Layla wins national challenge

Make-up artist Layla wins national design challenge

Talented make-up artist Layla Thornton brushed off the opposition to make a big impression in a prestigious competition run by the Rpyal Opera House.

Layla, a third year student on the Level 3 Theatrical and Media make-up course at Stoke on Trent College, took top honours in the wigs and make-up section of the Royal Opera House design challenge.

19-year-old Layla, from Meir, was competing against college students from throughout the UK who were invited to the world famous Covent Garden venue to work with the Royal Opera House production professionals as they prepared for a production of the opera La Boheme

It followed on from her recent success in the Professional Beauty Awards where Layla was named as the UK’s top student.

Staff from London’s Royal Opera House visited Stoke on Trent College’s performing arts centre earlier this year to assess the work of the area’s trainee make-up artists.

Charles Bartholomew, Assistant Director of Media amd Performing Arts said: “Layla’s work was brilliant and highly professional. The college is really proud of Layla’s success and the guidance she has received from her inspirational teacher Rachel Lea.

“It was a great day all round as we were able to take a party of students to witness a stunning performance of La Boheme at the Royal Opera House which was followed by the awards ceremony in which Layla featured.”

Stoke on Trent College was one of eight colleges from the UK which took part in the Royal Opera House Design Challenge. The eight colleges are Founder College of the National Skills Academy (Creative and Cultural) which ran the challenge alongside the Royal Opera House.

“We have some remarkably talented students in our Performing Arts section and, working with the National Skills Academy, we are confident that many will go on to great careers in the arts.”

More than £250,000 was spent on providing state of the art facilities at the Performing Arts Centre, Moorland Road, Burslem, last summer.

High quality facilities include:

• A dance studio with professional standard sprung flooring
• A new drama rehearsal studio
• A state of the art digital recording studio
• A digital suite with state of the art computing equipment for digital game production

ENDS

For more information visit www.stokecollege.ac.uk  or join us on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/StokeonTrentCollege  

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