Heart by-pass drama drove Shannon to make her Falkirk theatre school dream a reality

Born in Newcastle, Shannon Winton, 25, moved north to Aberdeen when she was 13 and has been living in the Falkirk area for the last four years, staying busy performing and acting throughout the UK.

She has just realised her dream by opening her own Stand-out Theatre School, in Ironworks Business Centre, in Castlelaurie Industrial Estate.

To say the five years leading up to the opening of the school have been eventful for Shannon, would be a major understatement.

She said: “In 2018 I was told I would need a heart bypass. It was a condition I’ve had since I was born and had no idea about it. I had two holes in my heart and the blood was flowing the wrong way.

"They said my heart was expanding and it was going to burst. They told me I would be dead by 25 if I didn’t have the operation. I was 21 at the time and if I didn’t have the operation I wouldn’t be here just now.”

So at the start of 2019 Shannon had the operation, which was a success, and was told it would take her the best part of a year to recover.

"Six months later I was down in London auditioning for parts again – I just got back into it.”

As if she had not had enough to deal with, COVID-19 came into all our lives and Shannon’s performing career was put on hold yet again.

Then on a happier note, her son Jaden, 2, came into her life in 2021 and she knew her career would have to change direction.

She already had an HND in musical theatre, but went to New College Lanarkshire in Motherwell to gain a degree so she could realise her teaching ambitions.

She said: “I always wanted to open my own theatre school – I had taught at lots of other places, but I had always wanted to have my own school. I always thought I

would wait and do it when I was older.

"Well the heart surgery made me think about doing it now and at the moment it just works better for my life. My heart is doing okay but I think I will need further surgery at some point.”

Stand-out Theatre School, which holds classes on Wednesday nights and throughout the day on Saturday, currently has around 30 students ranging in age from two to

13, but Shannon would ideally like to teach youngsters up to the age of 18.

"It’s musical theatre,” said Shannon. “So it’s singing, dancing and acting. I’m still a performer and actress, but the school is my main priority just now.”

The school opened last weekend with free taster sessions and had a lot of youngsters, hailing from the Falkirk area and locations throughout central Scotland, signed up to become students then and there.

Visit Stand-out Theatre School’s Facebook page for more information.