At Sharpe Academy, Musical Theatre and Performance is at the core of everything we do. Our classes are tailored to each age group, ranging from building confidence and social skills in our 3-year-olds, to giving students vital tools which will help them in a range of career paths, and preparing our older vocational students for a career in performing arts.

Where and When?

All classes take place at our home centre – Harrow Arts Centre, Hatch End.

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Musical Theatre Classes

• Act 1 Musical Theatre is a weekly 45-minute class which includes Singing, Dance and Public Speaking. Children also work on the LAMDA Introductory syllabus and have the option of taking these exams. The main aim of this class is for children to build confidence while performing in a fun group environment. We allow children to progress at their own pace – confidence can build quickly, but often it is a slower process. We accept children in the first term after they turn 3 years old. Please be aware, however, that younger children should be able to use the toilet unassisted.

• Act 2 and Act 3 Musical Theatre are weekly 2-hour classes which include Singing, Acting and Dance. Students take part in full scale Musical Theatre productions. Children should have an interest in Singing, Dance and/or Drama, but no previous experience is necessary for these classes. A LAMDA Acting programme is available for students who wish to study grades at an additional cost.

• Our Northwood Musical Theatre Company is a weekly 2-hour class which includes Singing, Acting and Dance and takes them to the next level. Students also take part in full scale Musical Theatre productions and can audition for more featured roles. A LAMDA Acting programme is available for students who wish to study grades at an additional cost. Students joining our Northwood Company should ideally have had some performing arts and/or dance experience.

• Our London Musical Theatre Company is a weekly 2-hour class for young performers who are passionate about performing and who are considering pursuing it as a career. Students take part in full scale Musical Theatre productions and can audition for principal roles. A LAMDA Acting programme is available for students who wish to study grades at an additional cost. PLEASE NOTE: Entry into our London Company is by inivte only after a trial. Please book a trial and students will be assessed to see if we feel the London company is suitable for them. Students joining our London Company should have had some performing arts and/or dance experience.
  
  

Dance Classes

We offer a range of Dance classes for students who are looking for additional dance training on top of their core Musical Theatre class. Dance classes include Ballet, Modern, Tap and Acrobatics.

Where are we based?

All Sharpe classes take place at our Sharpe HQ campus at Harrow Arts Centre (Saturdays & weekday evenings).

LAMDA at Sharpe

All students at Sharpe have the opportunity to take examinations 
with the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art (LAMDA). We unfortunately don't offer any standalone LAMDA classes.

We are proud to have a 100% pass rate, with the majority of students achieving a Merit or Distinction. Exam sessions are scheduled during school holidays throughout the academic year, usually around December, April and July. The LAMDA Progression table on this page shows the different grades we work on and the recommended ages for each level.

At Sharpe, we enter students for the following LAMDA exams:

• Introductory (Stage 1–2–3) – Sharpe ACT 1 Musical Theatre Classes
• Entry Grade - Verse & Prose – Sharpe ACT 2 Classes, Home Study & Private Mock Exam
• Grades 1 – 5 Acting – Sharpe LAMDA Programme for Home Study, 5 Private Lessons & Private Mock Exam
• Grades 6 – 8 Acting – Please ask for details

INTRODUCTORY

Our ACT 1 Musical Theatre children aged 3-6 work on the Stage 1, 2 & 3 Introductory poems as part of their weekly classes. Parents can also practice with their child at home. As a guide, the Stage 3 exam is generally taken in the summer term of School Year 1. Assessments take place each week during the first 4 weeks of each term. Students must be present for, and must pass, at least 3 of these 4 assessments in order to be considered for the next exam session. To pass an assessment children must recite from memory the set poem, with a projected voice, whilst standing still. Our poems can be found on our downloads page.

ENTRY LEVEL (Verse & Prose)

When students begin our 2-hour ACT 2 Musical Theatre class (school years 2-4) they can work towards their LAMDA Entry-level poetry exam. This involes learning a two poems at home and then arranging a private lesson with a member of the Sharpe team to assess them. Providing students pass the assessment they can be entered for the exam. This examination is an ideal bridge between the Introductory poems and the Acting grades.

ACTING

The next stage after the Entry-level exams is our LAMDA FAST TRACK Acting Programme which is open to all students in Act 2 and above. This is a combination of a work-at-home programme, a series of private lessons, a mock exam and exam all in one term. Once a student has joined the Acting Programme, their package includes:

• 
Access to our Acting Programme Materials — monologues, demonstration videos and knowledge questions. 
Students learn their monologues at home.
• Once the monologues are learnt, students then have 5 one-on-one lessons to develop their performance working on direction and staging. These lessons will be with one of our tutors, all of whom have themselves passed Grade 8 Acting with Distinction. These lessons are scheduled on five consecutive weeks at the same time each week.
• A compulsory Mock Exam takes place with Daniel Sharpe. This will take place shortly before your scheduled exam date.

Please click the relevant button below for more information specific to each grade. You will be required to enter a password to access the learning materials – this will be provided to you once a student is enrolled on the course. Only enrolled Sharpe students who have booked onto the LAMDA course are permitted to access and use our LAMDA materials.

LAMDA FEES

Please ask for details.

LAMDA PROGRESSION

If the Term Dates image below doesn't load, please click here for a downloadable PDF of our Part-time Class Information.

If the Timetable image below doesn't load, please click here for a downloadable PDF of our Part-time Class Information.

If the Fees image below doesn't load, please click here for a downloadable PDF of our Part-time Class Information.

Sharpe Uniform

Uniform is compulsory for all our classes. In addition to creating an identity for us as an Academy, it gives our students a sense of pride in being an important part of their group. It also helps to build simple disciplines that can be carried forward in life. Dancewear is also required for all classes except Act 1. All our uniform can be purchased from our own online store – Sharpe Dancewear. Full details are at the bottom of this page.

We keep our uniform as simple as possible:

ACT 1 UNIFORM

• Red Sharpe T-shirt
• Comfortable clothing, for example joggers/leggings and trainers/sneakers.
• Due to the nature of our classes, clothing such as jeans, skirts, dresses and boots/Uggs are unsuitable.

ACT 2 & ACT 3 UNIFORM

• Red Sharpe Polo Shirt
• Girls — Red Sleeveless Leotard*
• Girls — Black Footless Dance Tights*
• Boys — Black Biketard (Unitard)
• Boys — Sharpe Shorts or Plain Black Joggers/Shorts or Black Jazz Pants
• All — Black Jazz Shoes

NORTHWOOD COMPANY UNIFORM

• Red Sharpe Polo Shirt
• Girls — Black Sleeveless Leotard*
• Girls — Black Footless Dance Tights*
• Boys — Black Biketard (Unitard)
• Boys — Sharpe Shorts or Plain Black Joggers/Shorts or Black Jazz Pants
• All — Black Jazz Shoes

* If girls also participate in our additional Modern dance class at Grade or higer, they can wear their Catsuit instead of leotard & tights.

LONDON COMPANY UNIFORM

We are slightly more relaxed with our London Company uniform:

• Students' own choice of dancewear. This must be plain with no logos.
• Black Jazz Shoes

Sharpe Dancewear – Online Store

SharpeDancewear.co.uk was created specifically as an easy and cost effective way for parents of our enrolled students to purchase the correct uniform for our classes. We keep our prices as low as possible in order to cover our costs without operating for profit. Orders placed for our students can usually be collected from their class within a few days. Sharpe Dancewear is also where we take Trial Class Deposit payments for new students.

In addition to uniform, parents can book:

• Private Lessons (when available)
• Summer Schools
• Souvenir Programme pre-orders for our Musical Productions
• Occasional tickets and special events

Trial Classes and London Company Auditions

Our Musical Theatre and Dance classes are open to all ages from Nursery to School Year 13. We run regular trial classes throughout the year for our Act 1, Act 2, Act 3 and Northwood Company classes. Trial classes for our London Company are offered only after a successful audition – this is because it is a pre-vocational class for young performers who are passionate about performing arts and are considering it as a career.

Our trial classes usually take place over TWO weeks – children should be available to attend both weeks. This is so parents can sit in and watch the class during the first week, then students attend the second week without parents present to experience the class on their own.

HOW TO BOOK

After reading the information on this page, please fill in the form on the Book a Trial or Audition tab. We request that you attend attend a trial only if your child is able to continue in the class at the same time and location each week. Trial classes & auditions take place at the centre you will join. For example, it is not possible to have your trial classes at Hatch End if you would like to join our Northwood centre.

TRIAL CLASS DEPOSITS

A deposit will be required to secure your Musical Theatre trial class. This is non-refundable but will be deducted from your first term's fees if you continue after your trial. We will not request this deposit from you until we are able to offer you a trial class. Deposits are not currently required for siblings of enrolled students.

Our deposits are currently:

• £30 per child for Act 1 classes.
• £50 per child for Act 2, Act 3 and Company classes.

Payment of a trial class deposit guarantees your child’s place at the specific trial date(s) they have been invited to, and their subsequent place at Sharpe Academy if they join after the trial. Deposits are non-refundable if you are unable to attend your scheduled trial classes for any reason including illness or self isolation. A deposit is valid only for the specific trial dates to which you have been invited.

If you accept a trial class invitation, we will send you details of how to pay the deposit which must be received by us before the trial class date. We reserve the right to offer your place to the next person on the waiting list if the deposit has not been received.

CLASS AVAILABILITY

We currently have places available in most classes. Our trial classes take place on the first 2 weeks of each term. There are 2-week trials; parents can sit in and watch the first week only.

WHEN WILL THE NEXT TRIALS TAKE PLACE?

• Act 1 Musical Theatre (Harrow Arts Cente, Saturdays)
  Saturday 16th & Saturday 23rd September 2023.

• Act 2 & Act 3 Musical Theatre (Harrow Arts Cente, Saturdays)
  Saturday 16th & Saturday 23rd September 2023.
  We have a 10.00am and a 2.00pm Act 2 & Act 3 class. Priority for the afternoon class is given to students who also wish to join the afternoon dance classes.

• LONDON COMPANY (Harrow Arts Centre, Wednesdays)
  Wednesday 20th & Wednesday 27th September 2023.

We are unable to accept new students part-way through a term, except for Act 2, Act 3 and Company classes after February half term.

HOW ARE PLACES ALLOCATED?

Places are generally offered in strict order of when a trial request is received. However, in order to keep our classes balanced we also consider other factors, including:

• School Year – Our classes need to maintain a good balance of ages;
• Goals and Aims – We reserve a certain number of places in each class for each of the categories shown in the Goals drop-down selection below.

Book a Trial Class

IMPORTANT NOTICE: From September 2023, we will no longer be running any classes on Sundays at St Helen's School, Northwood. All classes will take place at our home centre – Harrow Arts Centre, Hatch End. Our class timetable for the next academic year will be published on these pages shortly.

After reading the information on the Trial Class Information tab, please complete the form below to book a trial class or audition. Additional siblings can be included on the same booking form. To add a sibling, click the 'Add a child' button at the base of this form. If you wish to book a trial class for extended family (eg. cousins) or friends, please submit a separate trial class request.

Sharpe Academy complies fully with the GDPR data protection regulations. All information given in this form will be used for Sharpe Academy administrative purposes only, will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not be shared with any third party for any reason unless we are required to do so by law. This Trial Class Booking Form links directly to our student management system which uses the most secure industry-standard encryption. This means that your data is never printed in a physical format and can only be accessed by authorised members of the Sharpe management team.

Fields marked with an asterisk (*) indicate required information. The form cannot be submitted if these fields are empty. Please contact us if you experience any difficulty submitting this form.

If you have any questions that are not answered here, elsewhere on this page or on our Class Information PDF please do get in touch.

1. Do you offer Drama or LAMDA classes without singing and dancing?

   No, our core classes are Musical Theatre and have a mixture of all three disciplines.

2. Do I need to re-enrol each term?

   No, once a student joins Sharpe, whether at 3 or 13 years old, they remain on our registers until the end of school year 13 or until we receive the correct notice for them to leave. Please see our Cancellation Policy.

3. Can my child take extra dance classes?

   Yes, depending on their age. We currently offer Ballet, Modern, Tap and Acrobatics classes to our Musical Theatre students. We have just re-introduced a Primary Ballet class for younger children.

4. Why do you charge a deposit for your trial classes?

   This ensures that our trial places go to those who want to attend. Before we began charging for trial classes, around 50% of students booked in for a trial didn't turn up on the day. This meant there were students on our waiting list who could have been offered these places. If a student joins Sharpe after their trial classes, the deposit is deducted from their fees rather than being an additional charge.

5. My child is in Year 1 and has turned 6 years old. Can they join your Act 2 class?

   Not yet. Our Act 2 Musical Theatre class begins when students start Year 2 at school so they can join Act 2 in the September following their 6th birthday. Children in Year 1 can join our Act 1 class.

6. My child is in Year 4. Should they join your Act 2 or Act 3 class?

   Students in Year 4 always start in our Act 2 class. On rare occasions we can move Year 4 students into the Act 3 class; this decision is made by the Sharpe Teaching & Management team and is based on class sizes, dance experience, etc.

7. My child is in Year 7. Should they join your Act 3 class or your Northwood Company class?

   Almost all students move up to our Northwood Company class when they begin Year 7 so that is the class we will invite Year 7 students to join. You can, however, request to join our Act 3 class if your child is in Year 7.