Bringing the West End to Bundoran

A West End star and former Riverdance principal dancer is all set to bring her experience in musical theatre to the next generation of performers in Donegal as she launches her new Musical Theatre Stage School TAPA (Theatre and Performing Arts.
Emma Warren is well known to thousands of Riverdance fans worldwide having been the lead dancer for many years. But what some may not know is that Emma has played the role of Cosette in the iconic Les Misérables on London’s West End and in the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre Dublin up until the show closed due to the pandemic.

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Anybody who has experienced this spectacular production will recognise the high level of talent required to take on such a challenging and exciting role.
More recently she has performed alongside Jake Carter in Aladdin as Princess Jasmine at the National Stadium which was also a tremendous success and very much enjoyed by captivated audiences.
While Emma is more known in Ireland for her role in Riverdance she is acclaimed internationally for her involvement in musical theatre and performing arts, which all began when she starred as a finalist on BBC’s Over The Rainbow.
She said: “That was an amazing experience. I was in college at the time and I went on a whim to this open audition after my Nanny saw it advertised on TV and I ended up in the final 20 Dorothy’s.
“This really helped me to further my performance skills, which I was then able to bring to Riverdance.”
The young star got to meet one of the most well-known stars in showbusiness.
“We got to meet Andrew Llyod Webber, and all of the girls in the competition were really lovely. It was a great experience for me.”
Emma has enjoyed a spectacular career to date. There are some moments that she feels she was very fortunate to have experienced, one of them being having the opportunity to perform for HRH Prince Charles in his Welsh home.
“I’m very lucky to have had many memorable moments in my career to date, principal dancer in Riverdance and playing Cosette in Les Mis were both dreams come true for me.
“I also had the honour of performing at a few special concerts, one for HRH Prince Charles at his Welsh home, a tribute to Shirley Bassey where I got to perform the solo of ‘Diamonds are Forever’ and then flying to New York to perform for Catherine Zeta Jones at the top of the Rockefeller Centre which was definitely a highlight and a trip of a lifetime.”
She also performed for the Obama family at the Gaiety Theatre and appeared on the Late Late Show.
Emma has set her sights on Donegal for a number of reasons, one of the factors being friendship as she has forged strong friendships with many talented dancers and performers who hail from the county.
“I am now based in Donegal and I have many close friends here from my Riverdance days. Let’s face it this part of the world is almost a recruitment centre for Riverdance and has produced some of the best dancers in the country.
“But more so there is a love of dance, music, and culture up here that probably doesn’t exist anywhere else.
“Donegal use it to express themselves – there simply is so much untapped talent up here and after such a tough two years for the arts industry I’m excited to bring joy, fun, friendship and opportunity to the young budding performers of Donegal.”
Emma is excited to collaborate with The McNelis Cunningham School of Irish Dance with her new Theatre Company TAPA, sharing her experience and expertise in Musical theatre with the Irish dancers of Donegal.
“I have seen Paula’s “Beats of Broadway” which was an amazing fusion of Irish Dance and some of the best known musicals in the world and we are hoping to put on more productions and shows together in the future as part of our collaboration.”
TAPA’s musical theatre classes will include dancing, singing and acting but most of all lots of fun and friendships.

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“Keep an eye out for classes launching soon. @TapaMusicalTheatre.
Emma also launched her Wedding Singing business (@EmmaWarrenMusic) this year and is now taking bookings for ceremony and reception music.
Emma graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama with a Masters in Musical Theatre (Distinction) and also has a Music Degree from D.I.T.
Emma is an extremely versatile vocalist and loves to sing in many different styles including classical, musical theatre, pop, traditional, and jazz.
Check out www.emmawarrenmusic.com for more information.