Musical Theatre Introductory Training (CPD) – Manchester

Participants will need to watch a one hour introductory webinar prior to attending the course. The link to the pre-recorded webinar will be sent to participants approximately one month prior.

Louise Pettitt (Singing and Acting)

Louise trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, graduating with a degree in Dance and the Performing Arts. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Creative Practice and Education and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education. Louise has held prestigious roles as a Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader across leading Education institutions, teaching across a range of FE and HE settings including Shockout Arts, Preston College Dance, and Northern Ballet School. She is also a Guest Lecturer at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Manchester.

Her teaching specialisms include Musical Theatre, Contemporary Dance, Contextual Studies, and Acting Through Song. Louise has extensive experience in curriculum design, assessment, quality assurance, academic moderation, and student support. Passionate about integrating creative practice with academic learning, she is dedicated to nurturing students’ technical, artistic, and personal development through a holistic approach that combines teaching excellence with pastoral care and guidance.

Her extensive professional performance credits include Cats, playing Demeter and Tantomile across UK, Italy, and Portugal Tours; understudying Belle in Beauty and the Beast (UK Tour); and performing as Dinah, understudying Pearl in Starlight Express (Bochum, Germany). Further credits include Verve (UK Tour), Aura Dance Company (UK), and Cinemagique (Costa Cruises). Her screen and recording work includes Casualty 1909 (BBC), Nightmare in Suburbia, and Starlight Express New Songs for Universal Music. Louise has also worked as a commercial television performer and vocal session singer.

As a choreographer and director, Louise has created work for leading vocational colleges and major events including Move It, Sadler’s Wells Making Moves, and Rambert Elements. Her creative practice spans repertoire coaching, vocal and dance technique, performance direction, and the development of performers for stage. Production credits include Chicago (MYT, Waterside Arts), A Chorus Line, Guys and Dolls, The Phantom of the Opera, and Scrooge! The Musical (Eccleston Theatre, Pendleton). For the Altrincham Garrick Playhouse, her choreography credits include My Fair Lady, A Chorus Line, Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, Merrily We Roll Along, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Sound of Music, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

Alongside her creative and academic roles, Louise’s leadership experience includes team management, curriculum development, quality assurance, and academic moderation. Passionate about community engagement and widening access to the arts, she also runs her own Musical Theatre dance classes, supporting performers of all ages to develop confidence, creativity, and performance skills.

Lisa Dent (Dance)

Lisa trained at Northern Ballet School where she graduated with a Trinity Diploma in Professional Dance. She has an MA in Professional Practice in Dance, specialising in Musical Theatre (Middlesex University) and a Level 6 Professional Dancers’ Graduate Teaching Diploma (Royal Academy of Dance).

Lisa is a musical theatre choreography, ballet, tap and dissertation tutor at The Urdang Academy, London and has choreographed numbers and performances for Northern Ballet School and Performers College which have gained critical acclaim in Dance Europe magazine. She also teaches ballet, tap, modern and jazz to students aged from 4 to adult at New Mills Dance and Theatre Centre.

Lisa has worked in the musical theatre industry for 20 years. Performance credits include: Dancer in Wonka (Warner Brothers); assistant choreographer, understudy/played Dainty June, Gypsy (Buxton Opera House); understudy/played Annie, Lorraine, Phyllis, 42nd Street (Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London); Royal Variety Performance; Olivier Awards; Swing, understudy/played Miss Lark, Mary Poppins (UK Tour); assistant dance captain/Swing, Oklahoma! (UK Tour); dance captain, Swing, Understudy Maria, played Anybody’s, Rosalia, West Side Story (UK Tour); understudy Minnie Fay, Hello Dolly! (Curve, Leicester); Swing, understudy Liat, South Pacific (Barbican, London/UK Tour); dance captain, Understudy Tuptim, The King and I (Curve, Leicester); dance captain, understudy Julie, Hot Stuff (Curve, Leicester); understudy/played Peggy, Swing, 42nd Street (Chichester Festival Theatre); Teresita, West Side Story (UK Tour); Steppin’ Out and Puttin’ On The Ritz (UK Tours, with Anton DuBeke); understudy/played Peggy, 42nd Street (UK Tour); Me and My Girl (UK Tour); Dance Captain, Hot Stuff and Pacific Overtures (both at The Haymarket Theatre, Leicester; 42nd Street (Apollo Theatre, Stuttgart).

She was also one of 7 cast members to provide the tap tracks for the London cast recording of 42nd Street and appears in the 42nd Street film, filmed live at Drury Lane.

20 hours Time-Valued CPD

Members of the Royal Academy of Dance receive discounts on all CPD activities.

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If you have any questions about this activity, please email cpd@rad.org.uk.