Following the findings of our 2025 Pupil Survey What Music Means to Me which identified Musical Theatre as one of students’ favourite genres, Sutton Music Trust was delighted to provide an additional opportunity for young people to develop their performance skills through a dedicated Musical Theatre workshop.

During the summer holidays of 2026, 10 students aged 12-14 joined us for West End Showstoppers, an intensive four-day Musical Theatre workshop led by Maddie Wood and Maria Kelly. Throughout the week, students explored a variety of songs, dances and scenes from well-known musicals including Annie, Wicked and Mary Poppins, developing both their technical dance abilities and their performance skills.

Over the course of the week, the group built their confidence, developed new friendships, and became a supportive, tight-knit ensemble, demonstrating the power of the creative arts to bring young people together. Through improvisation and collaborative devising, students created original scenes that linked the musical numbers and transformed the performance into a fully realised mini musical.

After just three and a half days of rehearsals, students showcased 11 performance pieces to an audience of family and friends. The final performance featured standout moments including an energetic ensemble rendition of Hard Knock Life from Annie, engaging dramatic scenes and several captivating vocal solos.

I just wanted to say thank you. [My child] had the best few days, she really enjoyed every day. It took her out of her comfort zone; I was really proud of her!

Parent

[My child] thoroughly enjoyed the Course last week. This was his first ever club and I am happy to see him enjoying it.

Parent

Following the success of this year’s workshop, we are excited to bring West End Showstoppers back in 2027. Keep an eye on our website and social media channels for details of future bookings. In the meantime, why not explore our Music Academy vocal lessons to continue developing your singing and performance skills?

Want to learn more?

Find out about SMT, the Charity and how to support us.

Learn more about vocal lessons at our Music Academy

Read the findings from the 2025 survey

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