Orbita Theatre Company Reviews

Only went there for an acting audition. But was made to feel welcome

I ve left writing this review a number of weeks to allow the feelings of anger and betrayal mellow somewhat, so that when people read this they are reading a genuine review of what our daughter has been put through and not just an angry parent venting with little thought to what they are writing.


In the most part she has enjoyed being part of the school, and whilst not being someone who wants to become a professional performer, she has always given her best and has enjoyed meeting new friends and socialising with children from different schools.

In the 5 years she has been a member of the school we have never been told of any issues with her behaviour whilst attending either the school or any of the shows. However a week after the last show at the New Theatre in November we received a message on Facebook message at 8.30 at night from Rob Thorne, informing us that due to our daughters ongoing unsatisfactory behaviour (none of which we have even been informed about) she was being excluded from the school.

We had no opportunity to discuss any of the apparent issues that were so bad she had been on borrowed time for a while in Rob s words, were not spoken to in person, didn t have an invitation to discuss the issues so that we could try and address them, and yet the school thought it appropriate to end 5 years of attendance with no reported issues, with a Facebook message!

Our daughter has been left devastated by the exclusion, she has spent hours crying and has spent a lot of time trying to understand exactly what she has done, as she has not been told herself that any of her behaviour was unacceptable.

We as parents know and understand that our children are not perfect, and are the first ones to pull them up for their behaviour if it falls short of our high moral standards, but the way our daughter has been treated is nothing short of cruel.
To exclude her from something she had done for 5 years with no warning, no discussion, no face to face meeting or improvement plan put in place to resolve any issues is grossly unfair and has affected her confidence and mental health. It has escalated to the point that she now thinks some of her friends don t want to spend time with her in case they get into trouble with Rob Thorne and the Orbit staff.
While that is probably not the case, the way she has been dealt with has deeply affected her and we feel that the school and it s staff have an obligation to the children put in their care, not only physically but mentally, and their rules and procedures, or more accurately the absolute lack of any, need to be urgently addressed.

My intention in writing this review is not to cause trouble, but to highlight that some of actions of the people who run this school are questionable, and that in the absence of any governing body that oversee the standards and procedures of theatre schools, parents should be cautious about who they entrust to look after their children.
The Safeguarding team at the council were contacted and gave some sound advice - sadly due to a lack of governing bodies for amateur theatre groups, there is little they can do, however they are aware of the goings on and shall be keeping a close eye. Please think about the well-being of your children as this is not the first time a child has been mis treated and I fear, won t be the last.

Please think twice before sending your child to this amateur theatre company It is run by a very big ego who has no thoughts of anything other than himself - children are made to feel very insecure and insignificant and the damage to their self esteem and confidence is horrific! They will also be taught a whole new range of bad language and put downs.