The Future Fund is just one of the many incentives and opportunities the head office provides its franchisees to help them recruit and retain students
Since the start of the pandemic, every industry has been affected. And one of the most crippled by lockdown was the theatre and live events industry, which provides work for thousands of creatives. From hair and makeup, through to lighting, costume design and of course, the talented performers, the future of the West End and many live shows has looked in peril.
However, as restrictions gradually ease, everything is starting to look more positive. This is what made the most recent Future Fund auditions so heartwarming. Young people who go to theatre schools across the UK attended an online audition to secure funds for their post 16 training at performing arts colleges or universities as they embark on their dreams to become a professional performer.
The students all attend Razzamataz Theatre Schools and took part in the Future Fund auditions judged by a panel of industry experts. Although the franchise theatre school network has faced huge difficulties with lockdowns and restrictions on class sizes, it was never in doubt that the network would come together to be able to offer young people the chance of scholarships to assist them in their fees and expenses to go to college.
“This past year has been so tough on young people who have had to put many of their dreams on hold,” explains Denise Hutton-Gosney, MD and founder of Razzamataz Theatre Schools. “They have shown a huge amount of resilience and commitment to continue their training and we are so proud of them all. We have been running the Future Fund scholarships since 2015 and this year we felt that these students needed a boost more than ever before. We are so grateful to all of our principals and their customers for continuing to support the Future Fund charity with their fundraising. It is allowing us to support the next talented generation of performers.”
Ten students from across the Razzamataz network attended the online audition in front of two very experienced musical theatre performers. The overall winner was Ruby Tyree who attends Razzamataz Sheffield with runners up Jodie Crouch from Razzamataz Cambridge and Portia Jefferies from Razzamataz Medway. Ruby was awarded £3,000 and Jodie and Portia £500.
There were ten shortlisted finalists in total who all were given £100 and a goodie bag. These were: Ellie Johnstone and Aimee Farmer from Razzamataz Sutton Coldfield, Elle Coe from Razzamataz Derby, Emma Cattermole, Melissa Park and Jessica Boyko from Razzamataz Carlisle and Kiernan Harris from Razzamataz Torbay.
To give the students a real taste of the professional world, Razzamataz was delighted to welcome two experienced West End performers. Carly Thoms has played Miss Honey in Matilda the Musical, Miss Dorothy in Thoroughly Modern Millie and Leisl/First Cover Maria in The Sound Of Music, among many more credits. Jennifer Tierney is currently in the West End’s Come From Away, she was previously cover of Elphaba in Wicked as well as performing in Mamma Mia, Shrek the Musical and many more.
The Future Fund was set up to provide scholarships for Razzamataz students wishing to take their training to a professional level post 16. Denise experienced what it was like to not be able to continue her own training after securing a place at a college through lack of funds. “I was devasted to not be able to continue at college because I just didn’t have the means to pay for it,” she explains. “This year has been hard for many people so we are even more delighted to be able to play a small part in making dreams come true for our students. We know how hard they have all worked and we can’t wait to see them pursue their ambitions.”
Former winners of the Future Fund have gone on to perform professionally in iconic West End shows such as Hamilton. As theatres start to return, Razzamataz is looking forward to watching the progress of the next generation of young performers.
The Future Fund is just one of the many incentives and opportunities that the head office provides to its franchisees to help them recruit and retain students.
