Anthony and Ella, have over 10 years of professional experience working within the UK's theatre industry and possess expert knowledge through working with top youth programs across the country; granting you faith that your young creatives can have the high-quality training and development they deserve.

It is pivotal to us that your young creatives feel like they are treated as a professional in our company; this is why we will make sure that all of our tutors, principals, and associates are currently working with direct links into the industry, making sure that our company stands out as one that offers certified, dynamic and professional teaching.

Co-Founder/Director and Choreographer (Musical Theatre Performance)

Ella-Jane Thomas

Training: Big Little Theatre School, NYMT and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

Further credits: Three Mobile/Gogglebox (Ident/Commercial), Baby Billy Goat in 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff' (UK Tour), Simple Simone in 'Jack & The Beanstalk' (Loughborough Townhall) & Fox/Daisy in 'The Gingerbread Man' (R&D Workshop).Imaginary(Other Palace).Whistle Down the Wind( Rose Theatre Kingston).

Ella was also the recipient of the Great British Pantomime Awards for Best Newcomerin 2018.

Ella has been teaching for over 10 years starting from children aged 6 months to 18 years, specialising in Baby Ballet and Musical Theatre.

Anthony Underwood

Co-Founder/Producer

(Musical Theatre Performance)

Anthony studied at Royal Holloway, University of London, and currently works as a theatre director and producer.

Theatre Includes as Director: The Legend of White Bear Lake (Theatre Severn and Theatre Royal, Plymouth), Rearranged (Iris Theatre), Now. Here. This (Chiswick Playhouse, Golden Goose Theatre, and RamJam Records), Traingle (George Wood Theatre), Tick, Tick... Boom! (Etcetera Theatre), Pippin (Edinburgh Fringe).

As Assistant/Associate Director: Gatsby (Southwark Playhouse), CASES (The Other Palace), Cinderella (New Wimbledon Theatre), Multiverse (Waterloo East Theatre), Half a Sixpence (New Wimbledon Theatre), Parade (The Other Palace), Let It, Snow! 2018 (Regent's Hall), The Jabberwocky (The Other Palace and Theatre Royal, Margate), Let It, Snow! 2017 (Regent's Hall).

Other Projects: The Mystery of Morden Hall Park (Morden Hall Park), The Steadfast Tin Soldier (BYMT), Vanessa and the Lost Stars (Bethany Cooper Productions), Adeline (Taxi Man Productions), and The Gingerbread Man (Singapore Repertory Theatre).

Anthony has also worked for many of the leading youth ensembles in the UK including National Youth Music Theatre, British Youth Music Theatre, Ambassador's Stage Experience and holds outstanding reviews from Bigfoot Arts Educations and LAMDA

The Creatives

Assistant Director/Acting Coach

(Musical Theatre Performance)

Meg Coslett

Originally from Swansea, Meg joined the National Youth Theatre at 16 and went onto read Education with English, Drama & the Arts at Cambridge University. During her time at Cambridge, Meg participated in a variety of productions from musical theatre ('The Producers', 'Assassins' & 'Legally Blonde'), to Shakespeare ('Much Ado About Nothing' & 'Twelfth Night') and performing in Gary Owen's political monologue play 'Iphigenia in Splott' in her final year. She also wrote for and performed extensively with The Cambridge Footlights, participating in their sell-out 2018 Edinburgh Fringe show 'Pillow Talk' which also toured across the UK, Canada and USA, as well as fortnightly 'Smokers', the 2017 pantomime and 2020 Spring Revue.

Meg has been an English teacher for the past 3 years where she held the responsibility of Deputy Head of Year and Curriculum Lead for Year 8. She has now taken a step back from teaching full-time to pursue a career in the arts industry. She is super excited to be a part of the JTA team!

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Musical Director/Vocal Coach

(Musical Theatre Performance, LAMDA and Harris Academy)

Anna Hale

Anna studied Linguistics at the University of York before training with the National Youth Music Theatre as an actor and director.

Recent credits include: Madge in It's A Mad, Mad, Mad Madge (Pinchy Theatre); Children's Director - Newsies (Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre); Children's Director - Annie Get Your Gun (Lavender Theatre)

Further credits include: Understudy LV / Sadie in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (UK Tour); Choreographer - DIVA: Live From Hell! (Turbine Theatre); Assistant Director/Captioner - The Rhythmics (Southwark Playhouse); Associate Director/Choreographer - Errol's Garden (UK tour); Jessica in London Road (Cuba Pictures/BBC Films)

Anna also creates and shares her own songs and vocal arrangements on social media. Her online content has accumulated over 3 million views, and has been viewed and shared by artists such as Chris Martin, Lily Allen, Jacob Collier, Dodie and Cody Fry.

Testimonies

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A Company Like No Other...

A SPRINGBOARD FOR YOUR FUTURE

JTA is dedicated to pursuing the goals of our young creatives' futures. Whether their sights are set on a creative path or on other avenues in the great tapestry of the world; JTA is a place that offers its company high quality advice, mentorships, experience and accreditation to springboard their future.

HIGH QUALITY AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE

JTA is passionate about making sure that all young people can access the arts. Our ‘company’ boasts competitive prices per hour; offering high quality teaching at an affordable price. If you have any uncertainties about our course fees please drop us an email and we can chat about how JTA can accomodate your young creative!

PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER

Our company is motivated by the importance of a meaningful community. In JTA, our young creatives are a company of equal individuals. Our professionals will ensure that collaboration, responsibility and resilience are placed at the heart of our termly projects. Our company will feel like they are a pivotal part of JTA’s success.

BECOME A YOUNG CREATIVE

Our students are what makes JTA. Unlike many larger franchises, JTA wants to ensure that our current company has a strong influence on the projects we create. Your term at JTA is like no other before you; and you get to be the individuals and creatives that influence what that looks like.

STRETCHING BEYOND THE STAGE

We recognise the importance of building up our young creatives in more than just their onstage skills. JTA will offer training like no other school. One that will involve exploring beyond the stage into areas like Playwriting, Set Design, Lighting Design or Stage Management. Through the term we will be bringing in industry professionals to provide one-off workshops on a multitude of different areas within the creative industries.