YOUNG students from a performing arts school in Reading took to the stage in the West End
Fifty-five young performers from the Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts (PQA) took to the stage at London’s His Majesty’s Theatre to perform in the stage show Across the Line.
Written by Will Brenton (known for The Tweenies, Melody, and Coronation Street), Across the Line is a contemporary action-adventure stage show that draws inspiration from popular modern-day shows like Stranger Things.
In collaboration with Little Angel Theatre, PQA launched the No Strings Attached project, where the students gained hands-on experience with professional puppetry techniques, which feature in the show.
This helps young performers develop dexterity, imagination and the technical understanding required to bring puppet characters to life on stage
Over 22 weeks of rehearsals, the young cast worked intensively on vocal techniques, dance and movement, stagecraft, ensemble work, and performance confidence, with many juggling GCSE or A Level revision, as well as roles in other shows and filming at Shinfield, Pinewood and Warner Bros studios.
PQA Reading is marking its tenth anniversary in October next year, when the team and young performers will be building up with skits and sketches to a Carabet show (set to take place this coming February) followed by a showcase in October 2026.
Tilly, a young performer at PQA Reading, said: “I joined PQA as a Poppet, at 4yrs old, and this is my third West end show with PQA–I just love it.
“I’m 13 now and can’t wait to do it again.”
Principal Doug Kirby said: “I am so impressed with my team and especially the young performers overcoming obstacles from anxiety to the heat.
“Everyone from the ages of 6–18 pulled together to put on a wonderful show.
“For some, it was their last show with us before they go off to university, and for others, it was their first time in the West End–what a memory.”
More information about the Pauline Quirk Academy of Performing Arts is available via: pqacademy.com/academies/reading
