faculty

TRAINING PROGRAMME

Kristian Cunningham

Creative Director & Accelerate Course Lead

Kristian is a well-recognised Producer, Creative and Performing Arts Teacher based in the Midlands. He trained at the The Urdang Academy in London and graduated in Professional Dance & Musical Theatre. Following his performance career, Kristian decided that he wanted to create a Performing Arts Hub to educate and train the local talent to a high standard.

KTCo was formed and Kristian now oversees the running of the dance & musical theatre training as well as producing their adult shows and is also the course leader of the company’s tailor-made foundation course, the Accelerate Training Programme. Alongside leading the team at KTCo, he works as a choreographer and a developing creative artist.

kristian@ktcostudios.com

Tom Hopcroft

Studios Director

Tom is proud to be Co-Managing Director and Lead Agent at KTCo; having performed in the companies first production ‘Our House’ back in 2017.

Also a member of Nottingham Playhouse participation team, Tom is passionate about creating accessible, innovative arts training and performance opportunity for local young performers. Tom feels this is particularly critical as arts funding in the local mainstream education system continues to fall.

KTCo; Management is continuing to flourish in both the adult and young performers departments; Tom would like to thank his clients for their consistent talent, hard work and dedication.

tom@ktcostudios.com

Katy Maclaughlin

Head of Acting & BTEC Course Lead

Katy was Faculty Head of Performing and Expressive Arts at Friesland School for 19 years. She joined the school after completing a BA (Hons) in Acting and graduating from Durham University after she finished her PGCE in Secondary Education.

She has spent many years building up Friesland’s reputation for being one of the top Secondary Schools in the area for Performing Arts, an accolade that put her department in the Good Schools Guide for their excellent results at A Level Drama.

As well as her teaching job at Friesland, Katy is the resident director for the Senior Youth Company and the Head of Acting on the company’s tailor made foundation course, the Accelerate Training Programme.

katy@ktcostudios.com

Charlotte Daniel

Head of Singing

Charlotte is a Derby-based singing teacher, pianist, and musical director with over 15 years’ experience. A First Class Music graduate from the University of Nottingham, she also holds a Master’s in music analysis, Estill Voice Training (Levels 1 & 2), and Vocal Health First Aid accreditation.

She specialises in ensemble singing and has musically directed productions including Sister Act (2025) and Sweet Charity(2023) for KTCollege. A core creative at Derby Youth Musical Theatre, she recently co-directed and MD’d their acclaimed 2024 production of The Phantom of the Opera.

Charlotte teaches privately and at Expressions Academy of Performing Arts (EPA), with students progressing to top drama schools and major venues including the West End and Glastonbury.

charlotte@ktcostudios.com

Becky Wrench

Head of Dance & Safeguarding Lead

Becky is a professional performer turned dance teacher based in the East Midlands.

After having graduated from Bird College with a BA Hons in Musical Theatre and Dance in 2012, Becky enjoyed a varied career in theatre, dance and music.

After a further 3 years of training with the Royal Academy of Dance to achieve ballet teaching qualifications, Becky is also a qualified member of the IDTA.

becky@ktcostudios.com

Ashley Stillburn

Deputy Head of Course

Ashley graduated from Guildford School of Acting in 2014 with a 1st Class BA (Hons) degree in Musical Theatre and the award for ‘Best Performance in a Musical.’ Ashley left vocational training early at GSA to join the West End cast of Les Miserables where he played the role of Feuilly and understudied and played Enjolras.

He then went on to appear as Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera (Her Majesty’s Theatre); Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd (Opera de Toulon); Corrado Montelli in Death Takes a Holiday, Armand Dufau in The Braille Legacy, and Walter Hartright in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s first revival of The Woman in White, all at the Charing Cross Theatre in London’s West End. Ashley also appeared as Charles Clarke in the UK & International tour of Titanic – the Musical and subsequently returned to the West End production of The Phantom of the Opera post-COVID where he covered and played both The Phantom and Raoul at certain performances. Ashley also returned to play The Phantom in April 2023 for a brief period to cover for some unforeseen absence within the cast.

Since 2023, Ashley has lived in Buxton in the Peak District with his wife and two young children, and enjoyed building a career in education. He has taught at some of the North’s most prestigious institutions including serving as Director of Music at St Bede’s College in Manchester, Head of Performing Arts at Beech Hall School, Macclesfield and he is a guest lecturer at The Hammond School in Chester. He is also an accredited partner for Derbyshire Music Partnership.

ashley@ktcostudios.com