Jigsaw Performing Arts is coming to Cardiff!

Jigsaw is a performing arts school that currently runs across London and the Home Counties. The company was established by Nicola Lander in 1995, seeking to provide ‘A Place to belong’ for children and parents alike. Jigsaw offers acting, singing and dance classes to 3-18 year olds and will be running at Cardiff High from January 2019. Here to tell us about it is manager and franchisee Philippa!

Why Jigsaw, and why Cardiff? 

I fell in love the brand immediately. Jigsaw’s ethos summarised all the reasons that I wanted to run a theatre school in Cardiff. The word Jigsaw is representative of all the parts of performing arts coming together, but to me it represents finding a place that feels like a perfect fit for you. We are all different, like the pieces of a jigsaw, and that should be celebrated.

I’ve never wanted to be ‘normal’ however so many children are scared to show they’re uniqueness or not conform to the mold. With the rise of social media, the pressure on children to be flawless is every increasing. I want to challenge that by helping young people to see that they should be proud and true to who they are.

I have spent the last 4 years working for an amazing company, helping employees in large organisations with their confidence, energy and positivity. All the tools that I use, I gained through performance skills as a child and have realised the importance of ingraining these at a young age. I became a Mum almost 2 years ago and want nothing more than to inspire my daughter to be proud of who she is and to follow her heart! I want her, and any child who chooses to be part of Jigsaw Cardiff, to dream big, celebrate their uniqueness and find their place to belong.

It’s all about the magic of growing up!

I did my first show when I was 3 years old and knew then that I would always be involved in theatre. When people do shows together it creates a bond and as a result all my lifelong friends were made though drama, dance and singing groups. When I had my daughter, my focus moved to children. I’ve always loved working with young people, but it suddenly became more important to me. Being a mum is magical and I wanted to be part of creating memories of theatre with my daughter and her friends.

When we grow up, we become so distracted by the routine of life. We can forget that creating, singing, dancing and playing are actually far more important that a clean house and nice car! When our children become adults, they will remember the community they created and the friends they made at Jigsaw Cardiff! I feel so privileged to be embarking on this new adventure and cannot wait to get started!

Jigsaw Cardiff runs on Saturday mornings at Cardiff High School. To enquire or to book your child’s place please contact Philippa on 02922 362 496 or email

ca*****@ji*********.uk











. Visit Jigsaw Cardiff for more information.

Jigsaw Performing Arts is dedicated to developing performance skills, promoting self-expression and building confidence. We offer performing arts classes for children aged between 3 – 18. Find your nearest school by entering your postcode into the search on our home page.