West Berks community asked to chip in to help A-level student achieve his West End dreams

A Thatcham student is reaching out to the community to help him take a step towards achieving his musical theatre dream.

Jason Martin, an A-level performing arts student at Kennet School, has an ambition to perform on London's West End stage and has been offered the opportunity for professional training at weekends.

He has been accepted into West End MT (Youth Theatre), a renowned programme that offers an elite group of young aspiring performers from all over the country five hours of training classes and workshops in the three core disciplines of musical theatre - dancing singing and acting – every Sunday.

“This opportunity is a significant milestone in my journey towards a professional career in the performing arts,” said Jason. “However, the cost of tuition and travel is substantial, and I am seeking financial support to make this dream a reality.

“I'm looking to raise £1,000 for the first term, as that will give me a chance to work and save for the following two terms. The cost is £720 per term and the rest is the travel fund.”

Jason is able to pay in instalments, with the first due on August 16 and he is currently £63 away from his first goal of £390 and the second payment which is due on or before September 20 is the same amount.

West End MT has a track record of developing many young actors and dancers into professional performers and a high number of their students go on to train at full time performing arts colleges. Ex-students are currently appearing in west End and touring shows including Six The Musical, Mamma Mia! Dirty Dancing, Rocky Horror, Les Misérables and more.

Jason’s passion for the performing arts began at the age of seven when he started learning the classical guitar, which fostered a deep love for music. His enthusiasm for theatre was sparked when he played Jafar in his Year 6 leaver's play Aladdin at Francis Baily Primary School.

Since then he has immersed himself in drama and musical theatre, taking on roles at Kennet as Sonny in Grease, Buddy The Elf in Elf The Musical, Bagheera in The Jungle Book and Galileo in We Will Rock You.

In addition to school productions, Jason has been involved in local community youth theatres, including The Corn Exchange and The Watermill. This year, he has broadened his experience by working with Nomads Music Theatre on The Addams Family and will be performing in Rare Productions' We Will Rock You early next year playing Galileo.

“The training and exposure provided by West End MT are invaluable, offering me the chance to work with industry professionals and perform on prestigious stages,” he added.

“Unfortunately, the financial burden is significant. That is why I am turning to my local community for support.”

If you would like to support Jason, he has set up a Go Fund Me account at https://gofund.me/54787073

And take a look at his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/pJYfVFMUgpaJTMyE/

Help him on the next step towards achieving his West End dream.