This full day workshop will focus on screen acting techniques, to give the actor a feel for what it's like to work on set with Dominic Leclerc. Discover how to make the most of the material. How to make the most of the subtext in a scene! Discuss blocking a scene and working with the camera’s choreography. We will explore all the above through practical exercises, discussion and acting from scripts.

Your scenes will be recorded with broadcast quality equipment. Upon request, you have the option to receive your footage after the session for no extra cost!

THIS IS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY WITH THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF THE ARCOLA THEATRE TO DISCOVER NEW WRITERS AND EARLY DRAFTS OF NEW PLAYS. THIS ACTING WORKSHOP GIVES THE PARTICIPANTS AN INSIGHT IN UNDERSTANDING HOW TO ORIGINATE A CHARACTER. THIS SERIES OF WORKSHOPS WILL PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE NEW TOOLS FOR BRINGING CHARACTERS AND TEXT TO LIFE, AS YOU REFRESH YOUR ACTING SKILLS, WHILE SPARKING AND SUSTAINING YOUR CREATIVE INSPIRATION.

(THIS IS NOT A R&D FOR A COMMISSIONED PLAY).

+ BIO

Founder and the current artistic director of the Arcola Theatre, London; founder and the current artistic director of the Talimhane Tiyatrosu, Istanbul; co-founder and the first artistic director of the Southwark Playhouse, London (1993-1999); associate producer at the Battersea Arts Centre (1999-2001); advisor and judge for BBC Radio drama; founder of Arcola’s opera season Grimeborn; founder of the new writing festival: Oyun Yaz

Mehmet has directed over 100 plays ranging from Shakespeare to new plays, musicals to operas.

He has given talks and gave workshops in London, Brussels, Porto, Sofia, Tel Aviv, Ankara and Istanbul. Mehmet also taught and gave workshops in a number of universities and drama schools around the world.

“THE AUDIENCE WILL REALLY HEAR THE PLAYWRIGHT’S VOICE FOR THE FIRST TIME, THROUGH THE ACTOR’S FIRST INTERPRETATION.”

• MEMET ERGEN

The process will be filmed and sent to you (upon request) for no extra charge. Which will allow you to showcase what you have developed together.

Your scenes will be recorded with broadcast quality equipment. Upon request, you have the option to receive your footage after the session for no extra cost!

12 Participants. This full day workshop will focus on screen acting techniques and give the actor a feel for what it's like to work on set with Steve M Kelly. Explore all the all things screen-acting through practical exercises, discussion and acting from scripts. Exercises will be recorded on a live feed and in real-world conditions.

Your scenes will be recorded with broadcast quality equipment. Upon request, you have the option to receive your footage after the session for no extra cost!

This full day workshop will focus on screen acting techniques, to give the actor a feel for what it's like to work on set with Craig Viveiros. Discover how to make the most of the material. How to make the most of the subtext in a scene! Discuss blocking a scene and working with the camera’s choreography. We will explore all the above through practical exercises, discussion and acting from scripts.

Your scenes will be recorded with broadcast quality equipment. Upon request, you have the option to receive your footage after the session for no extra cost!

Focusing on Constellations by Nick Payne, this workshop day will be an opportunity to explore and experience a condensed version of Audrey's approach to rehearsals and process – including script analysis, creating character, and how to vividly bring both to life. It’ll be a chance to jump into a specific scene with detail and guidance – all within the incredibly rich and beautifully crafted world of this brilliant play.

Having looked at your Spotlight CV beforehand, Audrey will pair you with another actor and cast you in your own scene. On the day, there will be time to explore the play together as a company, before moving on to work on and rehearse your own individual scenes in your actor pairings, perform them, receive feedback and direction and the chance to perform them again. All within a focused, creative and supportive environment.

This full day workshop will focus on screen acting techniques, to give the actor a feel for what it's like to work on set with Craig Viveiros. Discover how to make the most of the material. How to make the most of the subtext in a scene! Discuss blocking a scene and working with the camera’s choreography. We will explore all the above through practical exercises, discussion and acting from scripts.

Your scenes will be recorded with broadcast quality equipment. Upon request, you have the option to receive your footage after the session for no extra cost!

12 Participants. This full day workshop will focus on screen acting techniques and give the actor a feel for what it's like to work on set with Delyth Thomas. Explore all the all things screen-acting through practical exercises, discussion and acting from scripts. Exercises will be recorded on a live feed and in real-world conditions.

Your scenes will be recorded with broadcast quality equipment. Upon request, you have the option to receive your footage after the session for no extra cost!

Naturalism screen-acting masterclass with top UK TV/Film director Rob Evans. Replicating an on-set experience. Rob will use texts from his own projects. This will explore naturalism on screen and specific expectations of an actor.

Through practical exercises, participants will be guided through a process to find the meaning and hidden meaning of scenes, how to stage the hidden meaning, and how to change a performance quickly in front of a camera. Exercises will be recorded and in real-world conditions and will be critically debriefed during the two days.

THE PROCESS WILL BE A FILMED AND SENT TO YOU (APON REQUEST) FOR NO EXTRA CHARGE. WHICH WILL ALLOW YOU TO SHOWCASE WHAT YOU HAVE DEVELOPED TOGETHER OVER THE MASTERCLASS.

+ BIO

Rob graduated from the BBC Drama Directors course in the mid ‘90s and embarked on a Directing career which has now spanned over twenty years, encompassing a variety of dramas including Mr Selfridge, The Halcyon, New Tricks, Born and Bred, Silent Witness and many others.

Prior to this, Rob completed a graduate traineeship with the BBC, going on to become one of the most experienced and sought after 1st Assistant Directors in BBC Drama.

Working alongside high profile directors such as Roger Michell, Anthony Page and Geoffrey Sax, Rob learnt his craft, developing an empathetic approach to storytelling and performance and a clear understanding of the kind of director he wanted to be.

This full day workshop will focus on screen acting techniques, to give the actor a feel for what it's like to work on set with Misha Vertkin. Discover how to make the most of the material. How to make the most of the subtext in a scene! Discuss blocking a scene and working with the camera’s choreography. We will explore all the above through practical exercises, discussion and acting from scripts.

Your scenes will be recorded with broadcast quality equipment. Upon request, you have the option to receive your footage after the session for no extra cost!

Workshop your musical theatre skills with leading MT director Matthew White. The day will begin with a meet and great / group warm up. Then you will workshop 2x songs each with Matthew and a highly skilled pianist. The day will also entail 'MT scene work'. Matthew will send out scenes and material prior to the workshop for you to prepare. Honest feedback and notes will be given. Everyone will participate and observe. There will be a chance for a Q&A at the end.

This full day workshop will focus on using improv to craft character backstories to give deeper subtext to scripted scenes.

The day will start with each acting pair receiving a scripted scene. From that we will investigate the tension / conflict in each scene and then work through a series of improvs to define experiences in the characters backstories. We will then rehearse and film the final scene using the subtext we have discovered to help bring nuance and depth to each performance. We will also explore the impact of framing -- close up and wide -- on performance. This workshop mirrors Faye's process when writing / rehearsing her own films where the improvs often influence the final scripted scenes.

Your scenes will be recorded with broadcast quality equipment. Upon request, you have the option to receive your footage after the session for no extra cost!

This full day workshop will focus on screen acting techniques, to give the actor a feel for what it's like to work on set with Louise Hooper. Discover how to make the most of the material. How to make the most of the subtext in a scene! Discuss blocking a scene and working with the camera’s choreography. We will explore all the above through practical exercises, discussion and acting from scripts.

Your scenes will be recorded with broadcast quality equipment. Upon request, you have the option to receive your footage after the session for no extra cost!

Mark will lead a series of structured improvisations, games and exercises to generate new characters, situations and stories. Between sessions, he will write new material in response to the group's work which will be tested and reworked in subsequent sessions. At the moment he's particularly interested in the use of comedy, clown and farce as tools to explore our political situation. The workshop will be particularly useful for actors interested in collaborating with a writer or who are interested in writing their own material. His workshops are relaxed, playful and inclusive with practical exploration taking precedence over lengthy discussions.

(THIS IS NOT A R&D FOR A COMMISSIONED PLAY).

**+ BIO **

Mark Ravenhill made his playwriting debut with 'Shopping and F-ing' at the Royal Court Theatre in 1996. His other plays include 'Mother Clap's Molly House' and 'Citizenship' (National Theatre), 'The Cane' (Royal Court), 'Ben and Imo' (Royal Shakespeare Company) and Pool No Water (Frantic Assembly). His plays have been widely produced internationally including the Schaubeuhne and Berliner Ensemble, the Market Theatre Johannesburg and New York Theatre Workshop. Mark has been an associate artist of the National Theatre and writer in residence for the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has led workshops across the world in cities including Madrid. Istanbul, Krakow, Mexico City, Venice and Honolulu. His plays are published by Methuen.

• MEMET ERGEN

This two day course will be a look at how Amanda preps to direct and then works on set - using a series of scenes from scripts she has directed, written by some of the UK's most talented writers. Everyone will get a chance to perform several pieces, although you'll learn as much by watching others. The course will draw on Amanda's many experiences - the stories she can't escape, her desire to explore script, her constant fascination in creating visual tone and atmosphere, her fastidious need to prepare and her love of seeing what happens. As well as her successes, she'll share her own anxieties and her own disasters as well as the many tools, special collaborations and mentors she has found along the way.

THE PROCESS WILL BE A FILMED AND SENT TO YOU (UPON REQUEST) FOR NO EXTRA CHARGE, WHICH WILL ALLOW YOU TO SHOWCASE WHAT YOU HAVE DEVELOPED TOGETHER OVER THE TWO DAYS.

+ BIO

Amanda Boyle is a highly sought after Television and Film director. She made her name with her inventive short films and hyper-real commercial work, winning a BRITISH ARROW FOR BEST NEW DIRECTOR. Her TV work began with iconic work for Channel 4 that included CAST OFFS and SKINS, shows that required intensive casting and collaborative writers rooms. Most recently she directed the finale of the BBC's critically adored CHLOE starring Erin Doherty and written by Alice Seabright. Amanda juggles series television with her own film work. She is also a BAFTA nominated producer.

This full day workshop will focus on screen acting techniques, to give the actor a feel for what it's like to work on set with Lynsey Miller. Discover how to make the most of the material. How to make the most of the subtext in a scene! Discuss blocking a scene and working with the camera’s choreography. We will explore all the above through practical exercises, discussion and acting from scripts

Your scenes will be recorded with broadcast quality equipment. Upon request, you have the option to receive your footage after the session for no extra cost!

This full day workshop will focus on screen acting techniques, to give the actor a feel for what it's like to work on set with Misha Vertkin. Discover how to make the most of the material. How to make the most of the subtext in a scene! Discuss blocking a scene and working with the camera’s choreography. We will explore all the above through practical exercises, discussion and acting from scripts.

Your scenes will be recorded with broadcast quality equipment. Upon request, you have the option to receive your footage after the session for no extra cost!

This full day workshop will focus on screen acting techniques, to give the actor a feel for what it's like to work on set with Dominic Leclerc. Discover how to make the most of the material. How to make the most of the subtext in a scene! Discuss blocking a scene and working with the camera’s choreography. We will explore all the above through practical exercises, discussion and acting from scripts.

Your scenes will be recorded with broadcast quality equipment. Upon request, you have the option to receive your footage after the session for no extra cost!

*A 6 week, script development class for a maximum of 6 writers who have previously attended the Write a Short Film Course or who have other previous screenwriting experience or are familiar with storytelling fundamentals.

These sessions offer support, feedback and guidance through the development process of a short film (max length 30 pages) which can be at an stage of development (Top line initial concept, treatment or draft stage all welcome).

In addition to developing their own projects, writers are required to read each others work and offer feedback within the sessions. Project specific writing tasks will be set by Dee as best serves each writer.

Focusing on Constellations by Nick Payne, this workshop day will be an opportunity to explore and experience a condensed version of Audrey's approach to rehearsals and process – including script analysis, creating character, and how to vividly bring both to life. It’ll be a chance to jump into a specific scene with detail and guidance – all within the incredibly rich and beautifully crafted world of this brilliant play.

Having looked at your Spotlight CV beforehand, Audrey will pair you with another actor and cast you in your own scene. On the day, there will be time to explore the play together as a company, before moving on to work on and rehearse your own individual scenes in your actor pairings, perform them, receive feedback and direction and the chance to perform them again. All within a focused, creative and supportive environment.

The purpose of the one day workshop is to play with and explore performance choices in a selection of scenes from TV drama. Working closely with Fergus, participants will look at how to interrogate each scene as written in order to best realise the writer’s intention and best serve the story.

In addition, the workshop will explore other ways to add value and story to the scene, through blocking and being conscious of one’s interaction with other performers in the scene. There will be discussion and Q&A time at the end of the day.

Your scenes will be recorded with broadcast quality equipment. Upon request, you have the option to receive your footage after the session for no extra cost!

In this one-day workshop on screen acting, my primary focus will be on-set performance, but I also want to explore helpful tips and techniques for every stage of the process. From first audition right through to post production dialogue recording, I’m aiming to pack as much as I can into what I hope will be a really helpful, informative - and enjoyable – day.

I’ll send out some scripts in advance, and we’ll work on them to explore some of these techniques. They will mainly be drawn from TV Drama, but my work also spans Comedy, so we’ll also be discussing the practical differences and similarities between the two.

With a combination of exercises, discussion and script work, we’ll cover approaches to the following:

Audition – giving a Director what he wants. Preparation – working with text, exploring subtext. Using rehearsal. Blocking – using physicality & presence to ground performance. Camera awareness. – ‘Doing’ vs ‘Being’ : Should you adjust performance ‘size’? Turn Over! – precision and repetition vs ‘live’ and spontaneous.. Rhythm – So much waiting! Coming to the boil at the right time. An important part of the process can be dealing with unexpected practical issues on set. I will be deliberately creating some obstacles for you to help you develop techniques to overcome some of the difficulties you might encounter that could otherwise threaten your performance. Working with pick-ups, repetition, variable eyelines, non-actors, dealing with bad direction (!), and working under pressure – can you deliver when the sun’s going down and there’s only time for one take??

We’ll also look at Enemies Within – Lines Anxiety, Imposter Syndrome – how to deal with them, work with them and ultimately use them to build your performance.

Overall, I’m hoping we’ll have a lot of fun, as we look to find techniques together to ground you, give you confidence, and help you feel able to deliver your best performance when it matters, whatever the obstacles around you.

This full day workshop will focus on screen acting techniques and give the actor a feel for what it's like to work on set with Jamie Donoughue. There will be an opportunity to discuss all things screen-acting, including how to prepare for an audition and make the most of the material? How to make the most of the subtext in a scene? Discuss blocking a scene and working with the camera’s choreography. Explore all the above through practical exercises, discussion and acting from scripts.

Mark will lead a series of structured improvisations, games and exercises to generate new characters, situations and stories. Between sessions, he will write new material in response to the group's work which will be tested and reworked in subsequent sessions. At the moment he's particularly interested in the use of comedy, clown and farce as tools to explore our political situation. The workshop will be particularly useful for actors interested in collaborating with a writer or who are interested in writing their own material. His workshops are relaxed, playful and inclusive with practical exploration taking precedence over lengthy discussions.

(THIS IS NOT A R&D FOR A COMMISSIONED PLAY).

**+ BIO **

Mark Ravenhill made his playwriting debut with 'Shopping and F-ing' at the Royal Court Theatre in 1996. His other plays include 'Mother Clap's Molly House' and 'Citizenship' (National Theatre), 'The Cane' (Royal Court), 'Ben and Imo' (Royal Shakespeare Company) and Pool No Water (Frantic Assembly). His plays have been widely produced internationally including the Schaubeuhne and Berliner Ensemble, the Market Theatre Johannesburg and New York Theatre Workshop. Mark has been an associate artist of the National Theatre and writer in residence for the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has led workshops across the world in cities including Madrid. Istanbul, Krakow, Mexico City, Venice and Honolulu. His plays are published by Methuen.

• MEMET ERGEN

This workshop will focus on the specific requirements of screen acting for comedy. We’ll be looking at how the camera and the edit affect performance and how the actor can arm themselves for the set. We will explore building a comedy character for the screen and blocking and choreographing comic routines for film.

The sessions will be practical as well as theoretical. We’ll be using existing scripts and creating new ones and we’ll make micro-short films in rough format. This workshop isn’t only for funny people it is also for those that haven’t yet released their inner funny!

The process will be filmed and sent to you (upon request) for no extra charge. Which will allow you to showcase what you have developed together over the two days.

+ BIO

Gordon Anderson is an award-winning television director. He trained as an actor at the Central School of Speech and Drama and trained as a film director at the BBC. He went on to set up, write for and direct THE CATHERINE TATE SHOW (BBC).

He has directed many of the UK’s most successful prime time television dramas including: ENDEAVOUR (ITV), SHETLAND (BBC), LOVESICK (Netflix), FRESH MEAT (Channel 4), GRANTCHESTER (ITV), SILENT WITNESS (BBC), SHAMELESS (Channel 4), THE INBETWEENERS (Channel 4), SUBURBAN SHOOTOUT (Channel 5), MOVING WALLPAPER (ITV1), BADULTS (BBC3), HOFF THE RECORD (UKTV), GATES (Sky TV) and THE MALLORCA FILES (BBC).

He has been commissioned as a screen writer by Working Title Films, the BBC, UKTV and Dragonfly Films.

He began his career in the theatre, directing for many of the UK’s leading theatre and opera companies, including the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Court Theatre, Manchester Royal Exchange, Bristol Old Vic, Scottish Opera and English Touring Opera. He was Artistic Director of ATC where he commissioned, developed and directed new work that toured throughout the UK. He also co-founded THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN comedy group and directed their first live performances.

He has been nominated for a BAFTA four times with three different television series.

This course will help you find freedom in screen work and when preparing self-tapes.

These days, actors are expected to be very self-reliant. Auditions often start as self-tapes. And working on a TV series often means engaging with multiple directors, as well as dealing with little or no rehearsal. Film work is long, tiring, and many directors offer little guidance.

This course will offer some new thoughts, ways and preparation exercises that enable your unique charisma to shine through in any role you play. How to fuse your individual essence with your role’s; how to put in new muscle memory for your role that allows you freedom and confidence; how to tap into, and release, your powers.

This course takes an individual approach that is suitable both for actors coming to screen actors and old hands.

**+ SCHEDULE **

Pre-course: Participants to send Mel a really short intro video (fine on phone selfie camera) – say your name (clearly), a few things about you, and anything you hope to take home from the course. These must arrive to Mel by the Wednesday of the week prior to the course. A scene (to look at and learn) will be sent before the course. All scene work is recorded, and sent at the end of the course.

Tuesday: Being a Text Detective: 11am—6pm (1 hour lunch): warm up, Tuesday: Keeping the Life: 11.30 am—6.30 pm (1 hour lunch): intro; differences between stage and screen; the trap of learned lines; Is screen work small? What is a ‘character’?

Work on screen.

Wednesday: Being a Text Detective: 11am—6pm (1 hour lunch): warm up, toolbox and screen work. Each actor will get time to work within the group. The group sees work live on screen, and it’s recorded for participant to watch later.)

Thursday: The Big Picture: 11am—6.30 pm (1 hour lunch): further scene work. Any remaining work and questions.

**+ BIO **

Mel Churcher was an actor and broadcaster for many years. Her work included leading roles with the Royal National Theatre, the New Shakespeare Company and extensive film, radio and television work.

She is now best known as an international acting, dialogue, voice andMpresentation coach and runs workshops and gives lectures all over the world. She has worked in the voice department of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre (where she was Head of Voice and Text for twelve years), Shakespeare’s Globe, the Young Vic, Manchester Royal Exchange, Birmingham Repertory Theatre and the Royal Court Theatre in London. She served on the Council of the British Voice Association.

Mel is also one of the top acting and dialogue coaches in TV and movies. Her work includes P-Valley, War of the Worlds, Victoria, Outlander, Marco Polo, Control, Danny the Dog/Unleashed, The Fifth Element, King Arthur, The Count of Monte Cristo and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, coaching actors such as Thora Birch, Gerard Butler, Henry Cavill, Daniel Craig, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Paul Giamatti, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Angelina Jolie, Milla Jovovich, Felicity Jones, Keira Knightley, Jet Li, Rachel McAdams, Mads Mikkelson, Sam Riley, Stellan Skarsgåard, Ray Winstone, Benedict Wong, and Michelle Yeoh.

Mel is also a theatre director with her own company, Trojan’s Trumpet.

Mel has an MA in Performing Arts (Mddx), an MA in Voice Studies (CSSD) and an Institute of Phonetics Association Diploma. She is a life-member of BAFTA and a voting member of the EFA. She has written numerous articles on voice and acting, and her books Acting for Film: Truth 24 Times a Second (Virgin Books) and A Screen Acting Workshop (Nick Hern Books) are now recommended reading for major drama schools.

Or see Mel’s IMdb entries on imdb.me/melchurcher.

Eliza Simpson is an accent and speech coach who’s clients appear on Netflix, Hulu, Paramount+, HBO, & Apple TV. Her most coaching credits include Inside Out 2 (Disney), Apples Never Fall (Peacock) , and Avatar: Frontieres of Pandora (Ubisoft Games.)

This six-week course will focus on the practical skills of performing in accent and help you find your authentic voice. The class is designed to push you beyond the basics of the accent into advanced concepts like how to make choices, interpret genre, and improvise in an authentic American accent.

As a student of this class, you will get the opportunity to perform and receive personal feedback from New York City-based dialect coach Eliza Simpson. You'll leave this course with skills that you can apply right away, a practice regimen to continue your progress, and a filmed scene in the American accent.

Session One: Fundamentals of the American Accent

Session Two: How to Make the Accent your Own

Session Three: How to Audition in Accent

Session Four: How to Interpret Genre in Accent

Session Five: How to Improvise in Accent

Session Six: Accent Showcase - Filming your American Accent Scene

Eliza Simpson is an accent and speech coach who’s clients appear on Netflix, Hulu, Paramount+, HBO, & Apple TV. Her most coaching credits include Inside Out 2 (Disney), Apples Never Fall (Peacock) , and Avatar: Frontieres of Pandora (Ubisoft Games.)

This six-week course will focus on the practical skills of performing American Accent VO: Advanced Accent Workshop

For students with previous experience in one of Eliza’s American accent workshops or students already working and auditioning in the American accent.

This course will hone your American accent for the world of Voice-Over, specifically Gaming and Animation. We will cover audition skills, recording studio etiquette, and what makes a stand-out vocal performance. Get ready to expand your skill set through improv, genre interpretation, and character creation. The goal is to have you complete this 6-week course feeling confident enough in your American accent to start booking VO work.

Session One: Fundamentals of the American Accent Session Two: Creating Character / Vocal Range Session Three: Booth Etiquette & Demo Reels Session Four: How to Improvise in Accent Session Five: Animation Work Session Six: Accent Showcase - Gaming Work