Staff
Aideen McAuliffe - Artistic Director
Aideen, originally from Tallow in Co. Waterford, is the founder and Director of Centre Stage School. After completing a degree in Media and Comunications, Aideen studied Drama and Musical Theatre at Maryland University, Washington, USA. She then returned to NUI Galway where she completed a Masters in Drama and Theatre Studies.
Aideen holds a teaching diploma from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and is a qualified Primary School Teacher. Aideen has directed and produced all of the schools productions to date and is forever compelled by the capabilities of the students and staff of Centre Stage School.
Eimear Sheehan - Operations Manager
Eimear has been a part of Centre Stage since she was 6 years old, when she started as a pupil. She joined the classes later as a class assistant, then as a teacher, and now proudly serves as the Operations Manager. While a student, she received Distinction in both Acting and MT with LAMDA. Hailing from Mallow, Eimear qualified as a Mental Health Nurse from UCC in 2020. She loves all things about CSS, from rehearsing performances to building lifelong friendships and being part of a heartwarming community. Eimear is looking forward to meeting both new and old students, and hopes to assist students and parents with any questions or help they may need throughout the year.
Laura Burke - Theatre Tots/Musical Theatre
Laura's creative and energetic love for drama and working with children gives her the exciting drive to work with Centre Stage and the Theatre Tot and Musical Theatre Programme. Laura studied Speech and Drama for four years in the Cork College of Commerce, where she achieved four different Diplomas including her highest to date, her Fellowship Diploma certified by the Victoria College of London. Since then Laura has taught Drama & exercise classes for children from 4 years upwards in Passage West, and Theatre Tots/Musical Theatre classes in Centre Stage (and surrounding preschools in the North Cork area). She has also worked with Cope Foundation in bringing their "Growing Imaginations" projects to life. Laura is very excited to be involved with Centre Stage School, and looks forward to the year ahead!
Lesley-Anne Radcliffe - Ballet/Modern/Tap/Acro
Lesley-Anne Radcliffe is a qualified dance teacher with the internationally renowned Royal Academy of Dance (R.A.D), the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (I.S.T.D) and Acrobatic Arts. She trained at Laine Theatre Arts in London, Joan Denise Moriarty in Cork and Hammond School in Chester. Not only is she qualified in Ballet, Modern, Tap, National and Acro dance, giving students the option to take internationally recognised exams, but she was also a professional dancer with Thomson Gold International, P&O Cruises and Carnival Cruises. Performances in Ireland also include dancing with Cork Ballet Company, Cork City Ballet, Cork city pantomimes as well as shows working with choreographer Donna Daly Blyth. She has regularly been a guest performer with SYB Eastbourne. More recently Lesley-Anne became a qualified teacher of Acro dance through the highly acclaimed organisation Acrobatic Arts, who offer a professional curriculum for acrobatic dance reaching throughout Canada, UK, Europe and Australia. Lesley-Anne has been with Centre Stage since 2014 during which time students have excelled in Ballet, Tap and Modern, all of which are of tremendous value to many performers who continue their studies to a professional level abroad.
Katie Holly - Administrator
Katie Holly is from Charleville and studied Drama, Theatre Studies and Music in UCC before completing an MA in Irish Literature. She has written, directed and produced her own work for Cork Midsummer Festival and has toured her productions nationally. Her 2019 production 'Crossword' starred Mallow's own Danny Buckley, was commissioned by Cork County Council and toured Co. Cork for Bealtaine Festival in May 2019, before being recorded and broadcast as an audio play as part of Cork County Culture Night in September 2020. She wrote and directed the Transition Year All Ireland Drama Final winner 2017 with St. Mary's Secondary School, Charleville and worked with Graffitti Theatre Company on their Young Playwright programme in 2018 up to the present, mentoring playwrights aged 15 to 19. She loves working in administration, sometimes helps out with scripts for the talented drama students at Centre Stage School and is looking forward to the year ahead!
Eileen Walsh - Theatre Tots/Musical Theatre
Eileen Walsh graduated from Mary Immaculate College in Limerick with an honours degree in Education in 2016. Since then she has been working in Canon Sheehan Primary School in Doneraile. She brings her love of the arts into her teaching too, directing a number of shows such as Beauty and the Beast.
She began working with us here in Centre Stage School in 2015, teaching both Theatre Tot and Musical Theatre classes. She has also lead an array of summer camps in Mallow and Charleville over the past few years.
Eileen loves to work with all of the bright young faces and create an inviting, warm atmosphere with her bubbly approach to teaching.
She absolutely loves being apart of the Centre Stage School team and is very excited about the year ahead!
Emily Firth Dwyer - Drama/Musical Theatre
Emily is an American actor and singer who has recently moved to Cork from New York City. She studied Musical Theatre from Webster University's Conservatory of Fine Arts in St. Louis, Missouri where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. At her time in university, she received two distinguished awards: The Leigh Gerdine Conservatory of Fine Arts Department Honours, and The Francis Marion Annual Scholarship for Outstanding Achievement. She then spent 12 years in New York working as not only an actor, but a personal acting coach and voice teacher. She has had the pleasure of working with companies like The Flea Theatre, Theatre Raleigh, Downtown Dance Factory, Songful Artists, Timber Lake Playhouse, and 5 tours with Theatreworks USA. In addition to performance, she has had the great privilege of working as the Acting Techniques and Musical Theatre instructor for Berridge Programs for Theatre and Film for the last 11 summers in Normandy, France. This year, as well as Musical Theatre, Emily will teach Drama up to Gold Medal standard (LAMDA exams) and Drama for TV/Film.
Kerry Nyhan - Singing
Kerry Nyhan is a Mallow native who completed a BA in Popular Music (majoring in Voice) in Cork School of Music.
Kerry’s interest in music stems from a young age. She was an enthusiastic student of Centre Stage, taking part in such musicals as Seussical The Musical, Les Miserables and Fame.
Kerry is also incredibly passionate about pop music and supported The Saturdays at 19 with her band Roulette.
She is so excited to fuse her pop and musical theatre background together to bring fun classes to Centre Stage this term!
Keith Hanley - Musical Theatre/Hip Hop/Dance for fun/MT Company
Keith is a Singer/Performer & Vocal Coach. Having studied Popular Music Performance (Vocals) at BIMM London as well as teaching, Keith is excited to share all his knowledge & passion with the up and coming generation.
Keith is certainly no stranger to the Cork performing scene, having performed principal roles in numerous Pantos at the Everyman Palace Theatre, in Annie at Cork Opera House, and is lead vocalist for 'Cork Pops Orchestra' under the direction of Evelyn Grant (RTÉ Lyric FM) & 'UCC Rocks’. Having won RTÉ’s 'The Voice Of Ireland’, Keith has a wealth of TV experience & is currently recording new music to be released early next year.
Keith has worked in different Primary Schools and musical settings throughout the Munster Region - holding Vocal Workshops, Stage Directing & Musical Directing. His classes are all about enhancing each students talent through teaching them techniques and tips they need to succeed in their singing and dancing. He also works towards building each students confidence and helping them find their unique voice. He focuses on teaching them how to sing and dance in a healthy, fun, open, relaxed but controlled way, giving them the tools necessary to push them beyond their boundaries. Nurturing your talent and growing your voice is an on going adventure. Keith is very excited to be returning to the Centre Stage team this year and looks forward to the new year ahead.
Lily Leahy - Theatre Tots/Musical Theatre
Originally from the Boston area in the United States, Lily has been living in Mallow for the last 10 years. She has been a Music, Dance, and Drama educator (both in Ireland and in America) for the last 16 years, teaching in schools, camps and with Community Outreach programs. With a degree in Sociology, she is especially interested in the community aspect of performing arts, and enjoys bringing people together through these art forms as well as realising the importance they have on the individual. She has taught music and drama, conducted school choirs in Irish National schools in the greater Mallow area, and has been the program director for a multigenerational music and dance summer camp program for the last 5 years. Lily has been dancing and singing with performance groups since childhood, and has performed in numerous productions. She is currently a member of Mallow's Community Choir as well as the founder of Various Voices, a small vocal ensemble. Lily has watched from the side-lines as her two daughters have enjoyed classes at Centre Stage over the last few years and is delighted to be part of the team, bringing her love of the performing arts to Centre Stage School's youngest students in the Theatre Tots program!
Trish Ryan - Office Manager
Office Manager Trish Ryan from Cork City, has been living in Mallow for the past 13 years. A graduate of University College Cork in Relationship Studies, Trish has a primarily financial background. Having attended many Centre Stage School shows (to see her two childrens' talents on display) over the past 10 years, and with a background in 'Tops of the Towns' as a young performer herself, she is delighted to be part of the team, and will be happy to assist you in the office!
Caoimhe McCarthy - Violin
Caoimhe McCarthy began taking violin lessons in Mallow at the age of 7 with Deirdre Lynch before attending lessons at the Cork School of Music with Siun Milne and Gregory Ellis.
She loves teaching and has a special interest in Music Education. She has played with orchestras such as Cork Chamber Orchestra, Irish Youth Baroque Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra of Ireland, CSM Symphony Orchestra, and has taken part in the Haydn Symphony Series in Cork.
Caoimhe is delighted to return to Centre Stage School this year!
Roisin Lane - Singing/Adult Choir/Keys/Guitar
Roisin is a singer, performer and Vocal Coach from Cork City. From a young age, Roisin found her love of music; she began performing in bands in the vibrant Cork music scene, and hasn't stopped performing since, in venues such as the Cork Opera House and Cork City hall (alongside Riverdance). Roisin went on to study Vocals in CIT Cork School of Music, gaining a BA in Popular Music and completing a Masters degree under Dr. Trish Rooney. Roisin is the Vice-Principal of The Academy of Popular Music, she continues to work as a vocal coach in Cork City and very much looks forward to working with the students at Centre Stage again this year!
Rory O'Brien - Guitar/Keys/Ukulele
Rory is a guitar tutor from Cork who has many years of experience playing and teaching guitar. He has performed live around the world; from festival stages to touring with other artists to corporate events, to everything in between. He has also taught in one-to-one and class environments to all ages and abilities.
He attained his BA Hons degree in Modern Music while attending BIMM in the UK, and subsequently completed his MA masters in performance at CSM in Cork. He has a wide interest in music; production, live performance, recording, and is constantly fascinated with how students interpret and assimilate music.
Sarah Corcoran - Musical Theatre/Theatre Tots/Drama/Singing
Originally from Waterford, Sarah completed a BA (Hons) in Theatre and Drama Studies (BATDS) at MTU Cork School of Music. Sarah studied singing under the tuition of Lynsey Penkert, completed Grade 4 in Music Theatre Performance from the University of West London, and studied Classical singing and Musical Theatre singing under acclaimed soprano Majella Cullagh. Sarah discovered her passion for drama teaching while working at the David Hennessy Stage School, Waterford from 2015 – 2018. As well as a passion for teaching, Sarah also loves to perform. Recent credits include performing in Grimm Tales by Carol Ann Duffy, Annie Allen’s World Tour, ‘Wendla’ in Spring Awakening, ‘Anna Maria’ in Godspell and ‘Belle’ in Beauty and the Beast.
Becky Henson Walne - Art
Becky has always been interested in creative pursuits, and her passion for creativity started at a very early age. She loves to paint, draw, make jewellery and up-cycle furniture, and she took several courses in art, craft, design and illustration in college. Aside from personal and professional commission projects, Becky has a passion for teaching. She worked as a Montessori teacher for two years in Vietnam. Although she primarily taught English, she also taught classes in art, craft, music, drama and mindfulness, as well as evening classes for varying age groups. Becky is very excited to meet all her new and returning Art students!
Chloe Whelan - Twinkle Toes Ballet/Pre Primary Ballet
Chloe was a CSS student for 7 years, studying a variety of dance styles such as Jazz, ISTD modern, RAD ballet, Commercial and Acrodance. She competed on the Centre stage Elite dance team for 4 years in a variety of lyrical, jazz and modern solos, duets, trios and group dances. Chloe absolutely loved her time as a student at CSS, and can’t wait to share her passion for dance with the talented young Dance students this year.
Siobhan Gallagher - Acting for fun
Siobhan is involved with CSS as a parent for a long time, and always loved helping out. Although she hadn't acted since school, Siobhan joined 'On Q' a number of years ago which reignited her love for drama. With a Diploma from Victoria College of Music and Drama, she also recently received Distinction in Lamda Gold Medal Drama exam. Siobhan is delighted to be teaching Drama for Fun as she knows these students well (her son Eoghan being one of them!) and knows what a lovely group they are. She is looking forward to an exciting year ahead!
Annemarie Cahill - Dance/Flexibility
Annemarie went to London in 2014 on a full scholarship to train professionally in Dance and Musical Theatre. While there, she experienced many different aspects of theatre, dancing with several dance companies, as well as working as production assistant within Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End theatres. Since moving home to Cork, Annemarie has loved being back, teaching in her home town, working as the Studio Manager for the ACA, teaching various styles including Jazz, Lyrical, Tap, Musical Theatre, Ballet and Commercial to all age groups. Annemarie is so excited to get started teaching at Centre Stage Mallow - she's looking forward to seeing all the hard work and progression that will be made, while creating a positive and fun environment for all our dancers.
Annamarie Sheehan - Singing
Annamarie is a Soprano currently studying a Bachelors of Music Degree at the Cork School of Music, specialising in classical voice under Mary Hegarty. During her 3 years as a student at Centre Stage School, she completed her Gold medal in LAMDA Musical Theatre Singing, and performed in our production of 'For Forever' in the Amelian Theatre in Mallow. She sings professionally at events, masses and functions, and has been singing classically for 5 years. Annamarie played the lead of Donna in Mamma Mia in the Everyman Palace. She also has a big interest in teaching singing, and really looks forward to passing on her knowledge this year at Centre Stage.
Aisling O'Keeffe - Piano
Aisling has had a passion for all things music and drama from a young age. She trained with Centre Stage for 14 years, completing examinations in Modern and Tap dance with the ISTD. Aisling was a member of the Junior Dance Ensemble in the Cork Opera House pantomime production of Cinderella in 2016 and was a member of the Senior Dance Company at Centre Stage. She recently achieved a distinction in her Gold Medal LAMDA examination in acting. Aisling has been training in piano playing for 12 years, completing her Grade 8 examination and Recital Certificate with the Royal Irish Academy of Music. She recently completed her Diploma in Piano Playing with Victoria College London (DipVCM). She is very excited to pass on her love of piano playing to her students!
Emma Norton - Singing/Adult MT/Theatre Tots/Musical Theatre
Emma started her journey in Centre Stage at the young age of 4 and continued to be a student for 14 years where she performed in various productions and completed Gold medal LAMDA exam in singing and Drama. She has also completed Estill Voice training level 1 which focuses on the anatomy of the voice and the specific structures responsible for various vocal techniques. She is currently in the process of completing my level 2 qualification. Upon graduating from CSS, she decided to further her training and completed a BA (Hons) in Musical Theatre with the MGA Academy of Performing Arts in Edinburgh. Emma is super excited and grateful to be returning to the CSS family and look forward to seeing lots of familiar faces!
Clodagh O'Sullivan - Piano
Clodagh has been playing piano since she was 7 years old. She completed Grade 8 in the Royal Irish Academy of Music piano exams, and has been teaching children of all ages since 2014. Clodagh has years of experience teaching the RIAM programme and, having been a CSS student in the past, is very excited to teach in Centre Stage School this year.
Jasmine Draper - Acrodance
Jasmine is a qualified Dance Teacher with the Irish Board of Dance Performance, and has qualifications from the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance, the Royal Academy of Dance and Acrobatic Arts. Jasmine holds a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre from MTU Cork School of Music. Jasmine is certified from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in both Musical Theatre and Acting, and Musical Theatre in Production from Trinity College London. She trained with International teachers and dancers while at Implustanz, Austria and, in London, and worked at a residential camp in Canada where she ran the dance and drama classes. Jasmine has performed in 13 pantomimes including Addams Family, Cats, Les Miserables and YMTUKs Gulliver’s Travels. She has worked behind the scenes of several productions, including the international productions of Blood Brothers, Dirty Dancing, Lord of the Dance, Pretty Woman and on the Irish Opera production of Morrigan as the Assistant Choreographer.
In her spare time she does circus training, including trapeze and aerial hoop and is a Certified Fitness Instructor/Personal Trainer. She looks forward to teaching Acrodance in the coming term!
Lia Birlea - Violin
A recent graduate of the Bachelor of Music (BMus) program at the Cork School of Music, Lia specialised
in violin performance under Liz Charleson. She has a strong background in both individual and various ensemble projects, and has participated in orchestras and ensembles since childhood. During that time, Lia developed a solid foundation in music theory and orchestration. Lia looks forward to meeting her students in September!
Emily Kearns - Piano
Emily has played the piano and studied the RIAM syllabus since she was 5 years old, completing Grade 8. Over the past 15 years, Emily’s musical interests have only grown from there; alongside the piano, Emily plays the guitar, ukulele, concertina and violin. Throughout her time in Secondary School, Emily accompanied other musicians, singers and dancers playing both the piano and guitar, recently receiving an award for doing so. Emily is delighted to join the team this year and cannot wait to teach her new students at Centre Stage!
Ciara O'Sullivan - Art
Ciara is a primary school teacher from Ballyhass, with a particular interest in poetry, children’s literature, and art. Ciara values art as a powerful means of self-expression for all, and truly believes every child is an artist - she cannot wait to meet her new students at Centre Stage School this year!
Orla Palliser - Musical Theatre Company Vocal Training/One to One singing
Orla has been involved in music from a very young age. She studied piano and bassoon in the Cork school of Music with Mary Beattie, Jan Cap and Bernard Casey and continued her studies in the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. She has worked as a musical director on many productions around Cork and has directed a number of shows for the Cork Arts Theatre including 100 years of Broadway, Broadway to Bethlehem, Girls Sing and Red Riding Hood and the Wolf. She is also a very experienced Choral conductor and most recently won a gold medal in Lucca, Italy with UCC’s international Choir.
Over the last number of years Orla has specialised in working with young musical theatre performers both in Cork and in the UK with a special interest in audition preparation, vocal technical development specifically in the musical theatre genre and helping develop young voices appropriately, building suitable repertoire and teaching acting through song. She maintains close working relationships with many professionals in the musical theatre industry in the UK and is constantly working with them to bring up-to-date, industry standard training to her students and prepare them for their next steps in training. Many of her students have gone on to careers in the performing arts, training in top London colleges and are currently performing on stages all over the world. She is an affiliate teacher with Stagebox UK and is currently studying for her Estil Master Trainer qualification with Anne Marie Speed.