PQA Sutton Coldfield.

Ava Diaz-Thomas

Ava attended PQA for 8 years and there she found her passion for all things Film and Television related and soon realised her hobby of film making could turn into a real job. Following on from her time at PQA, Ava went to study Creative Media Production and Broadcast at Birmingham Ormiston Academy and Stage and Screen for 4 years. She is currently in her last year, hoping next year to attend The NFTS to study a 1st AD course.

Camilla Bolton

Milly graduated with a first class degree in music performance specialising in vocals at the University of West London. Milly has been a professionally singing for 10 years performing in venues across the country and most recently in a touring 80s and rock show ‘The Great Big Show!’ Alongside her performing, Milly delivers vocal coaching to children and adults and has worked at primary schools locally to deliver Performing Arts workshops and after school clubs. "I love having the opportunity to help children develop their musical theatre skills from a young age and seeing their confidence grow week by week."

Emma Cross

Emma is a trained Level 3 Teaching Assistant, working full time as a Teaching Assistant in the week, with excellent experience working with SEND students. Emma believes in all children being seen and heard in order to reach their full potential and this is really evident in Emma's nurturing approach where she gets to know each child and what they need to flourish. Emma's child has attended PQA for several years and has really blossomed in confidence!

Faith Bartlett

Faith's passion for performing arts began at a young age, with Faith having ballet lessons from just three years old. Faith has experience in many styles of dance and has attended local drama clubs. Faith has performed various lead roles in shows before going to University where she is a third year student at LMA Liverpool studying Musical Theatre. Faith has a key passion for drama, believing it is the key to building confidence in any child.

Gemma Gilbert

After successfully auditioning Gemma gained a place at the ‘Birmingham Ormiston Academy (BOA)’ where she combined her Key Stage 4 studies with her love of Musical Theatre. Gemma also completed her 6th form studies at BOA and gained a BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Musical Theatre. Gemma completed a Foundation in Musical Theatre and undertook her professional training for a Musical Theatre degree at ‘The Institute of the Arts Barcelona (IAB)’. Whilst at university she was an Ambassador for Mind Apples which raises awareness of the importance of Mental Health and self-care. Throughout her training Gemma was involved in many shows some of her highlights were playing ‘Paulette Buonofonte’ in Legally Blonde and ‘Carol Strong’ in Catch Me If You Can’, in addition working as a Dance Captain and Assistant Director with industry professionals. Gemma has worked professionally with ‘Double A Productions’ in Barcelona and ‘Motionhouse Dance Company’, including teaching Musical Theatre in Spain. Gemma also teaches Adults Musical Theatre Jazz to allow everyone to enjoy dance, even if they have never performed before. Gemma is now undertaking her PGCE at Derby University, she loves teaching at PQA Sutton Coldfield where her skills and experience support all the children that attend the academies.

George Bartlett

George is an SEND Teaching Assistant in the week with a passion for theatre, musicals, and movies. Coming from a musical family, with siblings in the profession, he's always been immersed in the performing arts industry. He has had to rely on his excellent organisation and administrative skills in a range of roles: events management, lighting programming, graphic/video editing, website building, social media management and escape room operations. At PQA, George is the friendly face you'll see on a Saturday organising the day to day administration of the academy - from ensuring tuck shop never runs out to finding out if your child is okay if they aren't at academy! George has excellent rapport with our students and you can often find him having supportive one to one chats. George loves nurturing our young talent while ensuring Saturdays are the best experience possible for our PQAers!

Georgina Kerr-Jones

Georgina has been performing as an actress for the last 12 years and is currently working within the industry represented by an agency. She trained at the University of Central Lancashire and received a 1st class Honors in Acting. She has also been training with ‘Inspire Actors’ and ‘Glu Theatre’ for the last 2 years. Georgina has been in a variety of plays, short films, commercials and music videos and recently played the lead role of ‘Marilyn Monroe’ at Sutton Arts Theatre. She also works as a children’s party entertainer for ‘The Character Corner’ where she finds great fulfilment working with children as it allows her to support their creativity and development.

Kathleen Stevenson

Maddison Temperton

Maddi has trained in a variety of dance and musical theatre styles for the past fourteen years and has always had a passion for performing. She trained at Birmingham Ormiston Academy and achieved a Distinction* in her BTEC extended diploma in Performing Arts. Maddi began her teaching career four years ago, teaching dance and musical theatre to 2-18 year olds. She regularly still performs, recently showcasing her talent at Chance2Dance, Alton Towers. Maddi has passed Classical Ballet and Tap exams through IDTA. Maddi also has experience of working 1-1 with SEND children to help them access and enjoy performing. She is excited to work with all the students at PQA, with her aim being to encourage them to express themselves, while discovering their love of musical theatre and performing!

Paige Brookes

With 20 years performing experience, Paige graduated from Aberystwyth university in 2017 with a degree in theatre, film and TV. Since then she went on to complete her PGCE at BCU and become a performing arts teacher in a specialist vocational school located in Walsall called Studio School and Sixth. For six years Paige has trained hundreds of pupils, supporting them in becoming triple threat performers whilst also helping them gain entry into the best drama schools across the UK such as Performers, Bird, Italia Conti, GSA and many more. She is passionate about the expressionistic and transferable qualities that performing arts provides to young people. Having then completed her Masters in 2022, she has dedicated herself to the fundamentals behind teaching and learning, ensuring accessibility and progression for all the students that she teaches.

Sarah Bragington

Sarah trained as a Primary School teacher and has worked with children for over twenty two years in different capacities – in primary schools and extra curricular activities! Sarah regularly performs with SCMTC and the D Day Darlings Sutton Coldfield Voices choir. Sarah has been working in the Poppets team for over five years and also organises everything administration related for Elisa; she has helped PQA Sutton Coldfield grow from strength to strength and is an asset to our academy!

Yuliya Sanford

Yuliya, a mum of two boys and originally from Bulgaria, is a highly experienced Level 3 Teaching assistant who has vast experience working with SEND children. Her nurturing approach to young people is what makes Yuliya the perfect Teaching Assistant for PQA Sutton Coldfield's AM2 Green Group!