Groundbreaking partnership between Wakefield's performing arts centres CAPA College and Backstage Academy is announced

The district’s two pioneering organisations have been shaping the future of performing arts, production arts, live events and arts education for the past two decades with an influence that extends from the West End to Hollywood and the global tours of music superstars Ed Sheeran, Beyonce and Jay-Z.

Now CAPA College and Backstage Academy are joining forces for the first time to further enhance Yorkshire’s reputation for world-class arts education.

This groundbreaking collaboration will give young people a unique opportunity to benefit from the finest artistic and creative education provided by CAPA College, which is delivered by a team of top professional teachers, directors, choreographers, musical directors, designers and technicians, alongside the cutting-edge technical and production expertise of Backstage Academy through its live events production university, Production Park, which is the only centre of its kind in the UK.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “I am delighted that this partnership between CAPA College and Backstage Academy is taking place.

"Our region is fortunate to have two organisations that excel in what they do. I hope that through working together to create a creative arts pathway for talented young people they will present opportunities for people across a range of careers in TV, film, theatre and live events.

"This initiative will help our region become more attractive for businesses in these sectors to come here and invest.”

CAPA College and Backstage Academy are unrivalled in terms of the industry-standard facilities that they offer to their students.

Operating from a brand new, multi-million-pound site in Wakefield city centre, CAPA College offers state-of-the-art dance, drama and singing studios, a 150-seat theatre, an outdoor amphitheatre, arthouse cinema and recording studios.

The recently expanded Backstage Academy campus in South Kirkby is the number one live events production destination in Europe with incredible studios, the latest equipment and pioneering technology.

With incredible new programmes of study, original opportunities for collaborative research and an unprecedented focus on immersive entertainment and performance, this new partnership between CAPA College and Backstage Academy marks the beginning of something unprecedented in the arts education sector.