Last month, CYD? announced MEPA College as the 2025 CYD? Super Convention Headline Sponsor.
MEPA is a dynamic college, dedicated to fostering creativity, performance and excellence in the Arts. With a strong focus on developing talent in the fields of Musical Theatre, Singing, Dance and Acting, MEPA College offers students rigorous vocational study with practical, hands-on experience. MEPA pride themselves on their open and friendly approach to teaching by nurturing a “can do” attitude. Ahead of this year's CYD? Super Convention, taking place at The ECC & ACL in Liverpool on October 11th and 12th, CYD? spoke to MEPA to learn more about their college and what they have to offer.
Mandy Ellen – Founder and Principal Director of MEPA Training
Mandy started MEPA college in 2006 when three of her own students were unable to afford full-time college and did not want to travel to London to attend professional training. Mandy quickly realised there was a need for professional training in Kent, so in September 2006 MEPA College was launched. As the Principal of MEPA College, Mandy is deeply committed to providing accessible and affordable training to young artists looking to make it in the performing arts industry. Her vision is to ensure that every student, regardless of their financial background, has the opportunity to pursue their passion and hone their craft.
Emma Finch – Vice Principal
Emma started at MEPA College when it opened in 2006, she has been an integral part of the college and its growth over the many years it has been open. She believes it has been an incredible privilege to witness and contribute to the growth and success of the college. From MEPA College’s humble beginnings to becoming a respected centre for artistic excellence, Emma has had the honour of playing an essential role in shaping the experiences of the students and faculty. Throughout these years, she has remained deeply committed to the vision of providing high-quality, accessible training, where every student is valued and given the resources to excel.
At MEPA College, our mission is to provide exceptional performing arts education that is accessible, inclusive, and dedicated to fostering the individual growth of every student. We believe in the power of small class sizes, where each student receives personalised attention, ensuring they have the support and guidance to reach their fullest potential. By keeping our classes intimate, we create an environment that nurtures creativity and encourages collaboration, allowing our students to thrive both as performers and as individuals.
Our commitment to accessible training means that we offer high-quality education to all aspiring artists, regardless of their background. We aim to break down barriers to ensure that every student has the opportunity to pursue their passion and develop their skills in a welcoming, diverse community.
At MEPA, we also pride ourselves on providing excellent performance opportunities for students across all year groups. Whether in intimate showcases or larger productions such as MOVE IT and CYD?, every student is given the chance to perform, grow their confidence, and experience the stage in a professional setting on a regular basis—to become a performer you must train, but must also have experience in performance. Our mission is to prepare students not just for the studio, but for a successful future in the performing arts, empowering them with the tools and experiences needed to excel.
Performing is a way of life at MEPA College. Our busy diary provides many opportunities to gain experience and perform publicly, not only in our very own state of the art performance venue, but also at some of the world's biggest dance events such as MOVE IT and Can You Dance?.
Whether you are a singer, dancer, actor or triple threat—there are a countless options to showcase your talent!
Our range of performing arts projects are designed to reflect the demands of the professional performer including performances such as variety style shows, professional plays and pantomimes, musicals, cabaret style nights, agent showcases and much more.
In September 2021, MEPA College opened their new flagship venue which is a state-of-the-art facility called Studio 6. This facility is a large studio space of over 5000 sq ft, which can also transform into a performance and Cabaret style premise with tiered seating, staging, lighting, music and sound. The studio space has a custom-built technicians’ desk, along with our own in-house technician. For performances, guests are also able to make use of our balcony area for a VIP experience. Students have personal lockers, as well as dedicated changing rooms and showering facilities. When entering Studio 6, visitors are welcomed to a fresh lobby area that also serves as a bar area for shows and performances. MEPA students have the opportunity to train and performing in their amazing purpose-built facility, the journey so far has been more than Mandy had ever dreamed.
MEPA offers:
We advice students to work hard in all their classes. Don’t be shy to show teachers your passion and energy. Be open to training in a variety of styles to diversify your skill base. Performance and passion is key, we have time to train you at MEPA College but the passion comes from within. There is nothing more exciting to an audition panel than passion and raw talent.
Always ask questions, our faculty are very approachable and are always eager to pass their knowledge, skills and experience down to the next generation. On experience and audition days, we have current students around who are available as helping hands to provide their hints and tips for starting at MEPA College.
At MEPA College, we always have someone who is available to help and answer any questions you might have.
📆 MEPA's next audition day is on 25 April 2025
📧 To apply, email [email protected]
Spend a day training with industry specialists whilst continuing to strengthen your technique and performance skills at MEPA’s Experience Days:
📆 11 April 2025 and 8 August 2025
🔗 To book, click here.
Mandy Ellen, Principal of MEPA College, says: "As Principal of MEPA College, I am extremely proud to announce we are now a fully accredited provider with CDMT (The Council for Dance, Drama and Musical Theatre) following our full inspection of the College.
CDMT are a quality assurance and membership body for the professional dance, drama and musical theatre. Providing the industry bench mark of quality. College's are only successful thorough and comprehensive inspection.
This outstanding achievement puts us in an elite bracket of 25 performing arts colleges around the UK, who provide high-quality professional training which is accredited by CDMT. This accreditation by CDMT, recognises the hard work, effort, talent and success of all our staff and students.
I would like to thank all our incredible faculty for all their continued support and dedication to the growth and ethos of MEPA College. I would also like to thank our talented students and their supportive parents over the past 19 years who have chosen MEPA College as their professional training provider, many of whom have gone to lead exciting and successful careers within the industry.
This success marks the start of a new and exciting chapter for MEPA College, whilst continuing to bring the best and highest quality of training in dance, drama and musical theatre in Kent!"
