Bournemouth

Principal – Tanya Alanson

I first ‘trod the boards’ at the age of three and have been acting, dancing and singing ever since! Through my early years I performed with the Jackie Bebbington School of Dancing in Oxford. As a teenager I was a member of The Pegasus Youth Theatre in Oxford and Abingdon Drama Club. I continued to perform with the drama club until 1999 when I relocated with my husband and four children to Bournemouth.

I have a Foundation degree in Contemporary Theatre Performance and a BA (Hons) in Drama Studies and I have also completed a presenter training course with Glenn Kinsey at Pozitiv Productions.

My stage credits include: The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, A Dream Play, Oh Buoy!, The Magic Lantern, Cold Comfort Farm, The Constant Wife, An Ideal Husband, Noises Off, Six Characters in Search of an Author, Mansfield Park, Absent Friends, When We Were Married, A Winter’s Tale, A Midsummer Nights Dream and Kes.

TV and film credits include: More Than Just Nothing (BMS), Morse (ITV), Wish You Were Here? (Granada), Loose Lips (Living TV), Love Poetry (Talkback Thames), Extreme Ghost Stories (Granada). I was also thrilled to spend a week presenting ITV’s This Morning in July 2005 and have also appeared on GMTV presenting a series of DIY features.

I am a drama teacher at a local secondary school where I teach children in Key Stage 3 and 4.

Emma – Film & Television

Emma Biggins is PQA Bournemouth’s Film & TV Teacher. But Emma is also an emerging film producer, currently developing her own production company, Multistory Films.

Emma has a Masters degree in Producing Film & TV from Bournemouth University and has produced two feature films one of which will be released in UK cinemas in 2012.

Before setting up Multistory Films, Emma spent several years working as a camera operator for a children’s video company called Precious Moments. Although in the film industry they say you should never work with children and animals, Emma finds that the bags of enthusiasm, creativity and wicked imaginations that children have, do indeed make them the best movie-makers around!

Emily – Musical Theatre

Emily has been teaching dance, with styles such as musical theatre, contemporary, street, street jazz and lyrical dance for five years now. Teaching to the ages of 4 years – 18years old, Emily has been teaching in both the community and within education.

Having trained in performing arts at college and university she has always had a real passion for dance which she loves to portray in her lessons and performances.

Emily has been in charge of choreographing & directing many different dance performances, musicals & pantomimes including Cinderella, Suessical the musical & a Grimm’s tale inspired production – Happily Never After.

Emily truly loves teaching dance & really believes that places like PQA not only help build a child’s ability to perform and build on their technique, but most importantly builds their self esteem, confidence and social skills which ultimately allows them to feel a part of something fantastic!!

Sarah – Comedy & Drama

Working alongside Tanya teaching Comedy and Drama and Emily teaching singing in Musical Theatre, Sarah’s love for all things theatre shines through when she is working with the students at PQA Bournemouth. Her passion and enthusiasm inspires them and her quick and witty sense of humour has them laughing during every session.

Sarah was one of Tanya’s GCSE students, gaining an A in Drama. She has gone on to gain a BTEC National Diploma in Performing Arts and is currently studying Contemporary Theatre Performance at Bournemouth University.

Charlie – Poppets

Charlie has a Foundation degree in Contemporary Theatre Performance and a BA (Hons) in Drama Studies and she has worked alongside Tanya for 6 years.

She loves working with young children and her caring nature makes her the ideal teacher for the youngest students at the Academy. She is also responsible for administrative tasks at the Academy.

Charlie also works with the Wessex Autistic Society, helping young adults with severe learning difficulties.

Cari – Runner

Cari was a pupil at PQA Bournemouth and has been involved in many showcases, two film premieres and the 2011 West End show, American Dreams.

She is currently studying Drama, Music and Dance at a local secondary school.

Cari’s stage credits include: Beauty and the Beast (Michael Rose Productions Ltd), Aladdin (UK Productions, Robin Hood (UK Productions) and Back to the 80’s.

TV and film credits include: More Than Just Nothing (BMS), Wish You Were Here? (Granada), Love Poetry (Talkback Thames). She also spent a week filming at the This Morning studios where she had the thrill of interviewing starts such as Sheila Hancock, Jenny Éclair, Lee Ryan and G4.

Alex – Runner

Alex is currently studying A-levels at Bournemouth School for Girls.

She joined PQA as a student in April 2009, which has meant that she has been involved in two premieres, experienced life in a TV studio, taken part in many showcases, and performed in the West End.

Before PQA, she attended the Jellicoe theatre group at Poole College since the age of seven, and had drama and elocution lessons with Swish of the Curtain prior to that. She is enthusiastic about performing arts, and loves seeing younger children getting involved in the field and growing in confidence as each week passes.