A LEES drama teacher is having the last laugh on Lord Sugar after students landed roles in hit shows.
Sarah Byrne was the first candidate of the 2018 series of The Apprentice to hear the famous words ‘you’re fired’ in the boardroom.
But five years later, she is nurturing the next generation of northern talent, including children currently starring in the Netflix thriller anthology Black Mirror and the Amazon Prime series The Power, starring Golden Globe Award and Primetime Emmy Award-winning actress Toni Collette
All this without the £250,000 investment from the TV show.
“There are a lot of actors from Oldham, I don’t know if it’s something in the water,” said 34-year-old Sarah, who played Meena Karib in the gritty Manchester drama Shameless and Bella in the Channel Four soap Hollyoaks.
“I want to give something back and create opportunities.
“We are looking for the next talent. A lot of children were bullied at school and it’s about boosting self-confidence. Acting can help in every aspect of your life.”
Sarah Byrne Acting Academy, based at Oldham Hulme Grammar School and the Manchester Maccabi Community and Sports Club in Prestwich, has students from as far as the Isle of Man and the north east, as well as from across Greater Manchester.
Its results can be seen as nine-year-old Lillie-Mae Law, of Oldham, plays the haunting role of Laura Simons in the chilling drama Demon 79 in the new season of Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror.
Miranda Malunga, also nine and from Oldham, plays Young Allie in the science fiction series The Power, based on Naomi Alderman’s 2016 novel.
Last year, older sister Eavan, 14, played Amaka in the Manchester-based Dave sitcom Holier Than Thou.
The academy has also seen its talent land roles in ads for Co-op, Nike and McDonald’s and children have auditioned for Emmerdale and Hollyoaks, and Sarah’s daughter Sadie, nine, has had a recall for a Christmas feature film.
Sarah was inspired to set up the academy to act as a role model to Sadie and she is proud to see local talent catapulted into the spotlight under the guidance of herself and talent scout Sue Burns, 60, from Prestwich.
Emmerdale casting director Ezra Tren-Humphries regularly presents workshops for students around working in TV and long-running dramas.
For more information visit www.sarahbyrneactingacademy.co.uk and contact academy@sarahbyrneactingacademy.co.uk to book a free taster class.
