"The Tale of Telentopia" on Tour!

Brand new TIE project for our Foundation course students

This morning, Monday 10th June 2024, sees the start of a two-week tour by the students on our Professional Development Programme Foundation Plus course, delivering the workshops and devised musical project “The Tale of Telentopia” to year 3 and 4 children in local primary schools.

Forming a key part of the PDP Foundation Plus course, the students have worked with Director and qualified primary school teacher Caine Stanton to develop this piece of original theatre and an accompanying workshop, which the PDPfp students will deliver to children in each of the eight schools they visit as part of the tour.

In the enchanted realm of Telentopia, Royal Magician Melrik and her loyal companion, Mik, embark on a perilous quest to recover the king's vanished crown. Their path is fraught with danger, winding through whispering forests and over craggy peaks. As they draw closer to their prize, they encounter the nefarious Evil Edna, the King's own sister, whose dark ambitions threaten to usurp the throne. With cunning and courage, Melrik and Mik must outwit Edna's sinister schemes to restore the crown and save the kingdom from her treacherous grasp. The fate of Telentopia hangs in the balance.

The piece includes original music composed by the students. The final song, “Best Friends Forever,” will also be part of a workshop prior to the performance to enable all the children to participate in the show!

The tour visits eight primary schools across BCP and West Hampshire over the next two weeks, enabling around eight hundred pupils to watch and engage with the project.


BIGLITTLE Principal Colin Billing said, “I’m incredibly excited about this project and really proud of the work that our Foundation Plus students have done to create the piece. Adding this school tour/TIE element to our Foundation course gives the students an unparalleled, diverse experience. I’m grateful to the entire team and the support of the BIGLITTLE Arts Support Trust to help make this project a reality.”

BIGLITTLE Theatre School’s PDP Foundation Plus course enables students aged 18+ who have left full-time education to receive high-intensity professional training from our faculty of amazing teachers and practitioners with many years of professional experience across the theatre industry.

The one-year course runs part-time to enable students to work to fund their training, and students receive 20.75 hours of contact time over 35 term time weeks. The programme includes the following;

  • Highly focussed and detailed training in acting, singing and dance to enable students to succeed in drama school entry (100% success rate in 2023 & 2024)

  • Two major production projects, plus other performance opportunities

  • Trinity ATCL Level 4 Diploma in Musical Theatre

  • Enrichment Project - TIE Schools tour

A blend we believe is unique and at a price significantly lower than equivalent courses elsewhere, all without the upheaval and additional cost of relocation.

Auditions for September 2024 take place over the next few weeks. You can find out more by viewing the course page here.

For students entering year 12 and above in September 2024 check out our Professional Development Programme here.

newsColin Billing