A principalfrom a theatre arts school in Salford is passing the beacon onto one of her first pupils after 17 years at the school.
29 year-old Laura Walker is taking over from Anne Boardman as Principal of Stagecoach Theatre Arts School in Salford. Laura joined Stagecoach as a pupil at the age of 12 and is looking forward to inspiring her pupils as Anne inspired her as a Principal.
Laura says: ‘I’ve always loved singing and Stagecoach opened up a huge range of opportunities to help me explore performing arts on a wider scale.
‘One of my favourite moments was singing gospel songs in the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Parade with Patti Boulaye – singing in front of such a huge audience gave me an incredible boost of confidence and made me realise performing arts was something I wanted to pursue as a career.’
Laura went on to study musical theatre at Pendleton College in Salford, as well as complete a degree in Media with Television Production at Liverpool John Moores University. Her talents also travelled overseas as she taught drama and directed musicals over a period of four summers at a summer camp in Vermont, USA.
She continues: ‘Anne and the teachers at Stagecoach Didsbury and Salford made my experience the best it could be and I’ve got so many fond memories from my time there. Anne’s been a wonderful Principal and I hope I can create more memories for the pupils to follow on from her fantastic work.’
Stagecoach Salford pupils performed a special tribute of their best songs for Anne’s last day on Saturday 5 December.
Anne says: ‘I’m so grateful to everyone who’s been a part of my time here at the school. It’s been a joy to see so many children blossom in our classes and improve both their performance skills and confidence. I’d like to wish Laura the best of luck in her new role – I’m sure she’ll do a fantastic job continuing to help create young stars in Salford!’
