Hundreds of children have learned all about drama and performance over 30 years thanks to Jacqui Hawkes.
Her Stage One Drama School has marked three decades in business and Jacqui, who’s 66, has no intention of retiring.
The company has 120 children on its register and Jacqui says that must mean that thousands have been through the school.
It began on a much smaller scale.
Jacqui said: ‘We started with 10. Two of them were my own kids and others came along, friends of friends.
‘It steadily grew. We started it in the September by the April they won both the classes they entered. So people were beginning to notice us then.
‘So more people came and when the 11-year-olds became 12-year-olds and went to high school, I thought we’d need two classes. So it grew that way’.
From this there have been a number of youngsters who have gone on to be successful in their performance careers and, indeed, others who are successful in other chosen careers, not related.
Jacqui said: ‘When I come across them from time to time they feel that the skills that they learned then were their life skills that helped them through whatever they chose to do, be that go to university, making presentations.
‘Equally, people who haven’t had that training say they wish they had. One of the hardest things to do is to stand in front of an audience and deliver.
‘But if you’ve acquired those skills as a youngster they certainly do equip you for later on when you will undoubtedly have to make some sort of presentation to somebody.
‘As a teacher I’d been used to doing that when I was 21, although I’d had the training as well.’
After so long in the business, Jacqui is not thinking of letting go yet.
‘I’m still going,’ she said.
‘You do get to a certain age and think “we’ve covered more than lies ahead of us”.
‘I just don’t feel that I can let go of the youngsters. We’ve got four-year-olds there. But I don’t suppose I will be seeing them through to 18.
My current seniors I have taught since the age of four and started with us and they’re on the university trail at the moment.
‘You want to see how they get on.’
She said it was wonderful to watch them develop and grow.
After the passing of so much time since she began the school, she is teaching the children of former children.
‘It’s exciting to be fostering the relationship with the next generation,’ she said.
‘Sam did have something special when she arrived,’ said Jacqui. ‘She was totally dedicated.
‘Stage One wasn’t the only place she went to. She went to dance schools and did other training and singing.
‘She knew what she wanted to do but she was a hard worker as well as being talented.’
Her niece, who is now at Stage One played the little Elsa in the stage show.
‘It was a shame she couldn’t get to see her. She was home the weekend before the show.
‘Not only has she just had a baby but her workload is huge
;She sent us a lovely message that we put in the programme, which the kids were thrilled about.’
A rising star who trod the boards with Stage One was Ben Karran.
He has performed in a number of shows in London, including Les Miserables. He is also now a patron of Stage One.
Matthew Simpson, a contestant in this year’s Big Brother, is also a former pupil although he chose to go into medicine rather than the theatre.
Jacqui said: ‘I bumped into his parents just after Big Brother had finished and they were saying that it was the skills that he learned while he was with us have helped him a lot.
‘He was able to retain all the information in his head because he been used to learning scripts and making presentations to people.
‘I think that’s what helped him through Big Brother - the confidence that he had.’
Jacqui began her career as a more conventional teacher, first at Onchan Primary School 1978 to 1982.
In the early 90s, she was a speech and drama teacher at Braddan and King William’s College.
Then she started ‘this little drama club’, Stage One, just an after-school class.
It grew and she took on another teacher and did musical theatre classes as well as acting.
They now have four drama classes a week five musical theatre classes.
Her ‘right-hand woman’ is Alex Batey, a former student, who teaches English and drama at Ballakermeen High School.
Jacqui said: ‘I’m leaving the whole thing in her charge for eight weeks in the spring when I go to Australia to visit family.
She’s great, very talented, very dedicated and the kids love her. She’s the right person for Stage One.’
Jacqui makes her living with Stage One, but it’s so much more than a pounds-and-pence business.
‘The way it’s referred to is the Stage One family,’ Jacqui said. ‘Everybody bonds with each other. We need a lot of parental assistance when we do a show.
‘The parents all say what a great time they had and they make friends with other parents.
‘That’s more what I’m about fostering. It’s friendships and safety for the children, where they feel in a safer environment where they can open up or tell people if they’re sad about anything.
‘It’s a happy place and quite a lot of parents say that to me.’
In the summer one former students created a book for Jacqui and every student wrote something in it.
‘If they weren’t old enough, they did a hand print and wrote their names,’ she said.
‘The things that they said - well it took me days to read it because I kept crying when I read it.
‘You don’t actually realise all the time the effect that you are having on young minds and people.
‘It was a very thoughtful collection of nice comments over the years.
‘When you have something like that you realise just what I nice thing you’ve created - a safe and friendly happy place.’