Summer showcase success: How Joe Gray went from student performer to professional choreographer

In 2016, having joined Stagecoach in Cirencester four years previously at the age of six, Joe Gray was finally old enough to audition for his first Summer Showcase.

Travelling to Cardiff for the one-day audition workshop, Mum, Becki, wasn’t expecting much. “Honestly, I thought it would just be a day of childcare,” she laughs. Joe’s attitude was also nonchalant, thinking ‘why not’.

But little did he know it was the beginning of a life-changing, decade-long journey which saw him perform in nine Summer Showcase productions back-to-back and Becki becoming a devoted chaperone and passionate supporter of the Stagecoach community.

This year, he takes on his first professional role with the creative team as assistant choreographer.

From ensemble to leadership

From being part of the ensemble in Little Shop of Horrors, to being cast in featured parts and lead roles in shows such as Grease, Bring It On: The Musical and The Addams Family, Joe’s had a varied Summer Showcase experience over the years.

He’s also attended the two-week rehearsal period in every which way you can.

“I’ve done it all,” Joe says. “As a day student, a boarder and even two weeks on Zoom during the pandemic, when I actually managed to dislocate my shoulder. But I kept coming back.”

For the last four years, Joe was Dance Captain. “As Dance Captain, you become part of the leadership team. You’re like a senior cast member, a mentor,” he explains. “You’re the one people come to when they forget choreography late at night or need advice before breakfast.”

Now Joe is taking his first step onto the creative team as assistant choreographer. “It’s surreal,” he admits. “Some of the cast this year are people I lived with last summer. Now I’m on the other side – teaching them, guiding them. But it’s exciting. I can relate to them. I know how much this means.”

Mentored by Stagecoach

Joe’s rise through the Summer Showcase ranks has been supported every step of the way by mentors like Daniel (Summer Showcase choreographer), one of the long-standing creative leads. “Daniel took me through my dance teacher training with the Scottish Dance Teachers Alliance,” Joe shares. “I’ve gone from student to qualified associate. That wouldn’t have happened without him.”

Currently a student at London’s prestigious Lane Theatre Arts, Joe also teaches at Stagecoach Kingston Surbiton and works on national events. But his roots are still with the Stagecoach: “Stagecoach feels like home. I still put on my uniform and go to teach on weekends – it’s part of who I am.”

A life-changing decision

Joe hadn’t originally planned to pursue a career in musical theatre. “I thought I’d do a maths degree,” he says. “But then Showcase happened. The people, the energy — I fell in love with it.”

His mum agrees. “There’s no way Joe would be in London, studying at drama school, without Stagecoach,” Becki says. “As a parent, I wouldn’t have even considered it. But he had this undeniable love for it. And the Showcase gave him a family, confidence, and clarity.”

Becki remembers Joe’s first audition vividly. “We walked into this room in Cardiff filled with these incredibly talented kids doing backflips and choreography from the previous year. Joe was this tiny ten-year-old in a Stagecoach t-shirt. And he got in. That day changed everything.”

Family, on and off stage

Becki has been by Joe’s side for every step – not just as a mum, but as a chaperone. “I’ve spent over a third of my summer holidays, and wedding anniversaries, at the Summer Showcase,” she jokes. “I’ve made lifelong friends with other chaperones. We’ve been to weddings, travelled to Malta, and still keep in touch all year round.”

But the best part? “It’s a bubble,” Becki says. “A beautiful, joyful bubble where kids can be themselves. I once heard a student say, ‘Stagecoach is the two weeks of the year I get to be me.’ And that’s exactly what it is.”

Joe agrees. “As a boy who loved dance, that wasn’t always something I could talk about at school. But at Showcase, everyone’s like you. You don’t have to hide. You’re surrounded by others who get it.”

Giving back

Joe’s is now in the position to inspire others the way older students once inspired him. “I remember being ten and looking up to this 18-year-old in the cast. Now I’m that person.”

This year marks his first professional contract with the very project that started it all. “My first show was Showcase, and now my first professional job is Showcase. That’s something special.”

And while Joe’s now choreographing, auditioning for panto, and training full-time, he hasn’t forgotten where he came from. “Even now, if I need advice, I can message someone from Stagecoach, even if we haven’t spoken in years, and they’ll help. That’s the kind of family this is.”

Mum’s the word

So, what does Becki say to other parents thinking about getting involved?

“Just do it. Be a chaperone. Support your child. You’ll find magic in the most unexpected places — the midnight chats, the canteen menus, the spontaneous dance-offs. You’ll make memories that last forever. It’s indescribable, but if you know, you know.”

Stagecoach’s Summer Showcase isn’t just a performance – it’s a launchpad, a community, and for some, like Joe and Becki, a second home.