Recently, Carlisle dance school, Razzamataz, starred in a performance on London’s West End. Two sixth form students from William Howard School, Dylan Rhodes and Elizabeth Cowell, was lucky enough to be part of the Razzamataz Theatre Schools gala performance.
Dylan said, “I’ve been going to Razzamataz in Carlisle since 2015 and now I help out in drama classes for younger, intermediate groups.”
At the Shaftsbury Theatre, the senior group performed a dance piece from the musical Wicked. The hit comedy musical Mrs Doubtfire is currently running at the Shaftsbury Theatre and Dylan commented, “The boys’ dressing room was normally used by one of the professional cast, so it was exciting to be in the same space.”
Before their evening performance, the students took part in a series of masterclasses and received valuable feedback from West End practitioners, which not only helped prepare them for the show but also gave invaluable career advice for future performers, including guidance for college auditions.
Dylan said, “There were a number of scouts from Performing Arts Colleges in the audience, some of whom I’d auditioned for before.”
Dylan is planning to attend Drama School at Rose Bruford College in September, so his final Performance with Razzamataz will be in June.
When asked how he balances his school work with all the rehearsal time for Razzamataz, as well as all the William Howard School performances he has been involved in, Dylan admitted, “I’ve had to sacrifice the chance to have a part time job in favour of performing, but it has been worth it to gain experience for my long-term career aspirations”.
