Our Ethos

At InterAct workshops mainstream children join with our special students to learn, explore, rehearse and perform in a safe and secure environment.

Supported by Stagecoach and by other grants and donations, InterAct is a Charity and there are no fees.

In 1988, Stagecoach Theatre Arts plc opened its first 3-disciplined stage school, where students learn to act, sing and dance. The school proved so successful that 10 years later there were 300 Stagecoach schools in the UK, and more in the USA, Australia, Germany, Spain, Ireland and Malta.

Around the time of the Millenium with Stagecoach flying, we became challenged by the thought that Stagecoach is effectively ‘exclusive’.

Stagecoach had always had an ethos that accepted children with learning difficulties into Stagecoach up to a point.

Stagecoach Charitable Trust was created to advance the benefit of acting, singing and dancing for all.

Often children and parents can be dissuaded from joining a 'mainstream' group because they cannot afford the fees, because the group doesn't cater for 'special needs' or because they fear being different from the majority of people within the group.

The most significant difference in our InterAct programme from the point of view of the students is its total ‘inclusivity’. Not only do the students work together, in one area, for the whole time, so too all teachers and helpers, including the nurse, are encouraged to join in. So the company of actors consists of teachers, helpers, mainstream students and students with a variety of special educational, social and economic needs.

At InterAct, young people are offered the chance to experience the three disciplines not only from a technique point of view, but from the socialising point of view as well. One of the most crucial aspects of InterAct is the aim to bring together groups of people from all backgrounds, to have fun.