Meet the actors who are starting their own stage schools

Meanwhile, in Scotland, performer and drama school founder Reece Donnelly prepares to take a big step forward in his own journey. Having successfully launched Theater School of Scotland in 2017, with sites in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Greenock, he will soon open the brand to UK franchisees.

His own career has given him great insight into the needs of young performers: “I started in children’s television when I was about nine, on Carrie and David’s Popshop! for CBBC. Then I joined Waterloo Road at 16.”

“The first 18 months of a new school it’s about creating a culture that students want to be a part of and that parents feel comfortable with” – Reece Donnelly, Founder of the Scottish Theater School

After drama school, he found himself in the world of children’s television, this time as a coach for young actors.

“Once I started training professional child actors, I saw the gap in training the next generation of talent and so the Scottish Theater School was born.

“I now split my time between Scotland and London as a TV presenter, working on shows such as Good Morning Britain and Talk TV, while also being very involved in school.

“I am a firm believer in learning by doing rather than reading a textbook. The luxury for our new franchisees is that with three schools in Scotland, all in different locations and seven years of experience, the roadmap is there and this is a really good time to get involved as we will be growing together and we are very invested. to ensure our franchisees succeed.”

Donnelly believes that relationships are a key feature of any successful theater school or franchise. “People are people and people buy people, and building a brand in the earlier years is much more important than building a business,” he says.

“I think the first 18 months of a new school is about creating a culture that students want to be a part of and parents feel comfortable with.”

French also emphasizes the importance of building both business and interpersonal relationships: “I’ve seen how much the youth benefit from the performing arts, building resilience, creating friendships and so many life skills, to teamwork to collaboration. I truly believe it prepares them so well for their future in many different areas.

“For me, becoming a school owner has made me even more committed to continuing my personal development and learning, which is a benefit to every part of my life. I love the industry as much as I did when I left college and I’m grateful to still be a part of it.”