Sheffield teenager earns place at most prestigious theatre school where Victoria Beckham once studied
“I must say, I got butterflies in my stomach just walking through the entrance before her audition at Laine. We’re all so proud of her.”
A talented teenager from Sheffield has earned herself a place at one of the country's most prestigious theatre schools.
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Evie May Bradford, who hails from Frecheville, just five miles south-east of the city centre, will start next term at Laine Theatre School - an independent performing arts college based in Surrey with a rich a history of feeding artists into West End theatre, dance companies, television, film, pop music and other high-profile areas of the entertainments industry all over the world.
Notable alumni from Laine include Spice Girls singer Victoria Beckham, actor Warwick Davies along with West End leads such as Charlie Stemp and Kerry Ellis.
It’s regarded as an exceptionally hard school to earn a place at - accepting less than 200 students per year - and is renowned for attracting some of the best young dancers from not just the UK, but all over the world.
Evie’s mum, Linda, who is a director and choreographer at Sheffield’s Manor Operatic Society, says she couldn’t be more proud of her daughter, who in her words has ‘lived, breathed and dreamed’ dancing and performing from a young age.
Linda said: “Evie started performing at the age of two and has had lessons ever since. She was just three-years-old when she got the opportunity to perform in a show called Carousel at the City Hall and from there she loved it.”
Evie has done loads of different shows. Over the years, she’s been dance captain at Manor and has even competed at Miss Dance UK.
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Now 18-years-old, Evie has spent the last two years studying at Wakefield’s CAPA college which specialises in teaching performing arts.
Linda reflects fondly on how hard her daughter has worked over the last two years.
“Just after Christmas she started auditions at lots of different schools but Laine was her dream. It's the most prestigious in the country.
“I must say, I got butterflies in my stomach just walking through the entrance before her audition at Laine. The process itself is a whole day thing - lasting from about 8.30am until 5.30pm it’s really intense.”
To make it into Laine school, Linda explains that students need to have what’s known as the Triple Threat - essentially consisting of dancing, singing and acting.
Asked about Evie’s favourite musicals, Linda replied by simply saying that her daughter would have too long a list.
She did, however, mention shows like ‘We Will Rock You’ along with ‘Legally Blonde’ - where she got to meet musical theatre star Amber Davies - who also won Love Island back in 2017.
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Linda said: “Evie loved it when she got to meet Amber and have a chat with her - and she was so lovely with her. Amber signed her programme and chatted to her at length about her auditions, even suggesting to go to Laine.”
When asked about Evie’s future, Linda explained that her daughter has plenty of ideas, including potentially teaching or getting into pantomime.
“We just want her to have the time of her life,” Linda said.
“It's an amazing opportunity and she just needs to grab it with both hands. We say she’s lucky but she’s also worked her socks off dancing around four days a week all while passing her exam and her driving tests.
“She's had some fabulous teachers and I think that she’d love to give back and help young people. She also loves pantomime and would love to get into professional work.”
Evie is currently celebrating her achievements at Tramlines festival as she enjoys her final summer before her new adventure at Laine.