Episode 8 School for Stars

Millions dream of fame, success, and a life in the spotlight.

But few realise what it takes to make it to the top.

You can do it. It's just fear. That's all it is.

We are back...

One, two, three, four, five...

..inside one of the most famous stage schools in Britain...

# And we danced all night to the best song ever... #

..London's Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts,

where for some pupils dreams of a career on screen

and stage really can come true.

Pose, pose, pose, pose.

This is what life is like for those seeking the big time.

They should be mesmerised by you.

This is the School For Stars.

Previously on School For Stars...

Bandmates Max and Luca

found the ideal venue...

It's going to be great.

..and auditioned their support act.

But will they hold it together for their debut gig?

There are so many people here.

Oh!

The third years performed the showcase

in a bid to bag representation.

There is a lot of casting agents. The pressure is definitely on.

Now some of those casting agents are coming to school

looking for more talent.

Can Demi put her fears aside

and wow them?

Very nervous, yes, because I find dancing is my strength,

but singing not as much.

And Karen planned a world-record challenge for the school.

I need a full split all the way down.

But can they beat the odds and get into the record books?

-We've got one last attempt.

-One more attempt.

This school may teach everything about performing arts,

but a big part of success is having the motivation to do

things off your own back.

And today that is exactly what Max, Luca and Matthew are doing.

Live music! 'We are trying to hand out some posters for our gig'

and trying to round up some people to take the leaflets

and maybe one or two of them will show up, which would be really great.

Their big gig is tonight and they've been flyering

just outside the school.

Are you all right, sir?

But so far it's not been going too well.

Hello, sir. Hello, sir. Hello, ma'am. Live music!

-Do this, do this.

-Shut up.

-Let me try my own method.

-Our methods have been slightly different.

-Put on a little voice. Hello, there!

-Hello!

My method is stand and smile. Just sat there and hand it out.

If anyone wants it, they grab it.

-Live music.

-Hello, do you want...?

Oh, no! All right, mate!

I think you might be barking up the wrong tree there, Max.

DANCE MUSIC PLAYS

Students at this school are taught to be "triple threats",

which means they have to be equally good at dancing, singing...

THEY SING

..and acting.

I love him so much.

And for the third years, this is about to be put to the test again.

# I walk this empty street on the boulevard of broken dreams. #

A couple of weeks ago, they showcased their talent in front

of industry agents.

Now one of the casting agencies has come back looking for pupils

to join them.

I don't know how many other opportunities we're going to

get to audition for agencies while at college.

'I've got to take it with both hands.'

It's a rare second chance to get a head start in the industry.

The pressure's on, but it's a good pressure.

The agents only want the best and want to see everything they can do.

We are looking for talent to add to our books. Don't stress out.

If you make a mistake, just smile, cover it up,

show me your performance. Good. Have fun.

First up is dancing.

They have a matter of minutes to pick up a complicated routine.

Then it's time to shine.

Josephine and Luke.

If they want to get picked, they have to impress.

It is really difficult to understand what an agent is thinking

'because they have to keep a kind of straight face to make it fair.,

Give me more of your face. I want to see more from you.

Now give me something different. Show me different sides of you.

It's tough, but one person is making her mark.

DANCE MUSIC PLAYS

Look how precise they are.

19-year-old Demi is wowing the agents.

I think that's my picks of the week.

Look at those turns. Lovely.

Yes.

'The dancing went really well. I really enjoyed it.'

The choreography was lovely. That made you feel really relaxed.

Demi may have impressed with her dancing

but the next stage of the audition is threat two - singing.

And she's worried.

I'm very nervous, yes.

I find dancing is much my strength, but singing not as much.

If she wants to be picked by the agents, Demi has to

sing as well as she can dance.

Will she be able to do it?

Also under pressure to showcase their vocal talents

are Max and Luca. Yes, tonight the world gets to meet...

It's a brand-new band name for the debut gig. With Matthew

on guitar and Jay on drums, they have just an hour before showtime.

-Whoa.

-Hang on, we are playing three different songs.

Whilst the boys soundcheck, their support act arrives.

There's like drums and there's microphones

and there's like everything.

Although hand-picked by Max and Luca,

the girls have never sung to an audience outside school...

I've learnt how to play the drums.

..ever.

No, we're usually just on our own.

It will be different performing in front of everyone.

"Cos we gon' rock this club." Then... Oh! Oh!

-The microphones were turned on.

-Hello.

THEY LAUGH

Whilst the girls get to grips with the sound system,

backstage the boys are perfecting

that all-important rock 'n' roll look.

-Shall I take the tie off?

-Whatever you want.

-No-one's going to stop and look.

-Tie off, innit? Yeah.

-Look at him.

-We need to look the part.

I think this is a bit '70s, you know what I mean?

The look may help but true singing success is all about sounding good.

At the school, the casting agents are now putting the students

through their vocal paces.

# My bonds and shares may fall downstairs... #

# Don't you want to be there running the show until it's time to go...? #

# And I suddenly turn and see her fabulous face... #

And with solo auditions, there is a golden rule.

Always have an alternative.

Do you have something more musical theatre?

Pretend you're going for Singing In The Rain. What would you sing?

Do you have something pop, rock, ballad?

Do you have something poppy?

The casting agents have everyone's CV in front of them.

And on his, Reece has highlighted his passion for acting.

-Do you have a little monologue?

-It would take time to prepare one.

-It's OK.

-I did a little bit in my showcase that I could do for you.

I just want to hear like a 20 second... Yes.

-That's fine.

-OK.

If you want to know, I've been in love with Suzy

since we were in primary school,

ever since I saw her as the Virgin Mary at the school nativity play.

Amazing. Sorry. I'm going to stop you. Thank you so much. That's great.

Reece has stayed calm and managed to impress them.

But the agents are running a really tough audition today.

That was fun(!)

And now it's Demi's turn to face the panel.

A little bit nervous,

but I'll breathe and I should get through OK.

If she wants representation, she has to sing her heart out.

# Stayed in bed all morning just to pass the time

# There's something wrong here there can be no denying... #

It's not great. They want to use something else.

Could I hear you sing a little bit of Wherever He Ain't?

-Is that OK?

-Yeah.

# I walk behind him like a meek little lamb

# And had my fill of his not giving a damn

# I'll go to Sydney or Ceylon or Siam

# Wherever he ain't

# Then I'm going North

# He's going back I'm going forth

# Wherever he ain't. #

It's a good effort, but is it strong enough to get chosen?

You were one of the best dancers that we saw.

One of our favourites. We all agreed on that.

We would definitely love to represent you. OK?

-Yeah. That's great.

-Thank you so much.

-Thank you very much.

Take care. Thank you. Take care.

She's done it.

It went much better than I thought. I feel a bit more relaxed now.

I can smile.

But for Reece, although he had a good audition,

they've not given him an answer yet.

I'm so nervous now. I hope it happens. It was a good audition,

so let's just hope.

Back at the big gig,

pretty much everyone from school has turned up to watch.

I'm looking forward to it.

I think the concert will be really cool.

I've quite high expectations

because they've been practising for quite a while.

-I expect it to be different to what we've seen before.

-But really good.

-Are they singing as well?

-Yeah, singing and they've got the guitar.

-It should be good.

-Pretty awesome.

The girls must be pretty nervous

-because it's their first gig.

-They can't see us, can they?

But I think they're going to be amazing.

I'm really nervous to be first on. It has to be good.

It's really nerve-racking that we're first. It's really scary.

There's so many people here.

It's so real now because when you're at school, rehearsing,

it doesn't feel real at all, it just feels like we're just doing it.

HE SIGHS

We're going to go on stage in a few minutes and sing.

I think it's going to be a great night if we get it right.

The venue is filling up, and though backstage is for artists only,

one Max fan has managed to dodge security.

-His mum.

-That's so embarrassing.

-Listen...

-I understand.

Can you go away, please?

-There's some wet wipes down there.

-Thanks!

-And I got them so you could all just freshen up!

-Yeah, better do that.

-< Thank you, Lucy. Love you! Bye!

-Bye!

They're on in a matter of minutes.

Just in time for a bit of a rock'n'roll warm up.

-ALL SING:

-Eee-ah-ah-ah-aa-aa!

Guys, let's go, your audience is waiting for you.

Good luck, girls. Woo!

It's a full house. And now it's showtime.

# It's not about the money, money, money

# We don't need your money, money, money

# We just want to make the world dance

# Forget about the price tag

# Going back to the pages where it used to matter

# Handing my love to you on a platter

# Either way, no, I don't care

# I throw my hands up in the air sometimes

# Saying ayo, baby let's go. #

CHEERING

The girls are a hit.

-And breathe.

-I know. I was so nervous.

With the support act done, it's now Max and Luca's turn.

Can they rock the place more?

# I was so high I did not recognise

# The fire burning in her eyes

# The chaos that controlled my mind

# And it feels like I am just too close to love you

# Cos it all must feel like nothing changed at all. #

Thank you.

CHEERING

Thank you very much.

They've brought the house down.

It was amazing. It was great.

I think they should be really proud of themselves.

-I think they all did really well.

-Thank you.

-Well done, Maxy!

-Shush.

Everyone was shouting "I love you, Max,"

because he's got a great voice.

And he just brings all the group together, really.

I reckon, if we gel more as a band, and kind of like work together

and progress, I think we could be doing world tours one day, yeah.

A new day at school and, as usual, everyone is working hard.

# It's a hard knock life for us

# It's a hard knock life for us... #

Although today it's not just the students being stretched

to the limits. Karen is also feeling the pressure.

Make sure you're limbered up.

Keep warming up, everyone, please, no injuries!

To up the school's profile and raise some cash for the trust,

she's organised a mass split jump, which is a line of people

-doing the splits one after the other.

-What leg should I do?

It doesn't matter. When we get there, we'll see which one I need.

What's more, she's trying to break the world record for how many

can be done in 30 seconds.

We actually have a chance to break the world record.

We've been practising our splits.

-Yeah. I've been practising.

-Yeah.

I'm quite scared - we have to hold the splits for quite a while

but excited at the same time because it'll be a really good achievement.

At the beginning of this term, Sadie found the splits really hard to do.

So she's over the moon to be involved in this record attempt.

I've been practising so hard on my splits.

I'm completely flat on the floor.

Last week I was like that much and this week I'm no much.

I want to be last in the line, so I need to hold my splits forever.

Because I'm sort of new to it.

There really is a buzz about the challenge

and his foot may be in plaster, but Luca doesn't want to miss out.

I'm going to try and do the splits with a broken foot. Yeah.

I should be all right.

Karen needs more than 62 pupils to attempt the splits to be

in with a chance of breaking the world record.

But there's a problem.

How many do you think we've got? Right now?

We haven't got enough at the moment.

She needs more people and she needs to find them fast.

Guys! I need you. Everyone that can do the splits, come on!

Girls, you can do the splits. Go, go, go, come on. Don't let me fail this.

Come on.

Guys, I know you've had a hard morning

but you're going to have a harder day. Come on.

Guys, listen, all those that can do the splits, I need you now.

You should have been in studio 52 at 11:45.

If she doesn't find enough pupils to take part,

Karen will have no hope of breaking the world record.

Ah!

As well as trying to break records,

pupils here are preparing for careers in showbiz

and many of them fit in paid work around school and exams.

# Someday I'll wish upon a star

# And a wake up where the clouds are far behind me... #

Good at singing, dancing and acting,

year nine's Chelsie is the true definition of a triple threat.

Being a triple threat,

you've got that advantage of being able to do all three.

It gives you that extra thing when you're out in an audition.

And that's why she's landed a part in a big West End musical.

I've been in Billy Elliot now for a year come September.

It's absolutely amazing. Such a buzz.

But balancing school life with professional work is never easy.

When I come home from school some days it's quite a bit of a rush.

I've to get on the tube and get here as quick as I can.

And then when I get here, I've to sort myself out quickly.

Then we go into the dressing room

and get dressed up, ready for the show, so it can be quite

difficult sometimes to get your head in the right place.

I enjoy being on set. I think it's absolutely amazing.

You can just get that buzz of the show.

All the lights and people in the audience clapping

and everyone else on the stage performing. Costumes and everything.

It all just comes together.

When I stop doing my arms - she goes, "Susan Parks," -

arms, so I've to put my arms back up.

Being the part of Susan Parks is really great.

She's the one who has outgrown the class but still loves going

and does everything with overexcitement and loads of energy.

Getting into the character is quite easy

because I can be that myself sometimes, overexcited.

Being in this industry does take up a lot of time.

You do eat, sleep and breathe it.

It's one of those things that people dream about so, for me,

it's a dream to be here. I'm really grateful for everything.

For Karen and her crew of splitters,

their dream right now is to become world record breakers.

The split jump is taking place in the shadow

of St Paul's Cathedral, and with two world-record official

adjudicators looking on, Karen briefs her troops.

The current record is 62 people in 30 seconds. We have to beat that.

They must leave the ground, form a split

so the legs go 180 degrees apart, they must land flat

on the ground and it must happen consecutively, one after the other.

Guys, we're having a quick practice!

Five, four, three, two, one, go.

So, a warm-up first, and of course everyone is paying attention.

I'm just going to jump and see what happens...

Everyone is really excited. We've started!

-It's slightly chaotic.

-Yes.

-And it's a bit of a slump.

Their splits are far too messy and they're not doing them right.

The adjudicator is saying that at the moment everyone is doing a slide

and it has to look like you're jumping into it instead of a slide.

-They just have to take deep breaths and keep calm.

-OK, guys, this is it.

We're going to do it.

Time for the real attempt. Can they get into the record books?

I don't want to get this wrong.

Three, two, one, go!

Stop!

-A lot of them did the splits.

-It's a long way, isn't it?

But for it to be a world record,

it's not just how many that matters, but also how they do it.

That was a good attempt.

But I'm pretty sure people were going simultaneously, there was

-at least two points or three points.

-Oh, my...!

It wasn't clean enough, we were all jumping

some people were jumping at the same time.

We beat the time, amazingly. But it wasn't clean enough.

They have just two more attempts to do it.

-Everyone is feeling the pressure, especially Sadie.

-Don't worry.

-You can do it.

-My foot is really hurting.

It's all bleeding, so I don't know.

And now Karen has asked Sadie to move up the line.

I don't know where I'm going.

I've been moved to sort of the middle

because I'm fast at splitting down, so...don't know.

Not only will she have to jump on her bad foot,

she'll have to hold her split for even longer.

Three, two, one. Go!

That was neater. That was definitely neater, no? The beginning?

-No.

-The middle section was fine.

I'm afraid the same thing is happening again,

people are going at the same time.

With just one attempt left, things are not looking good.

You have to jump. You must jump, guys.

-Probably not as good as the first one.

-That was the worst one.

-We've got one last attempt, guys.

-One more attempt.

At school, Reece has had a call from the casting agents

-that recently visited.

-Yeah, it's Reece.

Ever since his audition,

he's been anxious to see if they want to represent him.

Yeah.

They've called to tell me they want me,

so literally it's such a relief. I can't explain.

That's incredible news. Thank you so much. Amazing.

I just don't have the words. It's incredible. I just want to cry.

It's amazing.

-'Hello.'

-Hello, Mum.

'Hey, mate. You all right?'

-Yeah. Global Management just called me.

-All right, yeah?

-They're going to sign me. They're going to sign me.

-Oh, wow! Well done.

-I'm so pleased.

-Thank you.

This is everything to me. I've trained for three years now.

This is what it's about.

I've got an agent so that's the massive stepping stone

I need now to get my career in gear. Hopefully big things ahead.

Because of Reece's hard work, his future is looking bright.

But at this split jump record, things aren't so upbeat.

This is our last attempt. I'm not feeling too good right now.

It's not going as well as we planned it to go.

-I actually think we won't break it.

-For Luca, it's not good at all.

-Cracked the cast at the bottom.

-Where?

It's meant to be that hard.

How did it crack? Did you whack it on the floor?

Yeah, because I jumped straight into it. It just went...

She's one man down and everyone is tired.

The world record is slipping away.

We only need one to break the record.

We can do this.

Karen knows she has to give her troops a boost.

Jump, split, jump, split, jump, split, jump, split.

Jump, split, jump, split, jump, split, jump, split.

Three, two, one, go!

Jump, jump, jump, jump, jump...

Go, go, go, go, go, go, go,

go, go, go, go, go, go, go,

go, go, go, go, go, go, go,

go, go, go, go, go, go, go.

It's quick and looks clean, but there's only one man who can

tell them if they've made it into the record books and he wants

to look back on the video footage, as there could be a problem.

Can I see 19 seconds, please?

These two, there.

I don't think we've done it, if I'm honest.

Looking at the video footage back, they're being extremely strict.

I don't think they'll be that cruel to make us

-stand in line and tell us we haven't.

-They will, those two.

This is it. The moment of truth.

You had enough people, you had 74 people, which is great.

You had to beat 62. I guess these guys must be exhausted as well.

But I can say it's been totally worth it.

Because we've accepted it, yeah.

THEY ALL CHEER

They've done it. Karen and her crew are record breakers.

We just broke the record!

So happy. it's so amazing.

We did it!

You need to get in the line again

because they're going to put our photo in.

It's really exciting that we're in the world record book,

it's just overwhelming. It really is.

It was a full school achievement.

It was all the students, the juniors, it was a combination of staff

every day so I'm really proud to be part of it. Amazing.

It takes dedication to reach your goals.

But the pleasure you get from success makes the hard work worth it.

Nothing you're given in life feels half as good as something

you've earned for yourself.

Next time on School For Stars, has Nicky had her last chance

with Karen when she misses yet another rehearsal?

It's unacceptable. So right now, you're at risk of losing your part.

Joel is not happy being the king of bling.

Seriously? It's got a heart.

Elvis would seriously wear one of these.

And it's an emotional day for some year 11s, as their time at school

comes to an end.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd