Macca fame school wants to expand worldwide

A “Fame” school set up by ex-Beatle Paul McCartney could open branches across the world, it emerged today.

McCartney co-founded the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts in January 1996 to provide training for young people hoping to work in showbusiness.

As the academy prepares to celebrate its 10th anniversary on Monday, founding principal Mark Featherstone-Witty today said that he was considering opening branches in Europe, the Far East and North and South America.

“People have approached us in Barcelona, Japan, Texas and Colombia to assist us in the creation of new Performing Arts Institutes.

“These ideas are in the process of being created and are therefore ongoing.

“However, this encourages us to be pro-active over the next ten years. Rather than passively wait for people to approach us we will find partners and do it ourselves.”

Mr Featherstone-Witty, who was inspired to create the institute after watching the New York stage school film Fame, stressed that it was not Sir Paul’s decision to expand.

He added: “We hope that a mark of our maturity is that actions ascribed to Paul will cease. We are acting independently of him.”

Although LIPA is independent of McCartney, he remains a patron and will be guest of honour at the 10th anniversary celebrations on Monday.

The former Beatle pumped £3m (€4.4m) of his own money into LIPA, which is housed in the school he attended as a boy.

He also persuaded his celebrity friends to invest in the £20m (€29.2m) project, and used his name to lend it credibility.