Pauline Quirke MBE to open new performing arts academy in Buckingham

PQA Buckingham is a weekend performing arts academy based at Akeley Wood Senior School, offering a range of fun and exciting classes every Saturday for children and young adults aged between 4-18 years old.

Headed up by actor, writer and Buckingham town resident, Ryan Van Champion, PQA Buckingham offers a whole range of opportunities in theatre, music, dance and film making, through which young people can develop and grow.

The performing arts is a wide and vibrant industry and students will learn important skills and make new friends every week through three core modules in Comedy & Drama, Film & Television and Musical Theatre.

“I’m so excited to bring PQA to the young performers of Buckingham and its surrounding villages.

"As a resident of the town, I want PQA Buckingham to reflect the amazing community feeling this historic town boasts. Having trained at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, and worked as a professional actor for the last decade, I have first-hand experience of the huge number of exciting avenues that being a performer can open up – from voiceovers to rap, circus performing to ballet, puppetry to motion capture; PQA will give students a taste of all of this and more!

"On top of our weekly classes, students will also benefit from amazing masterclasses, cinema screenings of their very own films, a chance to perform in the West End, and the opportunity to join our casting agency Quirky Kidz. So much fun awaits, I can’t wait to welcome you to the academy this September!”

As well as many in-house productions and showcases, they offer amazing opportunities through which students can celebrate their hard work and incredible achievements.

They'll get the chance to see their own short film on the big screen at the cinema, where they get to walk down the red-carpet just like the Hollywood stars. Some films even go on to be selected for a star-studded screening at the PQA Film Festival, which takes place at BFI Southbank in Central London.

Another highlight is the chance to take part in a PQA West End performance. PQA Buckingham will join other academies from around the UK to come together and create a spectacular show at His Majesty’s Theatre – the home of Phantom of the Opera.

PQA are welcoming your children along to see what they can achieve with this Autumn. Through their ethos of ‘Be Yourself, Be Amazing’ their students have the confidence to put themselves out there, the creativity to think differently and the community to feel supported whilst doing so.

PQA Buckingham's free open day takes place at 9.45am on Saturday 23rd September 2023 at Akeley Wood Senior School, Akeley Wood House, Buckingham, MK18 5AE.

To find out more and sign up, visit: https://www.pqacademy.com/academies/buckingham/ or contact Principal Ryan on 07598 441622 or at [email protected].