Brooksby Melton College training '˜set me up for life' says former musical theatre student

Since leaving college Sherilyn has worked for The Walt Disney Company in Disneyland Paris and Disney Cruise Line, getting the opportunity to travel the world and do what she loves - dancing.

She played the Disney Princess Tiana in shows watched by daily audiences of up to 55,000 people and hosted High School Musical Dance events while sailing around the Caribbean.

She’s still continuing to pursue her dreams and one day hopes to have her own theatre company where she can pass on her industry knowledge to other hopeful performers.

She said: “Disney is an incredible company to work for, but without performing in the shows that I did while at Brooksby Melton College, I may never have had the confidence to audition and have such a colourful career.

“While training at the college, between 2005 and 2007, I featured in a variety of fantastic shows at Melton Theatre - Grease and Some Like it Hotter to name a few. I’ve always been a strong dancer and was offered roles as choreographer and dance captain on a large number of projects, ironically, including the High School Musical number in one of our course’s devised projects. While I was there I was trained by Mark Frisby, Cat Tyrell (now Webb) and Jo Drummond, and they each taught me different things about the performing arts industry as a whole.”

Sherilyn, who recently got back from a year of travelling around Australia, New Zealand and Japan in February, is currently living in Beaumont Leys, Leicester.

She started working at Disneyland Paris straight after graduating from Hull College of Performing Arts in 2010. She then worked for Disney Cruise Line from December 2010 until January 2012.

She studied BTEC Musical Theatre at Brooksby Melton College, finishing in 2007, and immediately landed her first professional role - working as principle dancer in the entertainment team at the Luca Blue Lagoon Resort on the Greek island of Kos. She was the lead female dancer in the Latin dance show and was featured in all of the other resident stage shows there.

While studying at Brooksby Melton College, Sherilyn was part of the Queniborough Dynamites Cheerleading squad, ran by Amy Owen, and competed with the team in the British Cheerleading Association’s International Championships, where they won in the senior dance category (July 2006).

Currently, Sherilyn said she has a ‘substantial dance job opportunity in the pipeline’ but wasn’t able to say more at the moment as it isn’t yet confirmed.

She said: “The musical theatre training I had at Brooksby Melton College has played a big part in the success I’ve had in my career as a performer.

“I hope my story will inspire others to reach for their dreams and it proves that you can be successful even without going to a vocational theatre school.”

Sherilyn is one of many former Brooksby Melton College students who have gone on to forge successful professional careers.

Mark Frisby, a former music theatre tutor at the college and one of the tutors who trained Sherilyn during her time there, said: “Sherilyn is a very talented and striking young woman. Driven just by her look and attitude towards performing arts she was always destined to be in entertainment. I’m absolutely thrilled for her.”