Stagecoach Ipswich

A very warm welcome to Stagecoach Performing Arts Ipswich, where we provide quality part-time training in the performing arts for children aged four to 18 years in the Ipswich, Kesgrave and Martlesham area.  Open since 1999, we aim to nurture and support our young people, providing them with innovative and creative tuition in singing, dance, acting and drama, encouraging our students to be imaginative, dynamic, and to perform better at school, in their future careers and in life. 

All our performing arts classes are taught by experienced teachers with an excellent track record within the arts. The school is located at Cliff Lane Primary, Ipswich and Gorseland Primary, Martlesham and run by Sarah Corbett who has led the school for 18 years


Principal Sarah Corbett - BA(Hons); PGCE; MA(Mus)

Your child is in safe hands. All of our Team are Enhanced DBS checked.


Noticeboard

The big summer show

We believe that as well as skills training, our students need regular outlets for their hard work - it keeps them motivated and focused. We stage a musical production once a year- our winter 2024 one being Frozen Jr . We also have an annual major showcase on 19th July 2025 at the New Wolsey Theatre, featuring every student enrolled in the school.

Childcare Vouchers

As we are an OFSTED-registered school, we accept all childcare vouchers and tax free childcare which effectively saves 20% on school fees, and offer flexible monthly payment options for all our schools. Other methods of payment include standing order, Direct Debit and payment card.

The Stagecoach Programme

Each term, our confidence-building lessons will include training in drama, dance, singing and musicality, musical theatre and film projects. Our priority is always student wellbeing and it’s all done in a nurturing atmosphere, which fosters creativity, and the development of social, memory and other skills useful at school and in life.

Your child is special

At Stagecoach, you will not see the same children always getting the main parts. We want every child to leave us feeling better about themselves and it’s important to us that they all get a chance to shine. With that kind of confidence, they can go out into the world with the best possible chance - because self-belief is most of the challenge.

Now enrolling for Spring

Let your budding performer experience the joy of performing this Spring, joining us for our skills term to get bedded in before our big summer show and in time for our annual West-end workshop in March- this year, from one of the puppeteers in War Horse. Start off with a no obligation two-week trial to see what we can do for your child.

Buying jazz shoes

In order to give you the best possible experience and assortment of Jazz shoes, Stagecoach now has its own unique online shoe store which is part of the dancewear specialist - Mydancestore. Simply click the button below and it will take you straight there. Please do follow the supplier’s advice when choosing the shoe size. Happy shopping!

Other opportunities

As well as our school performances, we offer extra opportunities for our students. Our dance troupe rehearses for major performances. We also have good links with the industry - recently our students have performed with Brendan Cole, The Ellen Kent Opera, G4 and the Barricade Boys.

Coming soon…

As well as our huge annual summer show, and the musical production in the winter, we have a skills term each year. Most recently, we held workshops with West-end performers as part of this.

LAMDA drama exams

We have a dedicated teacher for LAMDA. We can offer tuition on Fridays and Sundays at Stagecoach and our tutor also has a couple of spaces reserved for Stagecoach students during the week. We have noticed a dramatic difference in gesture and stage presence in those who have these one-to-one sessions alongside their Stagecoach training.

Weekly Classes

Early Stages (for ages 4-6 yrs)

Stagecoach Early Stages
Early Stages classes run alongside the main Stagecoach schools, where young people learn skills in each of the three Musical Theatre disciplines of singing, dancing & drama, so it is an easy step when it is time to transfer to the next stage.

(90 minutes each week)

Main Stages (for ages 6-18 yrs)

Stagecoach Main Stages
Main Stages classes are split in three age appropriate groups, where young people learn new skills in each of the complementary Musical Theatre disciplines of singing, dancing & drama. We nurture the shy and apprehensive, until they find their feet and voice, whilst at the same time developing and channelling those with bundles of talent, confidence and energy. We believe in the potential of every child!

(3 hrs each week)

Further Stages (for ages 15+ yrs)

Stagecoach Further Stages
Our advanced musical theatre sessions give talented students the chance to extend their performance skills.  Through in-depth training and master classes, we help students to hone their skills in singing, dancing and acting.  We also give students the confidence to audition for theatre and vocational drama schools (if that is their goal) and make sure they are well prepared for interviews and auditions. 

Fees in accordance with Main Stages.

Meet The Team

Principal - Sarah Corbett - BA(Hons); PGCE; MA(Mus)

Sarah took over at Stagecoach in 2006, having first taught singing there for five years. She has twenty five years of experience working in theatre arts, beginning by organising two major music marathons and running a school band when in the sixth form at school. She graduated firstly with a French and English honours degree and taught these subjects for eight years at Stowupland High School, running the 70-strong school choir and directing the music for the school shows in the lunch break. However, music was what she loved most so she left the school in 2001 to complete her second degree, teaching singing and piano part-time, and in 2009 completed her Music MA gaining distinction. She is also co-founder of an award-winning musical theatre company which toured Suffolk annually and has written eleven successful musicals for them. More recently, she founded a choir for parents of her students, and directed and arranged music for this until 2011, then setting up a choir in her own village and arranging musical events in the village church. Sarah carried the Olympic torch in 2012, with the principal reasons for her selection being her quest to get people to love music, and the money that Stagecoach Ipswich has raised for good causes since 2009, which now exceeds £35000. In her spare time, Sarah is learning aromatherapy, grows many varieties of chillies and loves walking in the country and on the coast with her husband and dogs.

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