothers, Faron and Lee. He is, also, the second cousin of Georgina Hagen, who played Lauren Waters in the series of Britannia High....
  
  *
• Tom Fletcher
  Tom Fletcher
  Thomas Michael "Tom" Fletcher is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as one of the lead vocalists and guitarists of English pop rock band McFly, in addition to being the group's founder and principal songwriter...
  
  
• Dean Gaffney
  Dean Gaffney
  Dean Martin Gaffney is an English actor most notable for his role as Robbie Jackson on the BBC1 soap opera Eastenders from 1993 to 2003, when his character was axed. He has since made guest appearances in the soap in 2004 and 2010. Gaffney went on to appear in various reality television shows,...
  
  
• Mohammed George
  Mohammed George
  Mohammed "Mo" George is an actor who played Gus Smith on the soap opera EastEnders from 2002 to 2008. Before appearing in EastEnders, George made guest appearances in Holby City, Bottom and The Last Detective...
  
  
• Keeley Hawes
  Keeley Hawes
  Keeley Hawes is an English actress and model, known for many television roles. She is best known for her roles as Zoe Reynolds in Spooks and Alex Drake in Ashes to Ashes and Lady Agnes in the remake of Upstairs, Downstairs...
  
  
• Hollie Chapman
  Hollie Chapman
  Hollie Chapman is an English actress.- Family and personality :Hollie Chapman has four younger siblings...
  
  
• Javine Hylton
  Javine Hylton
  Javine Dionne Hylton , often known simply as Javine, is an English singer. She is most notable for representing the UK at Eurovision Song Contest 2005; beating competition favourite, model Katie Price, for the ticket to Kiev...
  
  *

• Samantha Janus
  Samantha Janus
  Samantha Zoe Womack is an English actress, singer and director, both on television and stage. In recent years she has been best known for playing the role of Ronnie Branning in EastEnders, but made her name in the early 1990s as Mandy Wilkins in Game On, and also represented the United Kingdom in...
  
  
• Preeya Kalidas
  Preeya Kalidas
  Preeya Kalidas is a British singer and actress of Indian descent. She plays Amira Masood in the soap opera EastEnders. She returned to a career in singing, with her single "Shimmy" being released in July 2010 taken from her debut album Constant Craving, was supposed to be released in September...
  
  
• Joseph Kpobie
  Joseph Kpobie
  Joseph Kpobie is a British actor, who plays Juley Smith in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. He joined the show in 2002 and was axed in early 2005 after his character was criticised for being too stereotypical...
  
  *
• James Lance
  James Lance
  James Lance is a British actor who is best known for his appearances in a number of British comedy series. James Lance attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School...
  
  
• Sophie Lawrence
  Sophie Lawrence
  Sophie Lawrence is an English actress, best known for playing the role of Diane Butcher in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders....
  
  
• Jon Lee
  Jon Lee (entertainer)
  Jonathan "Jon" Lee is an English singer and actor. Lee is best known as a former member of pop group S Club 7 who split in April 2003. He was the youngest member...
  
  
• Louisa Lytton
  Louisa Lytton
  Louisa Lytton is an English actress born in Camden and living in Islington. She rose to fame in 2005 when joining EastEnders as Ruby Allen. After leaving EastEnders in late 2006, Lytton joined The Bill as PC Beth Green, who she played from May 2007 to March 2009. She also appeared on Strictly...
  
  
• Steven Mackintosh
  Steven Mackintosh
  -Personal life:Mackintosh was born in Cambridge, the son of Dorothy and Malcolm Mackintosh. He has a sister, Lynda Ellingham .He is married to the actress Lisa Jacobs and the couple have two children, Martha and Blythe.-Film:...
  
  
• Danielle McCormack
  Danielle McCormack
  Danielle McCormack is a British actress.McCormack is best known for playing Mel Barker on the TV show My Parents Are Aliens on CITV between 1999 and 2004, leaving after series 6 for a career in the music industry...
  
  
• Sheree Murphy
  Sheree Murphy
  Sheree Murphy is an English actress and television presenter. A former student of the prestigious Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, Murphy placed second on the fifth series of the Reality TV show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!...
  
  
• Rita Ora
  Rita Ora
  Rita Sahatçiu Ora is an Kosovar-born British dramatic mezzo-soprano, recording artist and actress. She is currently signed to Roc Nation.-Early life and career:...
  
  

• Tamzin Outhwaite
  Tamzin Outhwaite
  Tamzin Maria Outhwaite is an award-winning English actress. She became known for her role as Melanie Owen in the British soap opera EastEnders, whom she portrayed from 1998 until 2002.-Early career:...
  
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• John Pickard
  John Pickard (British actor)
  John Pickard is a British actor who is currently best known for appearing in Channel 4's Hollyoaks playing Dominic Reilly from 2005-2010. He is the brother of fellow Hollyoaks star Nick Pickard, who plays Tony Hutchinson, Dom's half-brother, in the soap...
  
  
• Nick Pickard
  Nick Pickard
  Nicholas "Nick" Pickard is an English actor, best known for his role as Tony Hutchinson on soap opera Hollyoaks.He is currently the longest serving cast member and appeared in the very first episode in 1995...
  
  
• Billie Piper
  Billie Piper
  Billie Paul Piper is an English singer and actress.She began her career in the late 1990s as a pop singer and then switched to acting. She started in acting and dancing and was talent spotted at the Sylvia Young stage school by Smash Hits magazine who wanted a "face" for their magazine...
  
  
• Camilla Power
  Camilla Power
  Camilla Power is an Irish-born English actress who is most notably remembered in her role as Jill Pole in BBC's TV adaptation of the book The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis...
  
  
• Iain Robertson
  Iain Robertson
  Iain Robertson is a BAFTA winning Scottish actor. He was once described by Barry Norman as "the best thing to come out of Scotland since whisky"....
  
  
• Scott Robinson
  Scott Robinson (singer)
  Scott James Timothy Robinson is an English singer best known for having been a member of the boyband, Five. Scott lived in Pitsea and has two older sisters, Nicola and Hayley...
  
  
• Frances Ruffelle
  Frances Ruffelle
  Frances Ruffelle is an English musical theatre actress and recording artist. Her mother is Sylvia Young, the founder of the famous theatre school at which Frances trained, and her daughter is recording artist Eliza Doolittle. Her younger sister is actress Alison Ruffelle...
  
  
• Jenna Russell
  Jenna Russell
  Jenna Russell is an English actress and singer. She has appeared on the stage in London in both musicals and dramas, as well as appearing with the Royal Shakespeare Company...
  
  
• Adele Silva
  Adele Silva
  Adele Silva is an English actress and television personality who has been on stage and television since she was a young girl. She is best known for playing the role of Kelly Windsor in the television soap opera Emmerdale....
  
  
• Nicola Stapleton
  Nicola Stapleton
  Nicola Kathleen Stapleton is an English actress. Stapleton began her career at an early age. She is most famous for her work on British television, in particular her roles as Mandy Salter in BBC's EastEnders and Janine Nebeski in ITV's Bad Girls.-Early life:Stapleton grew up off East Street, which...
  
  

• Nathan Sykes
• Kara Tointon
  Kara Tointon
  Kara Louise Tointon is a British actress, best known for playing Dawn Swann in BBC soap opera EastEnders. Tointon was the 2010 winner of BBC television series Strictly Come Dancing.-Early life:...
  
  
• Denise Van Outen
  Denise van Outen
  Denise van Outen is an English actress, singer and television presenter. Her most notable roles to date are as a presenter on The Big Breakfast, and as Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago on both the West End and on Broadway.- Early life :Born Denise Kathleen Outen in Basildon, Essex, she is the...
  
  
• Alex Walkinshaw
  Alex Walkinshaw
  Alex Newcombe Walkinshaw is an English actor best known for playing the role of Inspector Dale "Smithy" Smith in ITV's long running police procedural series, The Bill.-Early life and career:...
  
  
• Ashley Walters*
• Danniella Westbrook
  Danniella Westbrook
  Danniella Westbrook is an English actress and television presenter. She is known for being the original actress to play Samantha Mitchell in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders from 1990–93, 1995–96, 1999–2000 and 2009–10. Away from EastEnders she has presented various shows, and was also a...
  
  
• Vanessa White
  Vanessa White
  Vanessa Karen White is an English pop singer and songwriter. White was born to a Nigerian father and Spanish-Filipino mother. She rose to fame in 2008 as a member of English/Irish girl-group The Saturdays. She is the youngest member of the band. White is noted for her extensive vocal range.-Early...
  
  
• Matt Willis
  Matt Willis
  Matthew James Willis is an English singer-songwriter. He found fame as a founding member of the band Busted.- Early years :...
  
  
• Amy Winehouse
  Amy Winehouse
  Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize...
  
  
• Adam Woodyatt
  Adam Woodyatt
  Adam Brinley Woodyatt is an English actor and media personality, best known for his role as Ian Beale in the long-running BBC soap opera EastEnders...
  
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External links

• The Sylvia Young Theatre School
• Notable Alumni
• Sylvia Young Theatre School moves into new home