ABOUT MISS RACHAEL
Founder & Artistic Director
25 Years of Vision, Leadership & Professional Excellence
In 2000, I founded Open Stage with a vision that felt both simple and radical: create a professional performing arts school where excellence and inclusion aren't opposites, they're partners.
More than twenty-five years later, that vision has become a force to be reckoned with. Open Stage has grown, adapted, and transformed organically, taking on a life of its own whilst remaining true to the values that started it all.
Today, we occupy the magnificent Queens Building, train students from 3 months to 93 years old across two distinct pathways, and serve as Northampton's leading professional theatre school and community arts hub.
I'm still here. Still leading. Still believing that rigorous training and genuine care can and must coexist.
My Professional Training & Qualifications
I've lived, breathed, and trained in this industry for decades.
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Full Registered Teacher Member with the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD)
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Examiner & Registered Teacher with International Performing Arts and Theatre (I-PATH)
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Certified Acrobatic Arts Teacher with additional certification in AcroDance Pre-School
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Master of Arts in Performance Arts (2011)
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Trained with: ISTD, RAD, BTDA, IDTA, ABRSM
Performance & Teaching Specialisms
Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Modern Theatre Dance, Stage Dance, Acrobatics, AcroDance, Drama, Acting, Directing, Musical Theatre, Vocal Training, Singing, and Instrumental Music. I play five instruments and have been a singer and musician for many bands, performing in venues as far away as Australia. I still enjoy singing whenever I get the opportunity.
I've also completed specialist teacher training for working with children and adults with additional needs, something that remains central to Open Stage's inclusive ethos.
My Professional Journey
1999-2010: Building Foundations
My journey began in 1999 with R&D Theatres, combining backstage technical work with teaching. That same year, I founded the original Open Stage Performance Group, then over the next decade, I worked as Associate Director with R&D Theatres, was an artist and performer with Bamboozle Theatre Company for over ten years, and directed full-scale productions including Musicals on Tour, The 80s Strike Back!, and The Divide—which premiered at the Royal & Derngate Theatre.
In 2006, I became Performing Arts Coordinator at Northgate Arts School, the first UK secondary special needs school to achieve Arts Status. From 2008, I served as Artistic Director for RIP Productions and Peterborough City Council's Musicals Project.
2011- present: Open Stage Evolves
After completing my Master of Arts in 2011, I expanded Open Stage significantly. I designed and delivered workshops for the National Theatre in London, launched ISTD accredited examinations, acquired our first permanent studio, and developed our Early Years programmes including Multi-Sensory Hoo-Ha, our well-loved a baby sensory programme praised by an ISTD Fellowship member.
Most recently, I've collaborated with DK Productions, directing shows including Just We Two and A Christmas Lost & Found, whilst leading Open Stage through its most significant chapter yet: our exciting move to Queens Building in 2024.
What Drives Me
Open Stage isn't just my career. It's my life's work and after 25 years, I'm still driven by the student who arrives shy and leaves with confidence. The family who has been with us across three generations. The 93-year-old who started dancing later in life. The student who books their first professional job. The child with additional needs who doesn't just participate, they thrive.
I'm deeply proud of my dedicated teaching team and I'm lucky to be supported by my patient family. My partner, Steven, is a writer and poet and our son, Joe, an Open Stage alumnus, is currently studying Musical Theatre at Urdang, London.
And then there are the students, past and present, who continue making Open Stage what it is. It's wonderful to see original students now bringing their own children, former students now performing professionally and the community members who've found creative joy at any age. You are my legacy.
Looking Forward
Twenty-five years in, Open Stage is thriving, and we're just getting started. We've secured Queens Building, with all five floors exclusively ours and have invested in facilities and programmes that will serve Northampton for the next 25 years. We've clarified our professional school identity whilst maintaining our community heart.
I'm still leading with vision. Still refusing to compromise on quality or care. Still believing that performing arts can transform lives at any age, any level, any starting point.
If you're looking for a school led by someone who's lived this industry, earnt their qualifications, weathered the challenges, and emerged stronger, then you've found it.
Welcome to Open Stage. Welcome home.