Training the future stars of stage and screen

If you want a career in the Creative and Performing Arts, New City College Performing Arts Academy is where you should begin.

NCC has a range of courses to help you discover all the opportunities that exist within this exciting industry.

Whether you are aiming to be an actor, singer, dancer, musician or performer, the college – which has nine campuses throughout East London and Essex – has the facilities and expert teachers that can give you the kick-start to an amazing career.

Study A Levels or a vocational diploma

You can choose how you study. Whether you like the practical, coursework focus of a Diploma or the exam driven A Levels, there are drama, performing arts, dance and music courses to suit everyone. The courses are offered at NCC’s Epping Forest campus in Loughton, at Havering Sixth Form in Hornchurch and at Ardleigh Green campus, also in Hornchurch.

There are courses including:

• Performing Arts (Level 2 Diploma) – at Epping Forest and Ardleigh Green
• Performing Arts Practice (Level 3 Diploma) – at Epping Forest and Ardleigh Green
• Drama and Theatre A Level – at Havering Sixth Form
• Music Technology A Level – at Havering Sixth Form
• Performing Arts: Musical Theatre (Level 3 BTEC) – at Havering Sixth Form
• Dance A Level – at Havering Sixth Form
• Music Performance (Level 3 BTEC) – at Havering Sixth Form
• Music (Level 2 Diploma) – at Ardleigh Green
• Music Performance & Production (Level 3 BTEC) – at Ardleigh Green

Studying any one of these courses will give you the chance to experience the fantastic facilities at New City College, such as modern music studios, sound booths and high-tech drama theatres. They will give you the skills and knowledge to take your passion further and give you the opportunity to succeed in your chosen career.

As a student, you will be part of group performances, putting on shows and concerts to audiences. Students have performed their version of the hit West End musical, Six (see photo top of page) and followed it up with a performance of the show Cry-Baby – a musical based on the film starring Johnny Depp and Ricky Lake.

The musical tells the story of Wade ‘Cry-Baby’ Walker, a teenage delinquent with a heart of gold, who falls for Allison, a ‘square’ girl from a wealthy family. The characters’ individuality and pursuit of love leads to a few surprises and a bit of chaos along the way. It combined rock and roll with traditional musical theatre songs and the students’ performance was very well received by audiences.

More recently they performed their version of the Broadway hit Heathers The Musical, a dark comedy with a catchy soundtrack that also touches on sensitive topics. The students received rave reviews and played to a packed audience at all four shows.

Along with being part of group performances, you will get to develop your acting, singing, production and dancing skills, collaborating with others in theatre or music projects. You will also gain an insight into the industry through workshops with professionals and visits to various events and shows.

This year has already seen many exciting projects within the NCC Performing Arts Academy, all designed to nurture and develop students’ performance skills.

Projects have included:

• A partnership between New City College and the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch which allows Performing Arts students to work with professional actors and perform in their productions

• A competition with a chance to get detailed feedback from industry professionals

• The opportunity to attend local and West End theatre shows

• A Level students took part in a Horror Film Festival where they premiered their work alongside other film-makers in a celebration of creativity, artistry and expression

• Music students entered a national competition which gave them the opportunity to perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London

• Performing Arts students enjoyed being part of the National Theatre Connections Festival, working and collaborating with experienced actors and technicians. They also gained behind-the-scenes experience with lighting, costumes and props.

Such diverse and exciting opportunities at New City College ensure that students are given every chance to succeed and are prepared for work within the highly competitive creative and performing arts industries once they leave college.

Performing Arts Academy workshops

There are a range of excellent internal and external workshops that have huge benefits for students looking for a career in the industry. These have involved external professional practitioners coming into college to teach students a variety of skills.

They have included:

• Students mentored by Michelle Pentecost (Elphaba in Wicked), with an exclusive Wicked workshop

• A range of workshops involving cast members from The Lion King, Mamma Mia, Moulin Rouge, Newsies and Only Fools and Horses

• Contemporary theatre group Frantic Assembly led some high energy workshops, showing how creative movement can impact stage presence

• BoyBlue, a company that aims to empower hip hop artists to make, create, perform and teach, came in to give students a flavour of the hip-hop dance theatre scene

• The Paper Birds Theatre Company gave students new tips and tricks in verbatim theatre

• Tom Mangan showed students the practical realities of being freelance or self-employed in the industry

• Kate Griffiths, a theatrical make-up artist, introduced students to special effects and horror make-up

• Kinetic Circus brought the magic of the circus to college with a focus on skills, performance and costumes

• Mel Simpson gave sessions on choreography and dance

• Charlie Clay taught students about vocal balance and musical theatre

Success for every student

The majority of students progress from New City College to top drama schools or to study for acting or performance degrees at institutions including RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art), LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art), Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, Urdang, Laine and the Italia Conti Academy of Performing Arts.

Follow in their footsteps

You could follow in the footsteps of former NCC students who have become highly successful in the world of theatre, film, and TV.

Performers such as Sara Pascoe (TV presenter, actor and comedian), Charles Babalola (theatre and film actor), Alan Davies (actor and comedian), and Jimmy Akingbola (film and TV actor) have all carved out fantastic careers after studying at New City College.

Other famous and notable alumni include:

Stacey Solomon

Stacey studied Performing Arts at NCC and auditioned for the X Factor while still at college. She came 3^rd in the popular TV show in 2009, and has since gone on to become a major social media influencer with more than 6 million Instagram followers. She also presents the BBC One TV show, Sort Your Life Out and recently had her own BBC show called Stacey and Joe.

Lee Van Geleen

Lee is a former Performing Arts student who starred as Trigger in the popular West End musical Only Fools and Horses at the Theatre Royal. Lee often returns to college to tell current students his inspiring story.

Kian Crowley and Naomi Sonoiki

Dancer Kian performed on stage at the Brits 2024, held at the O2 Arena. After studying Performing Arts at NCC, he was snapped up by the prestigious National Youth Dance Company (NYDC). Naomi also successfully auditioned against more than 400 other students across the UK to gain a place in the NYDC.

Lisa Wright

Lisa attended Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) before performing in shows across the country. Her recent credits include Girls Don’t Play Guitars (Royal Court, Liverpool) and Urban Myths (Sky Arts). She is on the UK tour until May 2026 playing Rasa in the multi award-winning musical Sunny Afternoon which tells the true story behind the rock band The Kinks. Lisa is also a singer-songwriter and was hand-picked by BBC 6 Music to showcase at Latitude Festival.  She was also recognised by the Nashville Songwriters Association as their ‘One to Watch’.

Sabina Kuku

Sabina achieved every dancer’s dream by gaining a place at the world-renowned Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance after successfully studying Dance A Level at NCC last year.

Visit the New City College website to discover courses in Creative and Performing Arts or A Levels in Drama, Performance, Music and Dance.

Call 0330 135 9000 for more information.