WestKing Performing Arts students take to the stage at the Donmar Warehouse

Level 3 Performing Arts and Production Arts students from WestKing participate in the Donmar Warehouse Take the Stage programme.

A group of Westminster Kingsway College (WestKing) Performing Arts and Production Arts – Level 3 Extended Diploma have successfully completed the Donmar Warehouse Take the Stage programme.

The Donmar Warehouse is a West End theatre known for its exceptional productions of classic plays and innovative dramatic works. Their Take the Stage programme gives young people the opportunity to learn about Donmar Warehouse productions and work with theatre professionals to create their own pieces.

A group of 13 first-year WestKing Performing Arts and Production Arts – Level 3 Extended Diploma students took part in a series of workshops at the college’s King’s Cross Centre between January and March. Throughout eight sessions, they worked with a theatre professional from Donmar Warehouse to investigate the creative process and explore the themes of the theatre’s recent production of The Human Body, which starred Keeley Hawes and Jack Davenport. They also learned practical theatre skills and devised a performance piece in reaction to the play.

Following their college workshops, students attended a Masterclass Day at Donmar Warehouse followed by a matinee performance of The Human Body on 19 March. The Take the Stage programme culminated in an exclusive performance of the students’ own pieces at the Donmar Warehouse on 22 March. Performing alongside students from three other schools from across Camden and Westminster, students were able to take to the stage and perform in front of a live audience, which included the play’s stars Keeley Hawes and Jack Davenport.

The students drew many benefits from the programme. Ryan Saunders, a student on the Performing Arts and Production Arts – Level 3 Extended Diploma, said: “I really enjoyed the experience we had, especially as some of us have not been able to perform in a theatre. I feel like that was a really big push of confidence for all of us that were able to do that.” 

Another student, Samuel Lima, said: “It really showed us how the industry really works and set our sights ahead. For most of us, I feel like it has made us want to work harder so that we can work in that industry.”

Sarah Slade​​​​, Lecturer in Performing Arts, said: “The Take the Stage programme was a fantastic experience for the students. They got to work with a professional director who took their ideas and helped shape them, resulting in a performance that they were really proud of. The experience of doing a technical run, a dress run and then performing to an audience on the Donmar stage was one that the students will never forget, and they were all buzzing afterwards. It’s a unique learning opportunity that will help inform their studies and future careers as performers.”

Whether you’re keen to tread the boards or have an interest in production, our Performing Arts courses will feed your creative passion and enable you to develop the skills needed to pursue your chosen pathway.

Many of our Performing Arts courses are accredited by the University of the Arts London (UAL).

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