Theatre Street Staff & Tutors

 Founder & Principal - Claire Pourret

Claire is a former dancer and actress, whose professional career took her from musicals and pantomime to television, cabaret, international dancing and even in the ensemble at the Royal Opera. She trained at the London Studio Centre on the Marjorie Owen Scholarship. Prior to this she had run her own branch of Studio Six Dance School in Folkestone in Kent for two years where her students had an excellent record of exam results. She is now a qualified British Theatre Dance Association teacher. As a child, Claire was also a world-level competitive baton twirler, achieving 11th place in the European Championships and winning British National Championships on several occasions. She represented the UK in the World Championships and achieved 16th in the world.

Claire founded TSSPA in 2001 and continues to run the School as well as raising her two children, both of whom are now Theatre Street students! She is a registered BTDA teacher and holds a Dance and Performers Diploma from the London Studio Centre.

Laurence has a wealth of experience from more than a decade working in professional theatre. As a musical director he has worked on over 30 professional productions and has taught at all of London’s leading musical theatre colleges including Arts Educational, London School of Musical Theatre, Guildhall, Royal Academy of Music, Central School of Speech & Drama and Mountview Academy, where he musically supervised the Foundation in Musical Theatre Course for several years. As a performer his work included Peter Pan in the West End and on tour, and in The Secret Garden in Manchester and on tour. He holds a diploma from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.

Hilary Williams - Theatre Street’s Patron

Hilary’s West End credits as a co-producer include Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf with Kathleen Turner, The Postman Always Rings Twice with Val Kilmer, Shoot the Crow with James Nesbitt and The Goat or Who is Sylvia with Jonathan Pryce. Hilary is a committed supporter of new work in British theatre and is involved with the Donmar, Almeida and Unicorn Theatres.

She became Patron of Theatre Street in 2007. In early 2008 she sponsored a workshop at the Unicorn Theatre for TSSPA students, with the cast and creative team of the West End musical Hairspray.
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Stephanie O'Rourke - Stage School & Dance School Tutor

Stephanie trained at Laine Theatre Arts. She has appeared in many professional roles. Film & TV includes: Holby City, Mad About Alice, The Biz, Bridget Jones' Diary The Edge of Reason, Rosie, Rise of the Foot Soldiers and numerous TV commercials. She performed with the girl band Brazen Angels on T4 and many live appearances. She has also appeared in many pantomime and stage musical productions plus several music videos and fitness DVDs.

Gemma Cottey - Dance School & Stage School Tutor

Gemma graduated from the Miskin Theatre in Dartford where she studied all aspects of dance. She was a member of contemporary dance company On The Edge and has danced in American Dream, Escapism and Passions of Carnival at the Miskin Theatre. She holds ISTD qualifications in dance and a BTEC national award in Performing Arts and a BTEC in advanced dance with triple Distinction. She has an associate teaching degree from the IDTA.

Lucyelle Cliffe - Guest Vocal & Drama Tutor

Rachael Pitcairn - Guest Dance Tutor

Rachael trained at the Midlands Academy of Dance & Drama in Nottingham. She has been teaching dance and fitness since 2003 and has taught for Nuffield Proactive Fitness Centres, Fitness First, Stagecoach, YMCA.

She has performed with the tribute band Desire and in cabaret for Underwraps dance company.

 Rachel Grundy - Guest Dance Tutor

Theatre credits include Jack & the Beanstalk (Hexagon, Reading), Pirates of Penzance (Shaw Theatre, London), Mother Goose (Brick Lane Music Hall). Film credits include: Wild Child (Working Title). Rachel trained at Bird College in Sidcup and was the recipient of the Arts Council of Bexley Dance Bursary Special Award in 2001.

 Rosy Thompson  - Guest Streetdance & Ballet Tutor 

Stephannie is best known for her appearances on the hit TV show Strictly Dance Fever where she competed against 80,000 coming 3rd. She trained at Stockton Riverside College & Reynolds Performing Arts. She is currently supporting pop acts Ray Quinn and Lauren Rose as dancer for their UK tour.

Gina Long - Guest Ballet Tutor

Gina is formerly head of ballet at Reynolds Performing Arts. She is now representing dancers and performers through Longrun Artistes Agency. Having trained at Ballet Rambert, she enjoyed a long professional career with the Scottish Ballet, London Ballet Theatre, and playing the role of Meg in The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre in the West End.

Nancy Wei George - Guest Ballet & Tap Tutor

Nancy’s credits include the National Tour of Me & My Girl and the revival of Hair! in London. She trained at Doreen Bird College, earning a distinction in a National Diploma. Her West End credits include Fame! And Thoroughly Modern Millie. She is currently appearing in Mamma Mia! at the Prince of Wales Theatre in the West End.

Anne Marie's involvement with Theatre Street goes back to the very beginning in 2001 when she enrolled her daughter into the very first Stage School group. Rebecca is now Theatre Street's longest serving student, having been with the School ever since.

It didn't take long until Anne Marie's enthusiasm and dedication to the success of the School and its students became apparent, and she joined the team after a few years. She has been deeply involved in all TSSPA events, shows and the day to day running of the Stage School and dance classes ever since.

Her background in performing arts is drama based. She has performed at Greenwich Theatre in the community play 1789. She was a member of GYPT (Greenwich Young Peoples Theatre) and took part in a theatre group exchange to Czechoslovakia, as it was back then. Anne Marie has studied Shakespeare, Chekov, Stringberg, Brecht, Lorca, Stanislavski and the Greek classics in addition to English literature and poetry. She has also been actively involved in drama with adults with learning disabilities. She is a valued and vital member of the team and can often be found at the front desk in our West Thamesmead venue, or supervising the children at Stage School, but her role at TSSPA encompasses involvement in the planning and execution of all our events, shows and courses.

Annie Marie teaches drama to our youngest group of Stage School students.

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Penny Guyatt - Reception

Penny has been working the reception desk at our West Thamesmead venue for the last year. She has two daughters who are long term students of TSSPA studying various dance subjects, so her involvement with the School goes back a long way.