NEWS

BREAKING NEWS

LONDON MARATHON 2009

We are honoured to have Eddie, a Security Supervisor from the Islington Business Design Centre, running the London Marathon for the school this year. The money that he raises will go towards Scholarships for the school and towards the next show at the Hackney Empire. Thank you for this wonderful support Ed.

CONGRATULATIONS to Eddie, he finished in the amazing time of 3 hours and 9 minutes! Students and staff were at the finishing line to congratulate him. We would like to thank everyone who has sponsored and shown their support to Eddie and the school so far!

To show your support to Eddie and the school please follow the link below to find out how to sponsor him.

Sponsor Eddie »

STARPOWER COMPETITION 2009

We would like to say a huge congratulations to all of our students who took part in this years StarPower Competition. As a school we came away with many awards and trophies. We are all very proud of you!

THEATRE & FILM SCHOOL AWARDS

Having recently attended a conference in Thailand, Anna Fiorentini won the Social Entrepreneur Investor Award 2008. The school now has four awards to its name.

HACKNEY EMPIRE SHOWCASE

At 10am on the 8th March 2009, over 200 children, Staff and Volunteers entered the Hackney Empire in Mare Street, for the start of the hardest day in the schools calendar: THE VARIETY PERFORMANCE. After final rehearsals the big moment came at 7pm when over 1000 people were sitting in the audience waiting in anticipation for the ‘Greatest Show on Earth’ to begin.

After the first number, LORD OF THE RINGS, the applause was amazing. By the end of the show, after a fantastic performance of ABBA HITS the applause was deafening and there was a standing ovation from every person in the auditorium.

Weeks later, and we are still receiving fantastic praise for all the students, teachers and volunteers who made this show the success it was!

*CONGRAULATIONS TO ALL INVOLVED*

Anna Fiorentini Theatre & Film School Hackney Empire Variety Performance 2009

Anna Fiorentini Theatre & Film School Hackney Empire Variety Performance 2009

TALENT AGENCY NEWS

Showing your skills.....
Two our students have recently been selected to take part in a brand new series for ITV in which they will be set challenges and will get to show how they can rise to it! All the best with the challenges girls!

Super Adventure!
One of our students has recently done a day shoot on the Carnival Production of ENID BLYTON'S SUPER ADVENTURE with Helena Bonham-Carter. Watch out for this on the BBC later this year.

Talent Agency »

Anna Fiorentini Theatre & Film School performs on Enid Blyton's Super Adventure

On set, ENID BLYTON'S SUPER ADVENTURE.

Bombay Bicycle Club

One of our older students, Kimberley has just filmed a new music video with hot newcomers BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB for their forthcoming single 'Dust on the Ground'

NSPCC
Another of our older students, Ian has recently filmed an on-line commercial for the NSPCC, working along side Michael Sheen.

International Music Video
Recently one student landed a role in an international music video campaign with Russian star Valeriya for her new single 'Back to Love'.

CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG

The BIG stage called upon one of our smaller students to add Star presence to the West End stage production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. A much loved favourite tale for young and old alike. Now she is in appearing in the West End's Billy Elliott.

AGENT CODY BANKS 2

Thanks to the Anna Fiorentini Children’s Agency, one of our students landed a role in the sequel to the MGM blockbuster Agent Cody Banks 2. She spent several weeks filming at Elstree Film studios, alongside Frankie Muniz, (Malcolm in the Middle), ex S-club singer Hannah Spearitt and James Fulkner (The Others).

SCAREY WALK

Back in 2005, to raise money for our Variety Performance the older students devised a cunning plan! A walk around the streets of Whitechapel where ‘Jack The Ripper’ roamed. We walked to each location (most of which still exist) where ‘Jack’ committed his terrible crimes and Mark (our Choreographer) told the tale of who the poor victims were. We got back to the ‘Wally Foster Centre’ at midnight where we all settled down for snacks and scary stories all night and waited to see if the ‘Ghost of the Wally Foster Centre’ appeared (Luckily, the kids looked after Anna so that she wouldn’t get scared.)

For our scary walk in 2006, we walked around the church-yard at Mare Street whilst Mark told scary ghost stories, and we stopped by the stocks where people were chained up in the past for being a bit naughty. (I'm sure I saw a ghostly figure in them, or was it one of the kid's)

MAYOR POPS IN TO SAY 'HELLO'The Mayor of Hackney popped into the school to say 'Hello' and ended up taking part in the Singing and Dance classes. Unfortunately because he is over 18 he can't enrol at the school.

NEW YEARS DAY PARADEThe school was honoured to be asked to represent the East End of London in the prestigious 'New Year's Day Parade' in Central London. Sixteen students performed excerpts from our end of year show on a float to an audience of over 1.5 million spectators.

TALENT AGENCY

Has become very established within the Film, TV and Theatre world after only three years since opening. We are approached by casting directors almost every day and students have attended numerous auditions, including the Harry Potter film's, the West End production of ‘The Lion King’, commercials and various BBC programmes.

Five students last year completed shooting a video with Helen Baxendale’s company ‘Shooting Pictures’ and two of our younger students finished working on a film that previewed in the Cannes Film Festival last May. we have two students appearing in 'EastEnders', a student in 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' and 'Billy Elliot' on the west end stage, and another who starred in the feature film 'Agent Cody Banks 2'.

Talent Agency »

Two of our students are regulars in the BBC's EastEnders. Charlie Jones (pictured below) is playing the part of 'Ben Mitchell' (son of Phil Mitchell), and Belinda Owusu (below) is playing the part of Elizabeth (Squiggle) Fox.

Charlie Jones

Belinda Owusu

BIG Thank You's go to Warren Mitchell and Joseph Marcell who took time out from their busy schedules to come down to the school and give special acting masterclasses to some of our older students.

Warren Mitchell with students from our acting and drama class
Warren Mitchell

Warren is a veteran actor of Feature Films, Theatre and Television series (best known as Alf Garnet in 'Till Death Us Do Part').

Joseph Marcell with students from our acting and drama class
Joseph Marcell

Joseph who is known to millions as the snooty English butler 'Geoffrey' in 'Fresh Prince of Bell Air' is also a very respected Shakespearean actor after joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1972. He has also had a non-stop career in Feature Films and TV on both sides of the Atlantic.

Thank you to Television Presenter and Actress Gaby Roslin for giving her support to the students at the Hackney Empire.

Gaby introduced our 2006 Variety Showcase at the Hackney Empire celebrating our 5th year anniversary of the opening of the school.

Gaby Roslin with students from our dance class
Gaby Roslin

ANTI-SMOKING & CHILDLINE

Student stars Anti-Smoking and Childline TV campaigns

A second year student has featured in an anti-smoking commercial and also a TV campaign for Childline.

THANKS FOR OUR COSTUMES

A big thank you goes to Oakwood Leisure Ltd for donating over 200 beautifully crafted costumes to the school. If you came to our Hackney Empire show you will know how colourful and tailored they were, For those of you who didn’t come, hopefully our photo’s and video will show them in their full glory.

Theatre & Film School student perform Les Miserables

Les Miserables (above) and Chicago (below)

Theatre & Film School students perform Chicago