The bright lights of London are beckoning once again for two students from Ruddington’s very own ‘Fame’ school who have just secured major starring roles in two forthcoming productions.
Freedom Dance & Performance, based at 7 Charles Street, has been nurturing local talent for over two decades, with its alumni securing theatre and TV acting roles throughout the country; as well as internationally aboard cruise ships! Since 2002, children and young people from all backgrounds – from Ruddington and further afield – have been passing through its understated purple door to be taught the delights of dance, performance and choreography. Many have done it just for fun whilst, for others, it’s become their chosen career.
One of its most successful pupils so far is 24-year-old Louis Gaunt, son of principal Stacey Green, who started training here in Ruddington at the age of four. He now has a long and impressive string of stage and TV credits to his name as an actor, singer and musical theatre performer since graduating in 2018. That was the year he played Will Parker in ‘Oklahoma’ at the prestigious Grange Park Opera House in Horsley – for which he was awarded ‘Best Actor in a Musical’ at the Stage Debut Awards in London.
Since then, Louis has been in numerous other productions such as Sweet Charity, Kiss Me Kate, Standing at the Sky’s Edge, The Happy Prince, Grease, Gypsy, Piaf and Mary Poppins – where played the lead role of Burt. He’s also had TV roles including Lord Lumley in season two of Bridgerton (2021) and Eddie in The Larkins (2022).
Currently, Louis is playing the role of ‘Scarecrow’ in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s production of The Wizard of Oz at The London Palladium alongside Ashley Banjo and Jason Manford. However, even bigger things are afoot for him at the same venue soon because he has been announced in the lead role as Peter Pan in their big pantomime later this year. That means he’ll be treading the boards with legendary household names such as Jennifer Saunders, Julian Clary, Nigel Havers and Gary Wilmot, to name just four!
Stacey, along with other teachers and current students, is already planning a trip down to London from Ruddington this Christmas to see Louis star in this production, and says: “We’re absolutely bursting with pride!!! We cannot wait to come and watch you!”
JUST ANNOUNCED, it looks as if another very young Freedom Dance & Performance student might be following in Louis’ footsteps. It’s been revealed this week that Estella Evans will be playing the lead role in the hit musical ‘Matilda’ at The Cambridge Theatre in London. She’s one of four young stars chosen to share the lead role in The Royal Shakespeare Company‘s multi-award production inspired by Roald Dahl‘s book.
Stacey (pictured above right with Estella) beams: “We have another West End star on our hands! Words cannot describe how proud we all are of Estella. We are just a small dance school in Ruddington producing big stars, and every child that comes through that purple door realises how special the Freedom Family is. We are bursting at the seams. We can’t wait to watch Estella shine on that big stage and we will be cheering and clapping so loudly for her!”
If you’d like more information about Ruddington’s Freedom Dance & Performance school, and perhaps even get your son or daughter involved, please visit their Facebook page, contact Stacey by email on info@fdpnottingham.co.uk or on 07548 151919.
{Images courtesy of Freedom Dance & Performance, The London Palladium & The Cambridge Theatre}
