The Wetherby Whaler Group has helped recognise the enterprising nature of two young businesswomen at the Yorkshire Young Achiever Awards.
The Yorkshire-based business sponsored the Achievement in Management and Enterprise award, which was presented to talented twin sisters Laura-Jane (L-J) and Emily Keston, by Caroline Murphy, a director at the Wetherby Whaler Group.
The pair received the award after establishing their own musical theatre workshop business, Stagebox Musical Theatre, following appearances in numerous stage shows, films and television productions, including ITV’s Mr Selfridge and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.
Stagebox offers high calibre musical theatre training to help exceptional young performers aged seven – 18 years-old looking to take the ‘next step’. Stagebox runs for five weeks during the school holidays, operating from bases in Leeds, London and Manchester. It combines video showcases with intensive musical theatre training led exclusively by West End professionals and leading creatives.
The company only accepts 25 children into each of its Elite Team programmes to ensure that every child receives the very best training and opportunities.
Caroline Murphy, a director at Wetherby Whaler Group, said:
It’s a fantastic honour to present L-J and Emily with this award. As a family business we are proud to recognise the pair’s commitment to working with each other in order to build a company based on their passions in life.
We are a proud Yorkshire-based company and we feel that it is important to support the next generation of business people here. There are many young people across the region whose achievements deserve recognition, and the Yorkshire Young Achiever Awards are a fantastic way to do this.
Congratulations to Emily and L-J. I have a feeling this is just one of many awards these high flyers will receive during their careers.
L-J Keston said:
It’s a wonderful feeling to be recognised as one of Yorkshire’s young achievers. My sister and I launched Stagebox because we felt that there wasn’t the same opportunities for young people in Yorkshire as there was in the South.
Along with our artistic director Sammy Murray who recently choreographed ITV’s Victoria, we have created a business that has already auditioned thousands and given those selected access to the very best training possible. We have auditioned thousands of children across the region and we love discovering, nurturing, training and showcasing young talent.
We keep our teams small so that we can offer a personalised programme with a pastoral yet professional approach that nurtures raw talent and, where necessary, give scholarships and bursaries to help youngsters achieve their dreams.
Emily Keston added:
It has been a real journey these past 18 months nurturing young talent in the North of England. In the first three months alone our Leeds Elite Team appeared on Bradley Walsh’s Keep It In The Family to perform Annie live on ITV, and we currently have pupils appearing in the West End, UK Tours, and international Tours.
In addition to that, the whole company is involved in Magic of the Musicals UK Tour and will be appearing in the West End, at The Royal Court, in February.
It is a privilege to watch our young performers grow in confidence. Watching them on stage in professional shows, achieving their dreams, makes us so proud.
