Acting for everyone

'For an absolute beginner as me, this course is not only extremely helpful, but also complete and charming, thanks to the teacher. I really recommend it for those who want to improve their acting skills.' Alessandra

'I really enjoyed this course. The instructor is warm and inviting and makes you feel comfortable even if acting is a new experience for you. The short lessons made it easy to add into my busy schedule, and the activities are fun!' Dawn

This course has been designed so that you can hop from one lecture to another they are not dependent upon each other, this makes improving your acting skills easier for you as you can concentrate on the bits you think you need to.

• This course also includes many pdf sheets with acting exercises for you to try.

If you have ever wanted to act then this course is for you. I have been teaching people how to act since 1994 and my pupils have appeared and continue to appear in TV series in the UK and have acted Shakespeare with the Brownsea Open Air Theatre in the south of England. One of my pupils was awarded the Sir Roger Moore Award for the highest Honours in Grade 8 (Gold Medal) Acting exam with the New Era Academy in 2010. I've entered pupils for various acting exams with LAMDA, New Era Academy and Victoria College and also helped pupils who have entered Trinity College exams. My daughter is a professional performer.

I teach this course as though you were sitting opposite me in my lounge. I explain and demonstrate and then you have the opportunity to practise - speak and act - before we go onto the next skill.

To be able to act you need to be able to create a character and stay as that character all the time you are on the stage and that includes entering and exiting the stage. If you're taking an exam or are in a festival you stay in character for a few seconds once you have stopped talking. A good imagination is helpful but watching people and seeing how they move and how they react to situations is just as useful. You may want to act just for fun in local amateur dramatics or maybe see if you are good enough for professional work. Perhaps you want to take exams that will help you gain confidence or help towards getting onto a full time college or university course. 

You need to be able to and feel confident moving your body. Your hands and your legs and especially your face! People sitting at the back of the theatre need to see how you are feeling so your movements may need to be exaggerated. However, you also need to learn that sometimes being still is just as effective. 

You must be able to look as though you are listening and learn to watch - imagine there is an ant walking across your floor - watch it - move your eyes as though you are focused on it. Listen to an imaginary person talking - move your head and your eyes and really listen. You need to remember that all times on the stage you must stay in character, even if your character is not involved in the action at any particular point in time. This includes entering and leaving the stage.

This course is full of practical acting advice - how to stay in character, how to use your face, how to be heard etc. The exercises give you a chance to act using all of your senses and your body. 

There are lectures towards the end about different exams, preparing for auditions, what to wear and the importance of learning words!