How PQA Ensures Your Child Gets the Best West End Experience.

With up to 25 shows annually, each featuring three PQA academies and around 200 performers per show, the West End Experience is a major part of what makes PQA one of the most exciting performing arts academies for children and young people in the UK.

A One‑of‑a‑Kind Opportunity for Young Performers

Children across the country absolutely love PQA’s West End Experience, and it’s easy to see why. They get to perform in front of a live audience of family and friends at the world‑renowned His Majesty’s Theatre in London’s West End, home to one of the longest‑running shows in West End history, The Phantom of the Opera. For many young performers, it’s their first time stepping onto a professional stage of this scale.
But what makes this experience truly special is the care, planning, and passion behind it. We strive to make the event inclusive, accessible, and empowering for every single PQA student, no matter their age, experience, or confidence level.

And we’ll say it proudly: opportunities like this simply don’t exist elsewhere. In the world of children’s performing arts, it’s incredibly rare to see three full academies, totalling over 200 students, cast together with up to 120 speaking roles and 40 minutes of stage time per academy. It’s a scale of opportunity that sets PQA apart.

Our shows are written exclusively for PQA, which means every story is crafted with our students at the heart of it. Because each production is created especially for our academies, we’re able to offer incredible opportunities, most importantly, ensuring every single child has their own part to play on stage.

Performing Arts Skills in Action

Our project‑based learning in Main Academy means children and young people are working towards a structured project that mirrors a professional rehearsal process, whether that is a small showcase, a performance, or building a story for their film & TV class, and learning great industry skills as well as life skills along the way. Every child who steps onto that stage does so with the skills they’ve built week after week in their PQA classes.

Across our three core classes:

•    Musical Theatre
•    Comedy & Drama
•    Film & TV

…young people develop the confidence, technique, and stagecraft needed for a real West End production. These aren’t just “kids drama classes”, they’re structured, exciting sessions designed to mirror real industry practice.

Our current West End show, Across the Line, even introduces children and young people to puppetry, a fantastic new skill taught in their Comedy & Drama class. It’s just one example of how PQA helps young people discover new passions they may never have tried otherwise.

Our newest production, Lights, Camera, Zapped!, brings together skills learnt in Main Academy sessions. It’s a high‑energy celebration of everything young people learn at PQA, brought to life on one of the most iconic stages in the world.

The PQA West End Crew: The Magic Behind the Scenes

Of course, none of this would be possible without the incredible people who bring each show to life. A huge thank you goes to our Stage & Screen team, who make the West End show possible. From initial concepts, through to supporting Principals and students behind the scenes on the day, their combined expertise creates a memorable experience for every student.

We’re equally grateful to our dedicated Principals, who bring their own creative stamp to each production: casting, teaching, rehearsing, and supporting their students every step of the way.
And we can’t forget our amazing team of technical staff, who support our West End shows and help everything run safely, smoothly, and with that unmistakable PQA sparkle.

It truly takes a village to create a show of this scale. Every single person involved plays a vital role in making sure these budding young performers can step onto that stage ready to perform, dance, sing, and embody their characters with full self-belief. Thanks to this collective effort, our young performers don’t just take part as individuals, but as part of a team, a cast and a professional production.

What do others say about the PQA West End Experience?

A note from a Principal at PQA:
“Thank you to everyone at HMT yesterday. It was a brilliant day, and I cannot thank you all enough for the experience you helped us create for our academies.”

A note from a Parent: 
“You and the team always go above and beyond, and it really shows in how happy all the kids are. Thank you so much for all the special care and thought you put into these events. It was an incredible show, and we all left on such a high… She's very sad it's over and would do it again in a heartbeat.”

A note from a child at PQA, age 6:
 “When I go on stage with my friends, I feel safe and calm”