52 young performers from the Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts (PQA) in Warrington took to the stage at London’s iconic His Majesty’s Theatre recently to perform the stage show, ‘Across the Line’.
This show is part of an ambitious series of 26 West End performances, featuring thousands of young performers from all across PQA’s nationwide network. Each performance unites three academies, and performing alongside PQA Warrington on this occasion were young performers from PQA Northwood and PQA Stoke-on-Trent.
This performance is the first time that PQA Warrington has performed on the West End, an incredibly memorable moment for the academy.
Written by Will Brenton, best known for ‘The Tweenies’, ‘Melody’, and ‘Coronation Street’, ‘Across the Line’ is a bold, contemporary action-adventure stage show that draws inspiration from popular modern-day shows like ‘Stranger Things’.
Principal of PQA Warrington, Claire Oxlee says, “Taking our students to perform in the West End was a dream come true. Between learning lines and mastering choreography, they gained incredible industry skills, but more than that, they built confidence, resilience, and friendships that will last a lifetime.
“Seeing their faces light up on stage, knowing how hard they had worked, was truly magical. This is what PQA Warrington is all about, giving young performers the chance to shine, grow, and have an absolute blast while doing it!”
A standout feature of ‘Across the Line’ is its use of puppetry. In collaboration with Little Angel Theatre, PQA launched the No Strings Attached project, where the students gained hands-on experience with professional puppetry techniques. This initiative helped young performers develop dexterity, imagination and the technical understanding required to bring puppet characters to life on stage.
After weeks of rehearsals, the young cast of performers, aged six to 18, worked intensively on vocal technique, dance and movement, character development, stagecraft, ensemble work and performance confidence. Each played various roles, from speaking parts to ensemble, and roles were swapped at the interval to give as many young performers as possible the opportunity to have a speaking part.
Alexia, aged nine, said “I absolutely loved performing ‘Across The Line’ with all my friends from PQA. Being on that West End stage was so exciting. We saw what it was like to be real actors, with real staging and costumes. I can’t wait to do it again.”
Cara, aged fourteen, said, “Performing in the West End was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I am so proud of myself, all my friends and all of our PQA teachers for the amazing show we put on. I will never forget it.”
Ella, aged nine, also said, “It was fun and a bit frightening. I proved to myself not to be nervous because even if I did something wrong I know I’m supported and I can do well. I loved doing my singing solo and going up to the front of the stage and showing all the audience what I can do.”
Principal Claire Oxlee and her team of professional teachers are dedicated to providing a safe and inclusive environment for young people to discover themselves whilst learning the latest techniques in performing arts. Performing arts isn’t just about singing and dancing, there are also opportunities for all young people to explore comedy, story writing, TV and filmmaking.
For those interested in booking their child a free taster session, please visit the PQA website at www.pqacademy.com/academies/warrington/
