Walking backstage for the first time into one of the West End’s most eagerly awaited musicals, The Devil Wears Prada, 21-year-old makeup and wig artist Daisy Potter had a little first-day apprehension. But then she saw a familiar face.
“I bumped into a girl who did sound in my year at the Brit School,” she says. “It was so lovely to see her. You always bump into other people from Brit on all sorts of jobs, because the reach of the school is just so vast and worldwide. At any time, I always know a load of people who are working around the world on tour – we’ve all kept in contact.”
It’s three years since Potter left the Brit School, a free-to-attend performing and creative arts high school in Croydon, south London, set up in 1991 for teenagers who are passionate about developing as artists. The school is perhaps synonymous with its biggest stars, a veritable fantasy festival lineup of Adele, Amy Winehouse, Loyle Carner, FKA Twigs, Imogen Heap, Rex Orange County, Cat Burns and Kae Tempest, to name just a few from the vast list of 13,000 or so former students. But behind these globally famous stars are a whole other treasure trove of industry talent; from lighting directors, visual artists and film-makers to set, costume and sound designers, as well as makeup artists, like Potter.
Olivia Chew, director of production arts at the Brit School, was formerly a costume supervisor, working on Eastenders and E20, before switching over to teaching. “Until I started working here in 2013, I had no idea there were people at the school doing things like interactive visual design and production arts. I realised there’s a whole other world here, working in its own ecosystem, so when the performers and creative teams go out into the world they already have their networks set up. I thought: ‘Why wasn’t this available when I was at school?’”
Potter and her twin sister struggled in their former high school, so gaining places at the Brit School gave them the chance to change the course of their education, and their future careers. “My sister and I were being bullied quite a lot. Then we heard about the Brit School,” she says. “So we secretly applied without telling our parents and a few months later got auditions – my sister applied for theatre, and I did visual arts at that point. Then we had to break the news about the auditions. And we both got in!”
From her first day, the change was remarkable for the then 14-year-old Potter. “I fell in love with it all. Every day I was so excited to go to school and I’d never felt like that before, ever. The whole environment is so bubbly and bright. But the teachers really make it; it takes a certain type of teacher to make you feel like you really want to be there.”
The young people selected to attend the Brit School all have certain qualities in common, says Chew. “What I’m looking for is qualities like: are you open to trying? Are you a team player? Can you have fun? Can you take direction?”
And despite the entertainment world being somewhat competitive, the school is keen to foster a sense of collaboration among students. “We really try to promote the idea that we are a collaborative of artists, all working for the same goal,” Chew says. “If we don’t work together, it’s not going to work. And that’s mirrored in the industry. All the best productions are people all working towards one singular vision, which is to create a work of art, and that’s where the passion needs to go.”
While at Brit, that cohesive spirit was instilled in Potter. “We did a lot of collaborations with the musical theatre and dance strands in end-of-term shows,” she says. “The teachers give the students free reign, so they guide them, but when the shows happen it’s all on the students how to solve issues. For our Shakespeare season, we put on shows in the school’s open-air theatre and it absolutely hammered down with rain. Our costume area got soaked, but we just had to get on with it, we just had to figure it out together. It ended up being the best experience, though.”
Potter also collaborated with another student for a Mastercard and Brit Award competition in 2022, when students were asked to design a costume to be worn at the ceremony. The orange dress that the girls made was chosen as one of the winning designs, and the dress – and its creators – were put up on giant billboards outside London’s O2 arena. “When I first saw it,” Potter says, “I thought: ‘Oh my God, that’s incredible, that’s our work up there!’ It was honestly mind-blowing.” Chew adds: “Daisy’s work was gorgeous. And that exposure for a year 12 student is bonkers; to be on a billboard at that age. She got some great work experience off the back of that.”
Mastercard is now in its 27th year of sponsoring the Brit Awards and it continues to champion the next generation of talent too. In the run-up to this year’s ceremony at the O2, it offered Brit School students the chance of work placements at companies linked to the 2025 awards. This gave 15 students hands-on experience of just how much effort goes into events such as this huge celebration of British music.
Whatever their dreams, whether they want to be centre stage, plan amazing lighting or promote an event, the aim is to give the next generation the practical skills and insights that will help them break into a highly competitive world.
Alongside this type of exposure to the industry, the school is proactive in setting up a super-network for students to access from early on in their school life. Former students often return to do lessons, workshops and performance sessions, which add to the rich creative education that all students receive; and the school uses its network of industry contacts and board of governors to arrange work experience positions and to act as mentors to the up-and-coming professionals. The school’s acclaimed careers department is also instrumental in setting graduates off on the right path, with contacts in many entertainment companies, and experts who come in to do school visits.
“We’ve got students who have been brilliant in so many ways,” says Chew. “We have Morgan Evans who is a really amazing lighting designer. It’s astronomical what he’s achieving at such a young age, but he comes back to school and does workshops, which is wonderful. I love seeing on his socials that he’s employing lots of Brit students. And Daisy [Potter], who is such a fantastic artist herself, worked on some great online sessions with the Olivier-nominated set and costume designer Ryan Laight during lockdown.
“And in March, we’ve got nine students doing work experience at the Brit Awards, working with alumni,” she adds.
“We have the hashtag #AlwaysBRIT and, as much as people might roll their eyes at that, it’s genuinely true. They really view us as a family. We keep in touch with all our kids – just this morning, someone who graduated in 2014 wanted me to look at a contract for him. That’s the kind of relationship we have with them, and that’s across the board. Once they’re our student, they’re always our student.”
That was the experience of Potter who, since graduating in 2022, has gone on to work on various films, such as The Fantastic Four, before landing the job on the theatrical production of The Devil Wears Prada. “It feels like you’re part of a massive family, even when you leave, you always want to go back.
“I feel I grew in confidence at the Brit,” she adds. “I came away with a really good knowledge of the industry. There was a real sense of respect and kindness and knowing that everyone is different in this world and that you can get on with everyone. I feel like I’ve evolved into doing so many things.”
Chew adds: “We’ve had a lot of students who have come to us with a lot of hardships, who are now leading really fulfilling lives and giving back to the world in a really positive way.
“I think that’s just as important. Success can’t always be measured by awards, it’s: are you a positive person in the world? And Brit is helping shape young people who go out into the world and make a positive impact.”
Mastercard is proud to sponsor The BRIT Awards and support The BRIT School. Discover more at mastercard.co.uk/BRITs
