Episode 6 School for Stars

Many people dream of fame, success and life in the spotlight.

But few realise it takes years of hard work.

We're behind the scenes

of one of THE most famous stage schools in Britain.

-Motivation. Commitment. Let's do it.

-It's got to be sharp, guys.

Where pupils learn to cope

with rivalry, sacrifice and rejection every day.

Russell Brand, Pixie Lott and Leona Lewis all studied here

but this series is about the talent of tomorrow.

This is the School for Stars.

-Coming up on School for Stars -

-I know my mind goes blank in exams.

Panic sets in for Fifi as acting exams begin.

They aren't waiting any longer.

Contemporary dancer, Callum, heads to the national championships.

Fingers crossed, I've danced well and come first.

And emotions runs high, as best friends

Jade and Rhianna go for the same role.

I feel awful and she must feel terrible.

MUSIC

Just like stage schools up and down the country,

the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in Central London

trains young people to sing, dance and act to a professional level.

This year, the school is 100 years old and will be celebrating

with its biggest ever end of year gala show,

which means rehearsals have gone to the next level.

# And when I enter the room it shows

# I move sick (when I dance) # And chicks (when I dance)

# Move in quick (when I dance) # At risk (when I dance)

# Just be careful you don't lose your chick (when I dance) #

Two pupils taking centre stage on the big night

are boyfriend and girlfriend, Max and Jade.

Max had to audition against his best friend, Jordan,

for the chance to sing with Jade.

But since then, the cheeky chap has been taking rehearsals

a little less seriously than his girlfriend.

# But I...# Max, it's not funny!

And now everyone at school's gossiping about it.

If I was Max and Jade, I think I'd be quite nervous right now.

Cos all the school's wanting them to do well,

because everyone knows they're together.

They're the school couple.

I think it's weird. They find it awkward.

I don't understand why they'd find it awkward.

I'd find it really hard to sing with my boyfriend,

especially if the teachers knew I was going out with him.

I'd find that really hard.

Today is the first time

Max and Jade will rehearse the song in front of all their school mates.

Today we're going to perform

the whole duet of Let's Fall in Love. I'm quite nervous,

because it can either be really good or really bad.

I think it's the first time we've done it in front of everyone,

so it's going to be really quite scary.

Just so you know, on this, you'll be singing at the top of the stairs.

It's also the first time they'll sing together in front of

Hayley Newton and assistant director Carl Dechamp,

who have flown in from America, especially to direct the gala.

OK. Let's go from the top.

# Let's close our eyes and make our own paradise

# Little we know of it Soon we can try to make a go of it

# Now, we might have been meant for each other

# To be or not to be Let our hearts discover

# Let's fall in love Why shouldn't we?

# Fall in love

# Now is the time for it While we are young

# Let's fall in love

# Let's fall in love

# Let's fall in love. #

So, what's the verdict?

Um. Er, we just need more time with this, guys.

I need you to practise acting and singing at the same time.

Sometimes you get stuck in the singer mode and it's hard to do...

It's hard to be like, while singing, trying to do motions

and point over there and all that.

So, don't let me down, but continue to shine.

With the gala just weeks away,

performances should be nearly perfect by now.

But is Max's relaxed approach holding the couple back?

I feel that Max gets lost in singing and then he's not really able

to be in the performance

with the other actors and performers on the stage.

As soon as he opens his mouth to sing, he forgets everything else.

I'm sure he has it within him, he just has to find it.

I didn't think I did it so well,

because it was my first time in front of Hayley and everyone else.

It is quite scary, I guess.

They've had training and they know what it is to be good.

They'll either think, "he's good or "he's bad".

So Max knows he's messed up a bit, but will Jade let him off?

I think because I did a really good rehearsal and Max was not so good.

Usually with everyone else it would cause conflict, but with us two

I know why he did it, so I'm OK.

If he does it again, maybe it will be, "Max, come on."

The school's golden couple need to get

some magic back into the routine. But will Max learn his lesson

and start to take the performance as seriously as his girlfriend?

Once you've taken the first one out,

how many are here? Eight. All of these are eights.

It's exam time at school and Fifi is one of the pupils busy revising.

"I am the man, if it be so..."

Fifi dreams of one day becoming an actress.

"..disguise, I see, thou art a wickedness..."

My main thing is acting and it's what I want to do when I grow up,

be on film and all that.

Musical theatre's more what other people want to do

and it's more, like, over the top.

But I like more serious acting.

"..wherein the pregnant enemy does much."

If she wants to become a successful actress,

what better test of her skills

than the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art exams?

"Poor lady, she would better love a dream..."

Known as the LAMDA exams, these tests require young performers

to act out short scenes in front of an examiner.

LAMDA is really important.

I know that I can get distinction, I've just got to work harder.

Girls, all hair off the face

so I can see your lovely, expressive faces.

Today, Fifi has her final revision session

with acting teacher Miss Evaristo.

But as soon as she walks in the door, there's a problem.

Too much make-up. What did I say to you? Come on, Fifi.

Can you give her the wipes, please? Yes, please.

The school has a strict make-up policy which Fifi has broken before.

She's already had detention this term for wearing nail polish.

I suppose I do wear a lot sometimes.

I feel, sometimes, I'm singled out with it.

If other people come in with a lot of make-up on,

it's a one-off so they won't tell them.

With me, it might be a one-off sometimes

but they still tell me off for it.

I feel more confident with it on. I don't know why.

I don't think I look that good without make-up.

I don't look good with make-up but I feel worse without it.

With her exam just days away, can Fifi forget about how she looks

and show everyone how good an actress she is?

OK.

I left no ring with her.

Fortune forbid my outside have not charmed her.

She made good view of me. Indeed, so much

That sure me thought her eyes had lost her tongue...

'Fifi's struggling to master her scene

'from a difficult Shakespeare play.'

..It is too hard a knot for me to untie.

-OK, I'm going to be really honest.

-OK.

-That's not distinction level.

-OK.

It's not. I'll be really honest.

I know you and I know how good you are.

It's a little bit flat.

Have a little bit more energy.

'I have two days before my exam.

'It's all getting to me at the moment.'

All the stress of exams, academic exams, rehearsals

and shows and everything,

I think it's all just getting to me.

I know I've got to just take it all in. I've got to just focus,

I can't let anything get to me.

So, with her exam just around the corner,

can Fifi pull it together and deliver the kind of performance

Miss Evaristo expects from her?

Just like his classmates, Callum trains in the three performing arts

of singing, dancing and acting.

But the school also encourages him to reach for the top

in a very specific discipline.

Callum is a European champion in freestyle dance in his age group.

Contemporary dance is not everyone's cup of tea.

Sometimes the moves you come out with are not normal.

Sometimes you can be like...

You can be twisting your leg one way, but moving the other.

Callum joined the school so he could focus more on contemporary dance.

I enjoy contemporary so much.

It's hard when you're the only boy doing it.

That's why I moved here, so I'm around a lot more people,

a lot more boys that are dancing and you're not the odd one out.

Today, Callum's class is doing presentations in English.

You've got to do a presentation. Like...

What we'd like to do when we're older or, um... our idols,

something to do with that. So I'm doing my idols.

But I'm, like, the quiet one in the class,

so we'll see what happens.

OK, thank you very much, Natasha. Callum, I think it's your turn now.

Callum's chosen to speak on his idol, Lady Gaga.

Lady Gaga is one of my idols.

She's not bothered with what people think about her.

She does what she wants to do, wears what she wants

and if people make up rubbish about her behind her back,

she just takes it on the chin and carries on with her life.

The most important thing to me is, she says you're all an individual

and you're all loved by someone.

I think that's a role model for me, that's why she's my idol. Thank you.

Lady Gaga isn't the only thing on Callum's mind, though.

In a few days, he's defending his title

at the National Freestyle Dance Championships.

So it's back to the studio for more practice.

Jordan is another star in the making,

but recently, things haven't been going his way.

He's had a string of auditions for everything from the school gala

to huge West End shows, but he kept getting turned down.

-Too tall.

-You're too tall?

Last week, he finally got a dream role in the Wizard Of Oz.

You have got... the role of a munchkin!

Woohoo!

I'm so proud of you!

Yeah, I got it.

SCREAMING

Thank you.

Today, Jordan's getting a tour of the theatre

from the show's director.

-Hi, Kate.

-Jordan, hello. How are you?

-Fine, thank you.

-So nice to see you again.

Let's get you signed in and we can get going.

This is where a lot of our quick changes happen.

-So that's a monkey.

-How many monkeys do you have, quite a lot?

-Three.

-Are they the suits?

-Yeah. Monkey wings.

-That's very cool. That's good.

These are some of our Munchkin Land props.

-When the munchkins appear, they all have umbrellas.

-Including me?

-Yeah.

This is my room.

This is our height board and these are our existing munchkins.

We measured their height and had them written down

and you are the tallest of all the munchkins.

That's cool cos I'm normally the small one. But now I'm the tallest.

This is the wicked witch's dressing room.

Jordan will be working three nights a week for the next six months,

all on top of his regular school timetable.

Today's the perfect chance for him to get ready

for his big first night.

-This is Jordan.

-Hello.

-Come in.

Pleased to meet you. Welcome to wardrobe.

# Ding Dong the merry-oh Sing it high, sing it low... #

We're going to run the tape measure around you

to see what your costume size is. Big breath. Lovely.

-Are they monkey tails?

-That's actually the lion's tail.

Well cool. It's quite heavy for doing it in the show, I guess,

but it's really good.

This way to wigs.

Hiya.

These are all our wigs. This is for Emerald City.

This is for the munchkins.

So this is the hat that you're going to wear for the show.

-How's that?

-It's good.

It's like cool dudes and they have it back to front.

While he's here, he's got the chance

to brush up on his munchkin skills.

All munchkins play kazoo. Can you do that?

That end.

HE BLOWS AIR

Instead of just blowing, you have to sing through it.

HE SINGS A NOTE

It looks really amazing. I've always wanted to be in a West End show.

It's a great opportunity.

Now I've seen everything, I'm even more excited to do it, I can't wait.

It'll be amazing.

It may have taken months of auditions for Jordan to get here,

but he's taken no time at all

to get used to his new life as a young star.

Ella?

Ella. Ella!

Have you done your exam?

Back to school and it's exam time for aspiring actress Fifi.

-You all right, Fifi?

-No.

-Why?

I'm so scared.

I know my mind goes blank in exams.

'Today, everyone's doing their LAMDA exams.

'On the weekend, I didn't go out at all

'I stayed home and went through my lines.'

My weekend was really boring, but hopefully it pays off.

It has to.

Fifi finds exams stressful,

but she's found her own way of staying calm.

I feel really intimidated by examiners

so I get really scared.

My mum's friend said they're just like you and me

so don't feel intimidated. Just imagine them on the toilet.

SHE GIGGLES

What did I say to you? Come on, Fifi.

In her final revision session,

Fifi was told off for wearing too much make-up.

Even though she's toned it down for her exam,

she's still managed to let something slip her mind.

Rub your face, otherwise the cloth is coming.

I have, Miss. I've got pen on me. Ah!

Oh... Oh, Fifi...

Fifi's gone to wash the pen off her face, but she's due to be

in the exam room any minute...

-Yes, please.

-..and she's nowhere to be seen.

Sorry, Mr Stanley. Two minutes.

Erm, I think she may be in the toilets.

Tell her ASAP.

-Fifi, now.

-It's Tamara.

-No, it's not Tamara.

Shoes on. Quickly.

Fifi thinks her classmate Tamara is supposed to be in the exam room.

-Tamara's meant to be before me.

-She's not.

Come on. Don't keep the examiner waiting any longer.

Right, come on, Fifi.

..said to you. And remember everything that we said.

Bubbly, bubbly, energy. Come on...

The braces!

And, just as she's about to go into the exam,

Fifi's also left her braces in.

Go in there and just do what you do best. All right?

So, how did Fifi get on?

It actually went so good.

It was really good.

He seemed like a very nice man.

-Are you in now?

-Yeah, I'm after you.

Just relax. Don't be, like, all nervous.

It'll make him awkward.

It's been worth all the hard work like staying in on the weekend.

The extra lessons, going through it with my mum, it's definitely helped.

I'm very glad that people pushed me even though it was stressful.

-You've done it now.

-Yes.

-So that stress is over.

-Thank you.

-You're welcome.

You're welcome.

Now her acting exam has gone so well, will Fifi learn

to lose the make-up and let her talent do the talking?

Tomorrow I'll be wearing make-up

and my hair will be down and I'll have earrings in and nail polish...

No! I've made a ban for myself that I'm not wearing mail polish.

You might see me in nail polish tomorrow.

See ya.

Oh well, one step at a time, eh, Fifi.

Callum is a European freestyle dance champion

and a national champion.

Today he's returning to the King's Cup National Championships

to defend his crown.

Callum is one of the strongest contemporary dancers at his school,

but today he'll be competing against

some of the best young dancers in the country.

It's really busy so it'll be a good atmosphere.

It's exciting, but nervous at the same time.

'Time for the boys.'

To guarantee a place in the final,

Callum has to get through the qualifiers.

'Boys to the floor, please, to a rapturous round of applause.'

APPLAUSE

Freestyle dance is about putting

your body and mind into the performance.

Callum is giving it everything.

Callum's cousin Charlotte follows him at competitions,

but she thinks he could have done better.

It looked good, but your ending... You started off fantastic,

but you've got to keep going

cos they can change the marks at the end.

Other than that, it's good.

'Before I danced, I felt a little bit nervous,'

but I thought it went all right.

I thought I danced 80 out of 100, but I just need to put the extra 20% in.

Callum's made it through to the final, but can he up his game?

This is the bit where they mark you on

whether you're coming first or sixth.

It's a big difference so fingers crossed I dance well and come first.

Completing his final dance, 444.

And who better to dance to in the final than the star that

inspired him to be who he is - Lady Gaga.

MUSIC: "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga

So, Callum's performed as best as he can today,

but will it be enough to impress the judges and keep his crown?

After that, I don't think I could have done any more.

I danced to my max, but I hope I've just had the chance to win.

So, has he won?

It's time to find out.

The winner is number 444.

Callum's done it. He's national champion again.

A lot of pressure was on myself, but now all the pressure's off

it feels really good.

Done it last year, now this year it's a double whammy.

# Dance, dance

# Just, just, just dance... #

Everyone at school is busy preparing

for the end of year gala show,

but it seems no-one's busier than Jade.

As well as singing a duet with her boyfriend,

Jade's the understudy in another song for her best friend.

Since securing her lead role in the gala,

Rhianna's had to overcome problems with her throat.

Although she's recovered, the school is worried that if she puts

too much strain on her voice, she could seriously damage it.

So musical director Simon has called a meeting.

We had concerns from various worried people about your voice.

I think that whole song might actually set you back

in damage with your throat.

To make sure it's safe for Rhianna to continue,

the school wants to hear her sing again

and have asked her to re-audition for the role

against her best friend Jade.

-I'm so scared.

-It's fine.

-I'm going to cry.

-Don't cry, don't cry.

-Hoo!

The concern for Rhianna's voice

is for her safety and her age and her development.

Her throat's still growing. We are concerned about her vocals.

She's so precious, so gifted.

We're raising the question whether we should rest Rhianna

for this show for her own sake.

I'm... No, don't, I'm fine. You'll make me worse.

Rhianna is devastated by the decision.

You've just got to know, yeah, how much this part means to me, OK?

Even though emotions are running high, Rhianna's got to audition first

and Jade's finding it all a bit too much.

I feel awful. She's my best friend, she means the world to me.

It's really hard and I know this is show business

and it is like everything, it's just she gave me a hug and was like,

"This means everything to me."

When you hear that and then have to audition, it's not fair.

Despite her recent vocal problems,

Rhianna's managed to get through her audition,

but now it's Jade's turn.

Jade.

Jade wants to do her best in the audition,

but she knows if she sings really well,

she might take her best friend's role.

If I don't end up getting it, I'll just be so happy that

she's got it. I'll be so happy for her

cos she's my best friend and I know that if she wants to do it

she'll do it amazingly.

But does Jade want it?

Head of musical theatre, Karen, thinks the pressure

of choosing between herself and best friend has got to her.

I think I know what's going on, you're trying to protect your friend.

I don't want that.

Could I have Rhianna in?

OK, obviously we want to make sure that you are safe

and not going to develop anything further,

so what we're going to do is... The decision is that we're going to

stick with Rhianna and you're going to be understudy.

-OK.

-OK?

So you need to work as a team and make sure that you

look after each other and support each other.

If at any time we feel there's a problem, Rhianna, I will pull you.

Rhianna's kept her dream role.

-There you go.

-I didn't think...

'Jade's my best mate, she's always been there for me. I wouldn't want'

anyone else to be my understudy.

I know it sounds really cheesy, but it's actually true.

I'm just really happy. I'm the happiest person.

I didn't want to upset Rhianna, so I didn't think I tried.

I'm disappointed with myself for having this attitude

even though she's my best friend.

Jade's put friendship before her own interests

but come gala time, will she still think she's made the right decision?

Don't ever be afraid to be yourself.

It might mean standing out from the crowd

or making difficult decisions.

Just be confident, hold your head up high

and stay true to who you are.

# You're amazing

# Just the way you are. #

Next time on School For Stars...

..the school's most experienced performers go head to head.

You're now in competition with everyone in the room.

And there's even more drama for Rhianna and Jade

as their friendship is put to the test again.

I'm in the middle and I don't know what to do.

This is life at the School for Stars.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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