Drama, dance and singing classes in
Galway

John trained at the Arts Educational Schools London and The Acting Company graduating with full Equity status. He has been a professional actor for fourteen years and working for Stagecoach for nearly five of them. West End and London Theatre credits include Coffee, Cigarettes and Paranoia (Royal Court), Dealing with Clair (Union Theatre), The Shadow of a Gunman (White Bear Theatre), Sleeping Around (Lyric Hammersmith), Bottom Dog and The Master Forger for Two Colour Theatre Co at The Tabard, Black Soap (Landor Theatre). Television and film credits include Fair City (RTE), The Bill (ITV), Uncle Max (BBC), Mule (Panoptican Pictures for FilmFour), Madrid, Diameter of a Bomb (Discovery Channel), When Love Goes Wrong (Sky), The Paul Ramsden Story, Tonight with Trevor McDonald (ITV). John has appeared in commercials, corporate films and is an experienced role player and writer for drama-based learning and development. Under his supervision, Stagecoach now educates over 175 children across three centres in Galway and Ennis.

Rose has been working with Stagecoach for three years since completing her MA in Drama and Theatre Studies in NUIG. She is now our resident singing coach after previously teaching drama and singing to our Early Stages students. Rose is the producer and founding member of Waterdonkey Theatre Company, a Galway based collective producing newly devised work. Rose has achieved honours in Pianoforte to Grade V with the Royal Irish Academy of Music and also trained as a mezzo soprano with the McCafferty School of Music in Derry, where she obtained honours in Voice through the Trinity Board of Music in London. Her theatre credits this year include The Very Best of John Lennon, (Waterdonkey), Ciosa Le Gear (Wrong Curtain) and The Secret Garden (Moonfish) and Ceart agus Coir (TG4). Rose also teaches singing lessons in Ennis on Fridays at Stagecoach Clare.

Zita has worked for Stagecoach for three years and also teaches drama in our County Clare centre in Ennis. Originally from Dublin, Zita completed her MA in Drama and Theatre studies from NUIG and is a professional actress, a member of Mephisto Theatre Company and co-founder of Waterdonkey Theatre. Her theatre credits as an actor and director include for Mephisto: Dystance, Dilatation,The World's Wife, (which toured to the Brighton Fringe Festival May 2010), The Importance of Being Earnest and Art. Other work incudes I-Keano (Lane Productions), Ashes to Ashes by Harold Pinter (Suantra Theatre) and The Secret Garden (Moonfish Theatre, which was part of the highly acclaimed International Children's Theatre Festival Babor). Film and TV work includes al2 TG4 2009, Jack Taylor TG4 2010 and appearances on Imeall TG4 2010; Dogged (2009), Strangely on a Train (2010), Nun or the Udder(2010) for independent film-maker Richard Walsh. Zita has co-directed holiday workshops for Stagecoach and teaches drama to young adults at the GAF project for Youth Work Ireland and Frige Clubs in Galway.

Sorcha has worked for Stagecoach for nearly four years. A talented and enthusiastic dance coach for children and has also recently graduated with an honours degree in Music, majoring in Performance at NUI Maynooth. Sorcha is currently completing a performance diploma and has danced professionally for fundraisers, fashion shows, corporate events and has been actively involved with choreography for many shows and musicals. Sorcha studied ballet and modern dance with CDA. As well as teaching at Stagecoach Clare and Galway centres, Sorcha also teaches keyboard and piano lessons in Ratoath School of Music and Glasnevin School of Music.

Aoibheann started ballet at the age of three and continued to take up modern jazz and tap. At fifteen she moved to Dublin to take part in an intensive full time dance course for three months where she studied ballet, hip hop, flamenco, contemporary, jazz and musical theatre in a professional atmosphere. Aoibheann has completed the Royal Academy of Dance grades syllabus, pre-professional vocational ballet exams to intermediate standard as well as ISTD modern exams to grade six. As a member of the semi professional ballet company "Youth Ballet West", Aoibheann has worked with the company since 2007 performing roles including that of Snow White. Aoibheann has worked as an assistant and dance teacher at Stagecoach for the last year and also now teaches drama and singing in our Early Stages classes.

Ciara has been teaching dance at Stagecoach Galway for nearly three years. She studied at The Margaret Howard Theatre Organisation and Teacher Training College, Hertfordshire, where she gained invaluable experience under the tuition of many West End and Broadway performers, professional ballet dancers and ISTD examiners studying ballet, modern, jazz, tap, hip hop and contemporary dance. Prior to this, Ciara studied at Corrib Dance Academy where she achieved Advanced 1 in ITSD Modern dance, Intermediate in ISTD Tap and Intermediate in RAD Ballet. Ciara is a past choreographer and assistant for Athenry Musical Society and is currently completing her ISTD teaching qualifications in tap and modern. Ciara teaches dance to both Early Stages and Main School students at Stagecoach Galway.

Alison graduated with an MA in Drama and Theatre Studies from NUI, Galway, in 2009 and is currently studying for her HDip in Primary Education with Hibernia College. She is no stranger to the stage having performed with Performing Arts Schools, Pantomimes and Musicals throughout Galway. Whilst studying for her undergraduate degree she took up the role of Musical Director with the University's Musical Society (GUMS) and produced Back to the 80s and Disco Inferno. For her work with GUMS, Alison was awarded an honourary life membership in 2009. Her MA opened the door to working with Graffitti Theatre Company in Cork where she spent many fruitful months. Alison has studied Voice and Piano with the Royal Irish Academy of Music achieving her Diploma in voice in 2007 and grade 8 in piano in 2006. She also studied clarinet with the Associated Board of Music. She has specialised in teaching Musical Theatre over the past few years privately to children in Galway and Ennis. Last year Alison worked with Stagecoach's main school and is delighted to have the opportunity to work with Early Stages now!