A BRADFORD theatre school will take to the stage for the first time in more than 18 months with a performance of a top show in a first in the north of England.

Stage 84, based in Idle, have been awarded the performing rights for Matilda The Musical Jr, which they will perform at Victoria Hall Saltaire this Friday night.

A group of 32 youngsters, aged between seven to 16, will take to the stage in what is a Northern and Yorkshire premiere.

The performers have been put through their paces all this week at Stage 84's base for training and rehearsals ahead of the big show.

The youngster's family and friends will also be able to watch the show in Saltaire, which is Stage 84's first live stage performance since November 2019, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

Craig Winward, Stage 84 managing director, said: "We are incredibly excited to be able to offer the chance for our students to perform for a live audience, with our Northern and Yorkshire premiere production of Matilda The Musical Jr.

"The performing arts have always brought people together, and after such a challenging couple of years, we are so proud to see the many local young people we work with finding enjoyment in acting, dancing and singing once again.

"The children are already very much looking forward to showcasing their talents in a spectacular venue later this week, within this wonderful World Heritage site.

"We are delighted to be a part of Bradford’s thriving cultural scene and can’t wait to welcome audiences back to our productions."

Stage 84 have also secured the rights to present a large-scale production of Matilda The Musical Jr in September 2022 in Bingley. Stage 84 will be enrolling new students again from next month.

Tomorrow's Matilda performance is a further example of how Stage 84 have adapted and now moving on during the pandemic.

The group returned to classes as ‘normal’ back in April this year and its students have enjoyed being back in classes with their friends for the last term.

But now they have broken up for the summer, Stage 84's focus shifts to its exciting new summer ‘Show In A Week’ project.

Previously, Stage 84 students have performed at venues across the country including, the Alhambra Theatre and St George’s Hall in Bradford, at the ICC in Birmingham, Leicester’s Curve Theatre and on many previous occasions, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The school was founded by Valerie Jackson in 1984 and remains one of the leading performing arts schools in Yorkshire.

Stage 84 responded to the first lockdown in March last year by creating a range of online learning resources.

Students later resumed socially distanced classes from September 2020 at Stage 84, working across its two studios in Idle: The Old Bell Chapel and The Old Fire Station.

In the lockdowns of November 2020 and January to March 2021, Stage 84 transitioned our classes entirely online using Zoom and were proud to be able to offer the full timetable of classes it would have ordinarily have run face to face.

When we were able to open for face to face classes once more in mid-April this year, we immediately began work on a range of projects for our many students, these included;

• Preparing solo and group Trinity College London Drama examination entries (all students in our branches in Bradford, Skipton and Burley-in-Wharfedale)

• Preparing solo LAMDA Solo Musical Theatre (singing exam) entries

• Our many Bradford Performing Arts students began rehearsals for our ‘double header’ show; Moana Jr and Fame Jr, at the newly renovated Yeadon Town Hall, to be presented 8th & 9th October 2021. One half of this show will showcase junior students of the school in Moana, and the second half will feature senior students in Fame.

Students took their performance examinations in July and results received so far are almost entirely ‘Distinctions’. Following Matilda The Musical Jr, we are very excited for our next live theatre project at Yeadon, as described above. Tickets are due to go on sale in the coming weeks.