GSA Junior Conservatoire, launched in September 2019, offers associate training for those who show talent and potential in either Musical Theatre (age 11+) or Acting (age 14+).
The Junior Conservatoire, which runs alongside the popular GSA Saturday School, is a pre-vocational training. This specialised and focused programme is designed for students who are considering higher education, or a career, in the performing arts. Both the Musical Theatre and Acting programmes are split by age group and ability.
This is an intensive programme, with limited places and designed for the young student of exceptional talent who has some experience and a high level of commitment and passion for the performing arts. The course runs from September to July and students are able to reapply each year.
Professional teachers, including GSA Conservatoire faculty, offer specialised training and a taste of conservatoire life.
The curriculum is inclusive and multicultural, offering access to a broad spectrum of insights.
We have two pathways that students can audition for: Acting and Musical Theatre
Musical Theatre (11+)
Our 4-hour training programme on Saturday afternoons prepares students age 11+ for a career in the Musical Theatre industry. Our classes are in Musical Theatre, Singing, Jazz and Ballet. The programme consists of two terms of technical training and the third term focuses on performance training, culminating in a performance in the Bellairs Theatre on campus. The programme is designed to complement additional training, and students will be able to refine their technical and performance skills. The programme will be led by professional tutors with conservatoire teaching experience. Entry to this training programme is based on an audition and interview. You must be in year 10 or above to be eligible for this course.
Acting (14+)
We run a three-hour acting programme on Saturday morning working on acting technique, voice and movement. This programme is for students age 14+ who are highly committed and would like to enrol on the pre-vocational training course. All our tutors are highly qualified and have had excellent experience in performing and teaching. We are offering a unique programme offering intensive conservatoire-style training every week. There will be opportunities to work on plays and to perform, as well as technical training which will give students a taste of full-time vocational training. Entry to this training programme is based on an audition and interview. You must be in year 10 or above to be eligible for this course.
Auditions fill quickly so please apply early when applications open to avoid disappointment.
Entry is by audition only and more information will be given when you apply. The audition fee is £15.
Musical Theatre Audition
Students will be required to sing a verse and chorus from a song of their choice (we recommend something age-appropriate). Please bring sheet music for accompaniment. They will take part in a short jazz class where warm-up, technical exercises and a short routine will be learnt. A short monologue will be given to them on the day and they will be given some time to read through and prepare before they perform the monologue.
Acting Audition
Students will be required to prepare two monologues, one Shakespeare and one of their choice. Guidance and direction will be given to one of these monologues to see if the auditionees can take guidance and correction.
The Junior Conservatoire is a year-long course which runs from September to July (three terms).
Actors Course 3 Hours per week: £945 (£315.00 per term)
Musical Theatre Course 4 Hours per week: £1,260 (£420.00 per term)
We have been so excited to see how our daughter has flourished since joining GSA!
Victoria Hepburn, parent of JC student 2022
Term dates
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11 January - 22 March 2025
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Half term - 15 February
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26 April - 5 July 2025
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Half term - 31 May
- 20 September - 29 November
- Half term - 1 November
- 10 January - 21 March
- Half term - 14 February
- 25 April - 4 July
- Half term - 30 May
Junior Conservatoire terms and conditions.
Junior Conservatoire privacy policy.
If you have any complaints, in the first instance, please send them to gsajuniorconservatoire@gsa.surrey.ac.uk and they will be dealt with in line with our complaints procedure.
GSA's safeguarding lead for under-18s is Alison Avis.
Tutors
Alison Avis FISTD Examiner
Alison is Head of Enterprises at GSA and one of her roles is to Manage both GSA Saturday School and Junior Conservatoire. Alison started dancing at the age of 4 and knew that this was a career path she wanted to follow. Once graduating from college with her ISTD teaching exams in Ballet, Modern and Tap Alison set off travelling the World as a Jazz dancer. Alison was part of a stadium tour of China and worked on a variety of Cruise ships including Costa and Celebrity as well as being Dance Captain for a Guildford Pantomime of Mother Goose. After retiring from professional dancing Alison then started teaching as a full-time career, she has taught at many full-time vocational colleges offering musical theatre diplomas and degrees, including GSA, Italia Conti Arts Centre, Italia Conti Academy and Redroofs. She has entered numerous students at the Imperial Classical Ballet awards where there have been many placings. Before joining GSA in a full-time permanent role in 2018 Alison was Head of Ballet at Italia Conti Arts Centre. In 2015 Alison qualified as an Imperial Classical Ballet examiner and Intermediate. In 2023 Alison was upgraded to Advanced 1 and 2. Alison has taught and adjudicated at The Imperial Classical Ballet Awards and is part of the lecturing team.
Alison absolutely loves teaching Ballet to the Junior Conservatoire students.
Alison is also GSA's safeguarding lead for under-18s.
Erin has been a passionate dancer and performer from a young age after taking part in performances at Chichester Festival Theatre. Whilst at secondary school, Erin was keen to teach voluntarily at her local dance school to gain experience and fell in love with the art of teaching. Erin continued to study Performing Arts at Chichester college alongside completing her ISTD DDE Teaching Qualifications in Tap and Modern Theatre. Erin then continued her training at Italia Conti studying a BA (hons) in Musical Theatre. Erin has rich experience previously teaching Tap, Modern, Jazz and Contemporary professionally in various dance schools. Erin absolutely loves teaching through musicality and rhythm and is excited to inspire the next generation of performers!
Joseph Richardson
Training: Guildford School of Acting
Theatre includes: Tina: The Tina Turner Musical (West End); Sunny Afternoon (UK Tour); War Horse (UK, Ireland & South Africa Tour); Beauty and the Beast and The Shepherd’s Life (Theatre by the Lake, Keswick); Brave New World (Creation Theatre); Alice in Wonderland & As You Like It (Guildford Shakespeare Company); Reel Life (The Other Palace Studio, London; Thatcherwrite (Theatre503); and A Little Night Music (Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford).
Television includes: Coronation Street (ITV)
Film includes: An American In Austen (Hallmark Channel / UFO Films) Lancaster (Red
Dog Films).
Workshops include: Set Our Feet In Glory
Joseph is an audition panellist for the BA Acting course at Guildhall School of Music and Drama and is an Associate Lecturer at the University of Lincoln.
Joseph is a freelance puppetry practitioner for the National Theatre Learning Department, and has been a visiting tutor teaching puppetry at Guildford School of Acting, Birmingham School of Acting and Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts as well as the Universities of Lincoln, York, Staffordshire and Lancashire, and Teatrul Tandarica, a puppetry theatre in Bucharest, Romania.
As a Puppetry Consultant, his credits include: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Kilworth House), His Dark Materials (Staffordshire University) and Rufus Longbottom and the Space Rabbit (Filament Theatre).
Peter has spent the last 35 years as Resident Musical Director and vocal coach at the Guildford School of Acting and has led the GSA Singers for 26 years. He has taught at all the major Drama Schools in the UK and has been a regular guest teacher in places such as Los Angeles, Moscow and Geneva. Peter trained as a countertenor with Lysette Brookes at the English Opera Group specialising in the works of Britten and Purcell and worked as an accompanist with the Royal Ballet, the Festival Ballet and the Robert Stigwood Organisation as repetiteur and vocal coach. MD credits include national tours of ‘Blood Brothers’ and ‘Joseph’ and on radio ‘Friday Night is Music Night’ and ‘Around Midnight’. TV credits include ‘The Friday Night Project’ ‘Star Lives’ and GMTV and his musical arrangements have been heard at the Barbican, the Palladium and Carnegie Hall.
Sabi trained at RADA with a BA(Hons) in Acting.
Sabi's film credits include Maria in Kenneth Branagh's All is True, theatre credits include Othello (National Theatre), Prospero, The Tempest (Orange Tree), and Olwen Peel, Dangerous Corner (UK tour) as well as work in tv and audio.
In addition to her acting career, Sabi teaches at RADA on the BA Acting and Short Courses, as well as at The BRIT School and internationally.
Sabi is also a one-to-one coach and facilitator who uses acting tools alongside shamanic practices to help her clients achieve a sense of presence, embodiment, and wholeness.
To learn more about Sabi's work, please visit her website at www.sabiandsol.co.uk and follow her on Instagram, @sabiandsol.
Ginny Angus studied an MA in voice at the Central School of Speech and Drama, she also has a PGCE. Ginny originally trained as a dancer and actor but now works full-time as a voice and dialect coach. She currently teaches the full-time course at PPA and Boden’s Performing Arts having previously taught voice and acting at Italia Conti Arts Centre, Italia Conti Academy, Laines Theatre Arts, and Bird College. She is delighted to be part of the GSA Junior Conservatoire teachers.