About us

A new way of enjoying Performing Arts and Gymnastics.

Based at The 412 Hub in Pontefract, West Yorkshire – we are an independent performing arts school who take pride in offering unique training to all ages and abilities.

Our showcases give our students a professional platform to demonstrate their skills to friends, family and industry experts. Our innovative classes follow THE412WAY.

Students have opportunities to be involved in projects throughout the year including public events, professional commissions and curtain raisers. We provide plenty of opportunities for our students to enjoy themselves!

Under the patronage of Emmy, TONY and Olivier award winning international producer, Richard Jordan Productions – we deliver performing arts and gymnastic classes THE412WAY for an unbelievable £6.00 per hour!

+ Ella Daley - Company Director

Ella is a professional dancer, choreographer, workshop leader, fully qualified dance teacher, and Level 2 gymnastics coach. With a BA Hons in Dance and a PGCE, Ella opened 412 in 2012 and is responsible for the high-quality teaching. Ella has toured the UK as a freelance dancer and performed in major shows for 412, including Super Cool Love (2014) and the critically acclaimed Night + Daze (2015/16). She has won many awards for her distinctive choreography at prestigious UK competitions. In addition to running the school, Ella is the executive producer for 412 professional productions, working with Pleasance Theatre, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Jersey Arts Centre, Harrogate Theatre, and Richard Jordan Productions, amongst others.

+ Philip Stokes - Company Director

Philip is a playwright, director and teacher. His critically acclaimed plays have had sell-out runs across the globe, including London, Adelaide, Dublin, Chicago, and Edinburgh. His plays have won the Fringe Review Outstanding Theatre Award, Adelaide Critics Circle Award, Theatre Weekly Best Theatre Award (x2), Adelaide Holden Street Theatre Award (x2). His work has gained 5* reviews from international press, delighting audiences and critics worldwide. Acknowledged by the British Library as a Culturally Important Playwright of the 21st Century, Philip writes and directs 412 Productions’ professional work. In recent years, this includes Jesus, Jane Mother & Me, LASH, Joe & Jack, and Shellshocked. Philip has a Masters in Contemporary Performing Arts (Dance, Music, Theatre) and has taught performing arts from Key Stage 1 to Degree level.

Patrons

+ Richard Jordan – Patron

Richard Jordan is an Olivier, TONY and EMMY Award-winning producer.
Described by The Stage newspaper as "one of the UK's most prolific producers", he enjoys production and creative relationships in over 26 countries. A new writing and musical theatre specialist, Richard has been at the forefront of discovering, developing and producing world premieres of works by a diverse range of new and established UK and international writers and artists often with a strong social and political agenda, including: Stefan Golaszewski; Martin McDonagh; Conor McPherson; Cora Bissett; Ontroerend Goed; Carly Wijis; Alan Ayckbourn; Mike Cullen; Omphile Molusi; the Q Brothers; Charles Hart; Danai Gurira; Alan Bennett; Shekinah Jacob; Jane Bussmann; Miriam Margolyes and Christopher Durang. He has also produced productions by some of the world’s leading young people’s companies including Kopergietery and BRONKS.

Together with playwright and director Philip Stokes, Richard Jordan has developed and produced his work since 2011, premiering Phil’s award-winning plays in Edinburgh, London, Adelaide and on tour throughout the UK. Richard started his career in theatre at 16 years old as a stage-hand on the West End musical Cats and after working in stage and theatre management until 1998, he left the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain to form his own London-based production company, Richard Jordan Productions.
The company has produced and developed over 205 productions worldwide and been the recipient of over 40 major production awards including: the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement at an Affiliate Theatre; the TONY Award for Best Play (and eleven other TONY nominations); the US Black Alliance Award for diversity in Arts and Culture; the EMMY for Best Feature Section; the Outer Circle Critics Award; the Off-West End for Best Musical; 14 Scotsman Fringe First Awards; 3 Helen Hayes Awards; 10 Total Theatre Awards and The Society of London Theatre Producers Award.

In 2010, Richard was a finalist in the British Council's first-ever UK Arts Young Creative Entrepreneur Award. He has been named seven times in The Stage Top 100 UK Arts and Entertainment Professionals and in 2011, for his services to the UK and international arts industries, he was selected for lifetime inclusion in A & C Black’s annual publication Who's Who. He is also an accomplished arts journalist writing a regular column for over ten years for the entertainment industry newspaper The Stage Online. He is a frequent arts contributor to the BBC and the international theatre and film correspondent for ABC Australia. Richard guest lectures on creative theatre producing for a variety of organisations including the Edinburgh Fringe Society and New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts

+ Yvette Cooper MP – Patron

Yvette is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford since 2010, having been the MP for Pontefract and Castleford since 1997. Yvette is highly impressed with our work with young people, our future plans and the renovation of our iconic building. Yvette has met with students and teachers, taken a tour of our home and watched our 412 students in action. In her role as patron, Yvette has agreed to support us over the coming years and become an active advocate for 412.