Workshops

I am an experienced workshop leader and facilitator regularly teaching at some of the UK’s leading drama schools and universities.

I have led hundreds of workshops at theatres and educational institutions across the UK including The Actor’s Centre, The Actor’s Guild, ArtsEd, Birkbeck, Birmingham Rep, Bristol Old Vic, Bucks New University, East 15, Graeae, Jersey Arts Trust, JMK Trust, Kenyon College Ohio, National Student Drama Festival, National Theatre Connections, Old Vic New Voices, Roundhouse, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Wimbledon College of Arts and Young Vic. I have led playwriting courses for The British Council in Venezuela and Chile.

Below are some of may favourite workshop topics but I always make workshops bespoke to every group.

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FOR ACTORS:

WORKING ON NEW PLAYS.
‍How does working on a new play differ from working on a revival? A workshop on how to approach a new play from audition to press night.

CREATING CHARACTERS IN NEW PLAYS.
‍We all have an impression of Hamlet or Arkadina. But what if you're creating a character for the very first time in a never performed new play? Where do you start? And what if your character doesn't have a name, a gender, or even assigned speech? A workshop looking at the actor's vital creative role in premiering new plays.

AUDITIONING FOR NEW PLAYS.
Should your preparation for an audition for a new play be any different than your preparation for a Shakespeare audition? How should you approach text that has never been spoken before? What research should you do? What is the director looking for?

ACTING-IN-THE-ROUND.
‍A workshop on the technical knowledge and skill required to perform in-the-round. Learn how to master the most thrilling of all theatrical configurations.

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FOR DIRECTORS:

NOTES.
‍A workshop on one of the key facets of directing - giving notes. How - and crucially when - do you give notes to playwrights on a new play, or actors in rehearsals, or your creative team in tech?

PAGE-TO-STAGE.
‍A workshop on the director’s process from getting the job to press night.

ASSISTING.
‍How to be a brilliant assistant, and how to value the role and get the most out of it.

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FOR PLAYWRIGHTS:

FINDING A STORY.
A fast-paced way to generate ideas and the practical steps you need to test them as you wrestle an story into a dramatic structure.

THE PERSONAL AND THE POLITICAL.
A practical workshop exploring ways in which big global social and political ideas can be explored through the prism of deeply personal and private stories.

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FOR PLAYWRIGHTS AND DIRECTORS:

THE WRITER / DIRECTOR RELATIONSHIP ON NEW PLAYS.
A workshop exploring the crucial relationship between the writer and director of a new play from commission to press night via redrafting, casting, design, rehearsals, tech and previews. How to build trust, give great notes and support playwrights as the lead creative artists in premiering bold new plays.

MIGHTY OAKS FROM LITTLE ACORNS GROW.
‍A workshop for directors, dramaturgs and playwrights on how to explore the potential of first drafts and incipient ideas.  

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FOR PRODUCERS:

FORCE IT INTO EXISTENCE: PRODUCING YOUR OWN WORK.
‍An empowering workshop on taking control of your career and producing your own work. Doing it yourself rather than sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring. A how-to guide to self-producing.

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FOR SCHOOLS:

NEVER BE BORING.
What’s the golden rule of theatre? Never be boring. A workshop on how to make theatre fun.

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If you would like me to lead a workshop, please get in touch.

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