Endorsements from Business Entrepreneurs

Stephanie Manuel LLAM, FRSA

Stephanie Manuel is co-founder and Joint Managing Director of Stagecoach Theatre Arts plc.

Theatre became her passion at the age of 13, when she became involved with a local community pantomime. By the age of 16 she was putting on shows of her own. Parental pressure led Stephanie to leave school at 16 to go to secretarial college. There followed a series of office jobs which she disliked and she spent every spare moment taking part in amateur theatre.
 

After marrying at age 22 and with a two young children, she decided to start a children’s theatre school after being unable to find a drama school where her son could learn how to sing and act, as well as dance. However, she was unable to get funding and the idea was put on the back burner. She kept her passion for theatre alive by writing plays and directing productions for amateur drama groups.

Aged 44, a chance meeting with a bank manager named David Sprigg, changed Stephanie's life. They decided to create a performing-arts school together. From the start, Stagecoach's ethos was to reject the theatrical style of straight acting tuition, instead aiming for something between a drama class and a dance lesson; opening on Saturdays and after school, for children aged 4 to 16, regardless of ability.

They opened their first three theatre schools in Surrey in 1988, hiring youth clubs as venues and advertising in the local paper for pupils. The schools proved so popular that another two soon followed and by the mid 1990's a franchise operation was set up. The franchising went so well that in 2001 Stagecoach was floated on the Alternative Investment Market. By 2005 turnover, including franchise income, was £18m and the company had 500 theatre schools worldwide, teaching 33,000 pupils.

Stephanie is now a Licentiate of the London Academy of Dramatic Art and a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Read more about her and Stagecoach

by visiting the website: www.stagecoach.co.uk.

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