GOOD NEWS! It’s BACK
A Week in the west end
London Summer Intensive
25th-29th August 2025
We are once again bringing the absolute best in the business to Pineapple this Summer… you won’t want to miss this, it’s going to be a wicked week!!
TUTORS
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Layton is currently appearing in Titanique (West End) as The Iceberg
Layton Williams was born in Bury, Manchester and he began his career at the age of 12 playing the title role of Billy in the West End production of Billy Elliot. He made his debut TV appearance as Kylie in the BBC comedy “Beautiful People.” He went on to train at Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts which was documented on CBBC’s “School for Stars.”
Most recently, Layton was seen on the West End playing the Emcee in London’s seven-time Olivier Award winning Cabaret, for which he has since received 2 Black British Theatre Award nominations.
Earlier this year he also toured his dance extravaganza, Layton & Nikita: Live with Strictly Come Dancing partner Nikita Kuzmin, after wowing audiences and becoming a finalist on the show in 2023.
He has also recently been seen reprising his iconic role of Stephen in “Bad Education” on BBC One and as the narrator of hit BBC Three LGBTQ+ dating show, “I Kissed A Boy.” Other recent TV roles include parts in Billie Piper’s BAFTA-nominated “I Hate Suzie,” Greg Davies’ “The Cleaner,” Johnny Vegas’s “Murder, They Hope” and ITV’s popular “Benidorm.”
Other theatre credits include Jamie in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (Apollo Theatre, UK/international tour); Paul in Kiss Me Kate(Sheffield Crucible); Seaweed in Hairspray! (2018 UK Tour); Angel in RENT (London/UK Tour); The Car Man (Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures); Simon in The Lord of the Flies (Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures) and Young Michael in Thriller Live! (West End).
Film credits include Rocketman; The Bad Education Movie; Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Layton is the director of ‘Pros from The Shows’ which provides high quality workshops for young performers. They have reached thousands of students across the country hoping to inspire the next generation and nurture talent.
A regular supporter of the charities Stonewall and Ditch the Label, Layton regularly visits schools and makes speeches at events to raise awareness of LGBTQIA+ issues and bullying. Layton recently won the Culture Award at this year’s Attitude Awards, having also picked up the LGBTQIA+ Champion Award at the Black British Theatre Awards in 2020.
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Sarah O’Connor is an actress and singer from Dublin. She most recently starred as Glinda in the UK & Ireland tour of Wicked.
Further credits include: Anna in Frozen (Australia & Singapore Tour); Fanny in Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol (Southbank Centre); 1st cover Anna in the original London cast of Frozen (Theatre Royal Drury Lane); cover Jenna & Dawn in the original London cast of Waitress (Adelphi Theatre); Celtic Angels (US tour); Mistress in Evita (Phoenix Theatre & UK Tour); Imelda in the original cast of The Commitments (Palace Theatre); 1st cover Eponine in Les Misérables (Queen’s Theatre); 1st cover Sophie in Mamma Mia! (Prince of Wales Theatre); Snow White in Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (Qdos/Belfast Opera House).
Television credits include placing as finalist and runner-up in Irish reality show Fame: Remember My Name (RTÉ). Sarah is the face of the 2023 Lotto Eurodreams campaign in Ireland.
5 Days
Creating full ensemble numbers
Spend 5 days in a rehearsal-like environment to create full ensemble Musical Theatre numbers. You will work with different West End pro’s each day along with a West End Musical Director to piece together these show numbers.
5 Creatives
Spend each day with a different West End Pro
We have a lineup of FIVE incredible West End pro’s all with very different experience, backgrounds and training. Each tutor will direct and choreograph a different number for the students on their day with us. Every tutor will bring something new to the table as they will impart their knowledge and skills onto the students.
1 West End MD
Our West End MD will work with the students all week
Our West End MD will be with us for all five days teaching the music and harmonies for each number. Students will be taught the material and treated like pro’s throughout the intensive in a true rehearsal style environment. They will be supported in a safe and reassuring space and encouraged to take on solo lines within the numbers.
The Intensive
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How the 5 days will run
Students will spend each day with a different guest creative alongside our brilliant MD learning choreography, staging, vocals, harmonies and everything in between. This means the students will learn whole musical number each day which parents can come and watch (it will also be filmed at the end of the session).
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Working with Professionals
There’s nobody better to gain industry knowledge from than industry professionals. There are only a handful of people who get to work professionally in Musical Theatre and the ones who make it got there through their sheer determination and work ethic. By working with these professionals in a rehearsal-style environment, you are also acquiring industry knowledge from real working professionals.
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Act, Sing & Dance
A key benefit of our Intensives is that all three of these disciplines are incorporated into every single day. Each ensemble number they learn will be very different from the last. This not only helps students improve their abilities across a range of styles but also, it lets them explore different shows and their own creativity.
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Build confidence
Confidence is key. And confidence can be nurtured and improved upon when the environment is right. Each student will be encouraged to be bold and to perform to the best of their abilities every day.
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Who Can book?
Our Summer Intensive is designed for young aspiring performers between the ages 9-19 who have a great passion for Musical Theatre. Students get the chance to learn from some of the biggest names in the West End for a full week!!
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Make new friends
The joy of an intensive like this is that you get people travelling from all around the UK to attend. This means students get the opportunity to meet new people who share the same passion they do for Musical Theatre. It’s a fresh new space for them to bond with other students outside of their usual friendship groups at their weekly classes. This helps children build their social skills and confidence in a fresh, new environment.