It's a family affair for Shropshire drama school

Because when expectant mother Lucy Lowrie-Herz isn't looking after her two little boys, she is on stage with more then 400 budding actors as part of the family-run drama school – Stage Two, in Shrewsbury.

The company is one of the biggest performing arts academies in the county, and Lucy herself has been a member since she was a teenager.

Since getting married and becoming a mum, Lucy's whole family is now involved with the day-to-day running of the drama school. Lucy's brother in law, Tom Lowrie-Herz helps out alongside his girlfriend Cherelle Newson, sister Anouzka, and parents Helen and Terry.

It's clearly been a busy year already, and Stage Two shows no signs of slowing down 15 years after it was originally founded.

More then 100 students have passed prestigious dance exams, and many older pupils are now dreaming of a career on the West End stage.

Now 27, Lucy is not surprised that the majority of Stage Two pupils have grown up with the company, and believes being principal of the academy is a "dream job."

She said: "I joined when I was 16 and I started working for Stage Two when I was 18. "I haven't looked back because I enjoy it so much.

"We've just put more then 160 children through the Trinity Guildhall drama exams with a 90 per cent pass rate of merit or distinction. Stage Two teaches children how to be themselves but also how to become someone else through acting or dancing.

"It's very creative and I think children need that in their lives."

The majority of the Herz family are involved in Stage Two, and Lucy will continue to work right up to the birth of her third child.

She said: "I feel so lucky to be doing something that I love, and it may sound clichéd but it's an added bonus that it is my job.

"We have pupils here who started when they were eight and now they're 20.

"Teenagers still come to us on a Friday night and I think that says it all really; we're an incredibly close knit family and that makes a massive difference to our dynamic as a group."

The academy is busy rehearsing for its next big play, Detention, which will be performed at Theatre Severn in June.

But they also do plenty of in-house shows, and often put together their own scripts.

Lucy said: "Stage Two Performing Arts Academy is not about finding stars.

"It's about having fun and helping kids to develop as their own person.

"We are family-run and we're a family in ourselves, albeit a very big one".

But for many students, Stage Two has paved the way to roles in hit musicals such as Jesus Christ Superstar.

Sam Blackbourn, aged 17, has been part of Stage Two for 12 years, and believes it has helped him realise his dream of becoming a professional actor. He said: "I wouldn't have known anything about acting were it not for Stage Two, and a lot of my friends have been successful with other productions.

"The group is like a family and the teachers are brilliant.

"I joined as a child and now I'm looking for a casting agent.

"A lot of my friends have got into good productions because of Stage Two and when you meet someone from Stage Two I think you just feel like you know them already.

"I really enjoy it and that's why I keep going back, acting is definitely something I'm looking at going into."

The group has also found success with its recent production of Romeo and Juliet, which was performed at The Buttermarket in March.

For more information about Stage Two, visit www.stagetwo.co.uk