‘I knew this is where I want to be for the next three years’
Developing story first seen 2 hours ago
Evie Bradford, an 18-year-old dancer from Frecheville, Sheffield, is beginning a three-year performing arts course at Laine Theatre Arts in Surrey, whose past students include Victoria Beckham, Warwick Davies and Ruthie Henshall. The move caps years of training, rehearsals and competitions for Evie, who says she has danced "since birth" and knew instantly after her audition that the school was right for her.
A former CAPA College student in Wakefield who has competed in showcases including Miss Dance of Great Britain, Evie had to audition in singing, acting and dance to win one of a limited number of places, securing a spot alongside one of her closest friends. Her parents both work in theatre for Manor Operatic Society, as choreographer and director respectively. Having already relocated to Surrey ahead of term starting, she describes feeling "petrified" but excited for what she calls "the start of my life".
- Sheffield teen Evie Bradford, 18, starts course at Laine Theatre Arts
- Beat competition for rare place after singing, acting, dance audition
- Comes from theatrical family; already relocated to Surrey, feels "petrified"
New here? Start with this
Evie Bradford, an 18-year-old dancer from Frecheville in Sheffield, has spent years training and competing, including at Miss Dance of Great Britain, while studying at Wakefield's CAPA College. Dance runs in her family, with both her parents involved in theatre through their local operatic society.
She has now won a place at Laine Theatre Arts in Surrey, a specialist performing arts school known for producing well-known names in theatre and film, including Victoria Beckham and Warwick Davies. Places on its courses are limited and require auditioning across singing, acting and dance, so securing a spot is seen as a significant achievement for young performers hoping to build a career in the industry.
Full account
An 18-year-old dancer from Frecheville in Sheffield is preparing to begin a three-year training course at Laine Theatre Arts, a well-regarded performing arts school in Surrey whose former students include Victoria Beckham, Warwick Davis and West End performer Ruthie Henshall. Evie Bradford has described the moment she left her audition as one of instant certainty, saying she knew immediately that the school was where she wanted to spend the next three years of her life.
Evie says she has effectively been dancing all her life, joking that she was performing before she was even born, and has never doubted that a career in the arts was what she wanted. The pursuit runs in the family: her mother works as a choreographer and her father as a director for Manor Operatic Society. She previously studied at CAPA College in Wakefield and has competed in prestigious showcases, including Miss Dance of Great Britain, giving her experience of performing under scrutiny long before her Laine audition.
Places on the Laine Theatre Arts programme are limited, and applicants must prove their ability across singing, acting and dancing rather than dance alone. Evie says she approached the try-out with little to lose, having already sat several other auditions, but that this particular school stood out the moment she walked through its doors. She counts herself fortunate to have secured one of the small number of places on offer, and is due to start alongside one of her closest friends, despite feeling that few people in her own circle have taken a similar path into full-time performing arts training.
Having already relocated and settled into accommodation ahead of the new term, Evie describes a mixture of nerves and anticipation as she embarks on this next chapter, calling it both frightening and the beginning of a new phase of her life. For now, she says her attention is on settling into her studies, taking each opportunity as it comes over the coming three years, and looking forward to being surrounded by others who share her ambitions on a daily basis.
Where outlets differ
Only one of the three supplied sources contained usable article content; it appears to be a BBC regional report (South Yorkshire/Look North). The other two source links returned only generic Google sign-in/cookie-consent pages with no story text, so no genuine cross-outlet comparison of facts or emphasis could be made.
Because of this, the account above is drawn solely from the single available source, and any differences in tone or focus between outlets cannot be assessed from the material provided.
More coverage
- 🔎 Sheffield — 'I knew this is where I want to be for the next three years' – BBC
- 🔎 Sheffield — 'I knew this is where I want to be for the next three years' – BBC