A DRAMA academy has been launched in Southend to give young people a space to learn to sing, dance and act.

The International Drama Academy held a launch event at Thorpe Hall School, Southend, on Saturday and the day proved a huge success.

The academy was founded earlier this year by Irfaan Rafiq and was in response to the need for young people to gain quality, international life experiences as one of the prerequisites to successful entrance to the top-flight drama schools.

Mr Rafiq said: “The organisation aims to establish a reputation for providing skilled, well-travelled artists and enable our students to discover parts of the world through the arts.”

Children who attended the launch were treated to free workshops in dance, acting and singing from top professionals.

Among the instructors at the launch was Adrian Blake, headteacher at prestigious performing arts school Arts Education, who delivered workshops on acting for film and television.

Classes will begin officially on Saturday for ten weeks and will be run at the Anglo European School, in Ingatestone, from 10am to 1pm and at Thorpe Hall School, Southend, from 2.30pm to 5.30pm.

For more information on signing up for classes, visit idaonline.education