In September 2008, something very small began in Berkshire.
I’d always wanted to run a stage school “when I was older”, and when redundancy loomed that year, it suddenly felt like it was now or never. So StageAbility began with two locations, Tilehurst and Lower Earley, and just five or six children to start with. I couldn’t possibly have imagined that I’d still be doing it 18 years later!
Do you remember 2008?
A lot has changed since our first StageAbility class. The Beijing Olympics had just taken place, with Usain Bolt suddenly becoming one of the biggest names in sport. High School Musical was everywhere, Mamma Mia! had arrived in cinemas that summer and its soundtrack was sitting at the top of the UK soundtrack chart. Camp Rock was another big favourite with young audiences. In fact, in September 2008, Mamma Mia!, High School Musical, High School Musical 2 and Camp Rock occupied the top four places in the UK soundtrack chart.
Saturday-night family TV meant programmes such as Doctor Who and Strictly Come Dancing, and later that year Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death became the most-watched programme of 2008, with an official audience of 16.15 million. Imagine getting that many people to watch the same thing at the same time now!
Facebook was still relatively new to many of us, smartphones hadn’t yet taken over our lives and nobody had heard of TikTok.
Meanwhile, I was opening the doors to two brand-new drama classes and wondering whether anyone was actually going to turn up!
And somehow, here we are…Since then, thousands of children have come through our doors.
We’ve played more drama games than I could ever begin to count, put on shows and pantomimes, run summer projects and watched children who arrived feeling nervous or unsure gradually become comfortable enough to join in, have a go, make friends and discover what they can do.
Some of our students have loved being on stage. Others have never particularly wanted the spotlight, and that’s fine too.
Because although we love theatre, StageAbility has never really been about creating performers. What matters to me is what children gain from drama and take with them into the rest of their lives.
It’s seeing a child who once struggled to speak up begin contributing confidently at school, or watching someone arrive without knowing anybody and, a few weeks later, realise that they have found somewhere they belong. It’s giving children permission to use their imaginations, be ridiculous, try things that might not work and discover that they don’t have to change who they are to fit in.
The confidence, friendships and sense of belonging that can grow from all that are the things I’m proudest of. And I genuinely think children need places like this more than ever. An hour away from screens where they can play games together, use their imaginations, laugh a lot and enjoy being with other children feels pretty valuable in 2026.
Obviously, turning 18 requires a party! Our first class back in September will be an 18th Birthday Party themed drama class.
We’re not abandoning drama for an hour of cake and pass-the-parcel! There will be birthday-themed drama games and challenges, plenty of silliness and some special ways for our students to be part of the celebrations. We’ll be carrying the birthday celebrations through the term too, and you’ll be hearing from the children themselves about their favourite games, what StageAbility means to them and the moments that make them feel they belong.
It seems only right that their voices should be a big part of our 18th year.
Thank you
I really am living the dream I had all those years ago, although I’m fairly sure the 2008 version of me had no idea quite what she was letting herself in for! I’m enormously grateful to the parents who have trusted us with their children over the years, recommended us to friends, brought siblings along and continued to support what we do.
I’m equally grateful to my wonderful team. Some have been with StageAbility for a very long time and I simply couldn’t have done this without them.
Most of all, I’m proud of the children and young people who have thrown themselves into StageAbility over the last 18 years. They are the reason we’re still here.
So, happy 18th birthday to us! I can’t wait to celebrate it with everyone in September.