9 September 2026
Tyler Cowie's time at Kirkham Grammar School's Sixth Form provided an important foundation for the journey that followed.
During his time at KGS, Tyler developed his passion for music and performing arts, while also gaining experience in events, leadership and the wider creative industries.
After leaving KGS, Tyler went on to study Drama, Theatre and Acting at Oxford Brookes University, and returned to KGS as part of his university placement. During the latter part of university, Tyler founded a theatre company and even took an original production to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
He is now embarking on a new chapter at Wycombe Abbey, an independent boarding school in Buckinghamshire, where he hopes to inspire young people the way his KGS teachers inspired him.
Here's what Tyler had to say about his journey since leaving Kirkham Grammar School.
Discovering a passion for performing arts
Looking back on his time at KGS, Tyler reflects on how much his Sixth Form experience shaped his confidence and encouraged him to explore opportunities beyond the classroom.
“My Sixth Form years were incredibly important in shaping the person I am today. KGS gave me the opportunity to explore a huge range of interests and, more importantly, the confidence to put myself forward and make the most of those opportunities.
"Drama and performing arts were a particularly important part of my time at KGS. I was able to take part in a number of school productions, including playing Captain Hook, a role which I was fortunate enough to be awarded a NODA for Best Leading Male in a Youth Production. Experiences like this gave me the opportunity to develop as a performer while also learning the importance of working as part of a team and committing to something bigger than yourself.”
Tyler’s involvement in performing arts at KGS also gave him a glimpse into the industry beyond the school stage.
"Visits to London with trips to professional creative spaces such as Pineapple Studios helped me to understand that performing arts could genuinely become a career, rather than simply something I enjoyed at school.
"I also became increasingly involved in the wider life of the school. I helped organise school events, including formal balls, and was involved in hosting school showcases. These experiences gave me an early introduction to the organisational and leadership side of events and performance, something I would later discover was just as important to my career as performing itself.”
The influence of teachers
Alongside the opportunities themselves, Tyler remembers the support he received from his teachers as one of the most influential parts of his time at KGS.
"I was incredibly lucky to have teachers who encouraged me throughout my time at KGS. They pushed me to develop my confidence, supported my ambitions and gave me the freedom to explore opportunities in and out of the classroom. A number of those teachers have remained influential to me, and their approach to teaching has ultimately had a much bigger impact on my career choices than I probably realised at the time.”
Exploring theatre at university
Throughout his degree, Tyler was able to broaden his understanding of the theatre industry, exploring different areas of performance, production and technical theatre.
“Studying at Oxford Brookes, I had the opportunity to develop a much broader understanding of the industry. One of the most valuable aspects of the course was the variety of modules I studied. In Page to Stage, we explored the journey of a production from its initial idea through writing, producing and pitching, right through to seeing it come to life on stage. Technical Theatre allowed me to develop practical skills while gaining a greater understanding of how and why different technical elements are used within a production.”
Returning to KGS
One of the most memorable aspects of Tyler’s university experience was the opportunity to return to Kirkham Grammar School as part of his professional placement module. Having once been a pupil, Tyler was able to experience the school from an entirely different perspective.
“I was able to work alongside staff, gain experience within the classroom and develop my understanding of teaching and working with young people. I was incredibly grateful to KGS for welcoming me back and giving me the opportunity to gain experience in an environment that had already played such an important role in my own education.”
From a university project to the Edinburgh Fringe
Tyler’s final year at Oxford Brookes marked another significant stage in his journey. As part of a module exploring conflict, resistance and power, Tyler and his cohort researched the events of Bloody Sunday in Derry in 1972, and the wider context of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
What began as a university project soon developed into something much bigger, as Tyler took the initiative to establish a theatre company and continue developing the production beyond the university environment.
“That project became much more than simply a university assignment. Wanting to develop the work beyond university, I founded Fifth Act Company, a theatre company created alongside the cast and writer of the production. I took on much of the producing, organisational and logistical work involved in establishing the company.
"We took William Street to Oxford for a successful run before securing the opportunity to bring the production to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Seeing a company that I founded grow from an idea into a fully realised production performed at one of the world's largest arts festivals has been one of my proudest achievements.”
The production also gave Tyler the chance to step into a different role within theatre, taking on responsibility for the practical and creative work involved in developing the company.
“It has taught me a huge amount about leadership, producing, collaboration and the reality of creating theatre independently, while giving me the confidence to continue creating opportunities for myself within the industry.”
A new chapter in education
Since leaving Kirkham Grammar School, Tyler has continued to develop his experience across theatre and film while building connections throughout the creative industries. However, his experiences at KGS and his university placement ultimately led him to consider another direction.
“One of the biggest lessons I have learnt since school is the importance of being willing to put yourself forward for opportunities, even when you are not entirely sure where they might lead.
"As I approached graduation, I began thinking carefully about what I wanted my next chapter to look like. Returning to KGS for my university placement, and the influence that my own teachers had had on me, made me realise how much I enjoyed working within an educational environment.
"The encouragement, support and passion for education that I experienced at KGS played a significant role in making me realise that working with young people was something I would like to pursue.”
Tyler began to explore graduate opportunities within boarding schools, and looked for a role that would allow him to combine his interest in education and working with young people with the skills he had developed through theatre.
Tyler recently accepted a position as Resident Graduate Tutor at Wycombe Abbey in Buckinghamshire. Living on site, he will support pupils within the boarding community while contributing to their wider education and development.
“I am particularly excited about the opportunity to encourage young people in the same way that so many of my own teachers encouraged me. In many ways, it feels like a natural next step: I am taking the experiences and opportunities that helped shape me at KGS and using them to support the next generation.”
Looking to the future
With his university studies now complete, Tyler is preparing for his next chapter at Wycombe Abbey, and he has plans to return to the stage in the future.
“Although education has played such an important role in my journey so far, I am also looking forward to taking a short break from being a student myself. In the future, I hope to return to higher education and pursue a master’s degree in Musical Theatre, but for now I am excited to gain professional experience, meet new people and see where the next few years take me.”