THE dancers warm-up with a series of impressive superhuman-style stretches, while the sound of voice exercises being practised over and over filters into the corridor. Actors, clutching scripts, walk with purpose past rows of colourful costumes and tables of props.
There is a sense of building excitement in the rehearsal rooms on Norfolk Street, as the Dance School of Scotland’s musical theatre students prepare for their summer show, Encore!, which takes place on Friday, June 16, at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.
For Graham Dickie, however, it is a bittersweet moment.
The man who founded the course – which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year – is retiring, and he admits it is with mixed emotions that he is overseeing this final bunch of rehearsals.
“It will be hard to go, no doubt about that, because musical theatre was my baby,” he agrees. “But…I have grandchildren now, a two-year-old, and one just born three weeks ago – and I don’t want to miss anything. They are down in London, and I want more freedom to go up and down to see them.”
He pauses. “And I want to go back to my roots, I suppose,” he says. “I want to get back to singing, maybe MD-ing…that’s where I started out. This is a full-on job, so it takes a lot of time.” He laughs. “And I’m old...”
Graham, who is originally from Aberdeen and now lives in Scotstoun with his wife Hilary, studied piano, singing and conducting at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.)
He was appointed the youngest professional musical director (MD) in Britain when he joined Independent Opera in London. In 1981, he returned to Scotland, and after spells with Scottish Ballet, the RSAMD, Scottish Opera and Glasgow Grand Opera, he joined the Dance School of Scotland, a national centre of excellence based in Knightswood Secondary, which is also celebrating an anniversary – its 40th – in 2023.
There, in 1998, he started the national Musical Theatre Course.
“I felt the school was missing a huge opportunity by not having it,” he says, simply. “They let me do it, so I started with eight dancers who were in their sixth year, and we put on Blood Brothers. It was nothing special - we had nae money – but it went down really well, and here we are, 25 years later.”
Hundreds of talented young musical theatre stars have learned their trade on the course, going on to appear in stage productions around the country, Many more work as choreographers, directors, teachers and creatives in the world’s top companies and schools.
Graham keeps in touch with most of them, whether it’s a “daft text every so often” from River City and panto star Darren Brownlie, or bumping into Blackpool’s Hot Ice choreographer Lynsey Brown at a party, or just catching up on the careers of the likes of Blythe Jandoo (King’s panto), Gayle Rankin (GLOW on Netflix) and Suzi McAdam (Rocky Horror) when he can.
“This is going to sound very corny, but it really is like a big family,” he says, grinning. “It’s great so many talented young people are going on to do such a range of things.
“I hope that continues. People need to understand that this course, like the Dance School itself, is a national resource.
READ NEXT: Junior football's famous faces join forces to support Glasgow charity
“Whatever happens after I leave, that knowledge of the industry, what this course is providing for drama schools, its specificity – all of that has to be there, otherwise we are doing musical theatre students a disservice, in my opinion.”
The preparation for Encore! – which will also feature Still Game star Jane McCarry - is taking place inside the Citizens Theatre’s rehearsal spaces, part of a collaboration which goes back to the early days of the course, says Graham.
“This, I will really miss,” he says, smiling. “The Citz took a gamble on me, when I approached them 22 years ago to ask if we could do this, and the team here are absolutely fantastic.
“It is so good for the students, to work with professional stage crews, learning from professional lighting and sound technicians – it is an amazing opportunity.”
His advice to his successor is simple.
“Enjoy it, work hard and keep abreast of what’s happening in the industry,” he says.
“I know the shows are going to be emotional, I know come October I will find it strange not to be welcoming the new students in.”
He adds, with a smile: “But it’s time to move on, and it’s exciting – for me, and for the school, and I look forward to seeing what they do next.
“When I started teaching, friends asked if I missed ‘doing’ but I don’t. Watching 25 people ‘do’ what I love, and being able to give them notes to help them do it even better – that is the best feeling in the world.”
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here