BORN RARE

We offer specialist training in Acting, Dance and Musical Theatre.

BORN RARE

32 hours practical training per week

We invest heavily in our students with the provision of up to 32 hours of practical training per week – that’s on average 16 hours more per week than any other performing arts school in the region. This is one of the ways we ensure our students go on to be the best in the business.

Access to the very best industry professionals

Our direct links to some of the world’s biggest agents, producers, choreographers and casting directors provide our students with a gateway into the professional world of performing. Our incredible team are current industry experts who are the best in their field, all absolutely committed to our school and the development and progression of our students.

We also have an exclusive arrangement with Louise Johnston Management, a UK based talent agency with strong US agency contacts, committed to developing emerging talent and seeking exciting opportunities for its clients to work in film and TV both in the UK and internationally. Our current students and graduates are represented by Louise and booking the biggest jobs in television.

Our dedicated world-class team

• Jacqui Shi (Rambert)
• Joe McGann (star of stage and screen)
• Sally Rapier, Nick Philips (LIPA / Central School of Speech & Drama)
• Joe Lichenstein (Associate Director, National Theatre)
• Sam Donovan (Billy the Kid London’s West End / Eric’s Liverpool Everyman)
• James Lacey (9 to 5 / Shrek the Musical – original UK tours)
• Simone Tani (École Philippe Gaulier, Paris)

In addition a variety of industry professionals visit Rare to teach regular masterclasses, keeping students fresh with current trends, offering feedback on progress and advising students on their booking potential. Some of the incredible talents we’ve hosted for masterclasses at Rare are…

Our success rate

Rare acting and musical theatre graduates are achieving huge success on both stage and screen. In TV and film our students have appeared in productions for HBO, BBC, Netflix, Sky Atlantic and Fox amongst many others. They are also starring on the West End, at the National Theatre, in prestigious cruise liner shows and UK tours of world-class productions such as Othello, Heathers the Musical, Cilla the Musical, Spring Awakening, Les Miserables, Hair and Six the Musical. In the last year we have been thrilled that our Musical Theatre Graduate, Bethany McDonald, has been the first Rare Student to appear Off-Broadway, originating roles in two new musicals in New York.

Our recent dance graduates are touring the world and appearing in music videos with some of the biggest artists in music – Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, Stormzy, Zara Larsson, Little Mix, Rita Ora, Robbie Williams and many others. They are lighting up performances on the Brit Awards, X Factor, MTV Music Awards, EMA’s, Children in Need and Strictly Come Dancing with their talent and professionalism and representing powerful brands including Nike, JD Sports and Capital Radio. Rare graduate Megan Bowers even smashed an Amazon Number 1 in 2020 with her first book about dance, ‘My Dance Journal’. Our students and graduates are all around the world doing what they do best and flying the Rare flag loud and proud!

Our level 3 BTEC programme serves as the perfect platform for our students to further their training at degree and diploma level. Recent Rare graduates have gone on to study at some of the top schools and conservatoires in the UK including Rambert, RADA, Mountview, Guildhall School for Music & Drama, LAMDA, LIPA, Bird College, Performers College, The Urdang Academy, Millennium Performing Arts, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, The Hammond School, Laine Theatre Arts, Arts Educational School, Bristol Old Vic, Royal Welsh College, Trinity Laban, Italia Conti, The Royal Academy of Music, William Esper Studio NYC, American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Oxford School of Acting, London School of Musical Theatre and Guildford School of Acting.

Rare Scholarship and Development Fund

The Rare Scholarship & Development Community Interest Company enables exceptionally talented students and graduates to access high quality training regardless of financial circumstances.

In addition to our full time courses we also run scholarship programmes offering as many opportunities as possible to provide support for further training or securing employment in the UK and internationally. Our scholarship programme has sent students on international courses to world-class centres including Broadway Dance Centre in New York and The Edge, Millennium and Playground in Los Angeles. Scholarship winners who wish to move to London are given a monthly payment to support costs of rent, travel, subsistence and classes whilst attending auditions.

Support for students who need it is ongoing even after they graduate – we continue to provide studio space, teaching resources, living costs and mentoring to support the development of our graduates’ creative skills and ensure their path to success. Many of our amazing graduates describe Rare as a ‘home’ – we are honoured that many of them return to us with their new skills and experience to teach. We are hugely invested in our creative community and proud to say that our door is always open.

Click below to learn more about our scholarships.

Two full scale productions per year at the Auditorium at M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool

Twice a year we produce a full scale theatre show in this state of the art venue featuring our full time and part time students which gives them first hand performance experience and allows us to assess their development. These shows are always spectacular, always sold out and definitely not to be missed! They motivate our students to push themselves to the next level and bring the Rare family together to celebrate just how far our young people have come.

In addition our acting and musical theatre students also perform their own showcases at our second home The Hope St Theatre twice a year.

New York trip

We arrange an annual trip to New York open to all our students to spend a week training, seeing Broadway shows and touring world-class performing arts schools in the Big Apple!