“It is impressive seeing two shows adding up together in such a short span of time – the group seem to produce more when working under pressure.” This year, the senior students put up the musical 7 Brides for 7 Brothers, while the junior section performed an original musical entitled Merlin and the Mystical Unicorn. Rehearsals were on for a whole week, 7 hours a day – the final show was then put up on Saturday following. Between Monday and Friday, students had to learn approximately 12 dance routines; songs, alongside acting scenes. “At the end of it all, students are crying and hugging each other, I end up crying too. They become such good friends in a short span of time, they perform together, they live together, and they go out together in the evenings. They have a common factor between them – their love for performing.”
During the first exchange programme, 15 students enrolled, today the number has increased, with 25 local and 25 foreign students. In Malta, the event, takes the form of a workshop with a performance at St James Cavalier at the end of the week. In Oxford however, the event is more fully-blown with a gala performance concluding the week. Students also get to go out in the streets promoting the performance. This year, they will be putting up the popular musical FAME.
Emma Watson, the superstar actress who plays Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series, is also a former stagecoach student – she used to attend the one in Oxford. Many local former students have continued their arts studies abroad or even locally. “Being a full time artist is extremely challenging, even abroad, however many former students have not given up; it takes dedication, commitment and sacrifice. Rarely does anyone manage to sustain themselves solely on art. We always wonder what former students are up to these days, some still contact us by email, keeping us posted on their advancements.”
Stagecoach Malta was launched in 1998, today over 500 students attend across nine localities in Malta and Gozo. The academy is categorized in different stages, the early stages starting aged four continuing to further stages for 18+. “We’ve had students who started during early stages, went on to advance, and today teach at the academy.”
Every week, students have one hour of each of the three disciplines – dance, singing and drama. “The three disciplines need complement each other; of course rarely do you have someone who excels in all three – each student has their own strengths and weakness, but having a basic ground in each proves vital later on in life.” Being an actress herself, Marica does feel she loses out by not having a singing or dancing background. Initially, Marica and her husband Edward launched an acting school named Fagan’s. A short while after Edward visited the UK and got the idea to extend the Stagecoach franchise to Malta. “However at that point, the mentality didn’t hold marrying the three disciplines together. I remember my father asking ‘who would want to pay money to practise three disciplines?’ Today that concept has changed completely.”
“Our aim is not to push people into drama or dance school. You can’t turn someone into a performer, performers are born naturals. However, students achieve so much more than training in the arts. I’ve seen students develop so much – it boosts their self-confidence, it teaches them the importance of discipline and commitment, and working as a group.”
Finding qualified teachers to teach is not easy. Only now has the academy started to reap what it has sown. Students at Stagecoach also undergo Trinity examinations, examined by foreign tutors.
The Malta Independent spoke to a number of students aged 14 to 19, who took part in this year’s exchange programme. Sarah Mercieca is participating for the 5th time; she has attended Stagecoach for the last 14 years. “The best thing about it is we bond so much as a group, we become really good friends in just a couple of days. The crying at the end of it all is unstoppable.”
Scarlet Oshea travelled to Malta from the UK for the 4th time for this exchange programme – “It is the best time of the year; I’m looking forward to it months ahead. We also learn how to be independent, given we are away from our home and staying with host families.”
Sebastian Jarden has attended Stagecoach for the last 10 years, and it is his third time here in Malta. He agrees with Scarlet on this being his favourite time of the year – “I miss rehearsals and production when it’s time to leave, but I also miss the country. Performing abroad in a different theatre is indispensible for us.”
Victoria Zerafa has attended Stagecoach for the last 7 years; she aspires to take on theatre as a full time career. “It all becomes realistic during the exchange programme, we’re here for 7 hours for a whole week – I wish I could do that all year round.”
Mattea Gouder is participating in the exchange programme for the first time. “I do admit I was slightly nervous at first, but now that nerves just turned into excitement, it’s the thrill of performing that makes it all worthwhile.”
This is not the only time students at Stagecoach get the opportunity to perform abroad. A few months ago, a group of 34 students had the chance to perform at the Disney resort,
In November, another group of 18 students get to perform at Her Majesty’s Theatre in the West End, London.
Stagecoach is running its twelfth year in Malta, and students attend 3 hours weekly – the three hours are spread among the three disciplines – dance, singing and drama.
Stagecoach is one of the UK’s most established part-time academies for the performing arts. It was launched in the UK in 1988 – 40,000 students attend Stagecoach weekly, worldwide. Stagecoach centres can be found across Canada, South Africa, Germany, USA, and Australia amongst others.