Musical theatre
in Solihull.
Musical theatre is where the academy's three strands meet. Singing, dancing and acting are not taught as three subjects that happen to share a room — the whole point is doing all three at once, under lights, while out of breath.
We run it in junior and senior groups so that a nine-year-old and a sixteen-year-old are each working on material that stretches them rather than one of them coasting.
The classes running now.
Our Lady of the Wayside - KS1&2 Drama & Musical Theatre After-School Club
with Katie
WhenMondays3:30pm – 4:30pmAges & feeAges 6–11£111 a termDorridge Primary - KS1 After-School Drama & Musical Theatre Club
with Katie
WhenTuesdays3:20pm – 4:30pmAges & feeAges 5–7£140 a termJunior Musical Theatre
with Helena
WhenThursdays6pm – 7pmWhereThe EdgeAges & feeAges 5–10£138 a termSenior Musical Theatre
with Helena
WhenThursdays7pm – 8pmWhereThe EdgeAges & feeAges 11–18£138 a term
Showing classes running in Autumn Term 2026 / 2027. Times come straight from our timetable, so this page is never out of date.
The Edge
Alderbrook School, B91 1SN
DirectionsOur Lady of the Wayside Catholic Primary School
566 Stratford Road, Solihull B90 4AY
DirectionsDorridge Primary School
Station Rd, Solihull B93 8EU
Directions
Your teachers.
What 'triple threat' actually means in a class
It means the hard bit is the joins. Most students can sing a phrase, and most can perform a step. Holding a vocal line while dancing it, staying in character through a key change, projecting to the back of a theatre without shouting — that is what the class drills, and it is why it cannot be taught by doing singing on one night and dance on another.
Repertoire comes from the shows themselves, so students work on real material with real staging rather than exercises invented for a class.
Somewhere to put it
A performing skill that never meets an audience does not develop. Every student performs in the academy's annual show, which is a full theatre production rather than a studio showcase, and past productions have taken our casts onto significant stages.
Alongside it sits our own Academy Awards evening, which recognises the year's work across every discipline — including the students whose year was about turning up every week and getting better, not about winning anything.
Junior and senior
The junior group starts from age five and is about confidence, storytelling and enjoying being on a stage. The senior group is materially more demanding: harder repertoire, harmony work, character detail and the kind of stamina a full number actually requires.
Students frequently pair musical theatre with vocal coaching, which is the fastest route to being cast in something.
What parents usually ask.
What age can children start musical theatre?
Five, in the junior group. The senior group takes older students and works on materially harder repertoire. The cut-off between them is shown against each class above.Does my child need to be able to sing already?
No. Singing is taught within the class, and many students add vocal coaching alongside it once they catch the bug.Will they get to perform?
Yes. Every student performs in the academy's annual show, which is a full theatre production, not a studio showcase. There is no audition to be included.Is musical theatre the same as drama?
No. Drama is spoken performance — character, text and stage presence, leading to graded exams. Musical theatre combines singing, dancing and acting in one performance. Plenty of students do both.Where are musical theatre classes held in Solihull?
The junior and senior groups both run at The Edge, inside Alderbrook School on Blossomfield Road, B91 1SN. Younger children can also reach musical theatre through our primary-school clubs.
Other classes in Solihull.
Book a taster session.
One session, no obligation, nothing to buy first. Tell us the age and we'll suggest the class that fits.