Harry has served in the  public, charity  and voluntary sectors. Recently retired after 30 years as an inner city primary school headteacher, he has been active in the Headteachers’ association and still serves as Wandsworth President of the NAHT. He chaired an Education Achievement Zone and Battersea Extended Schools’ Cluster.

He serves on the Board of Polka Theatre - where he has also been chair - for nine years. He chairs the board of Merton Vision and is on the board of Merton Talking Newspaper for the Blind.

Harry has also been Leader of a local authority (London Borough of Merton – eight years and a member for fifteen) and chairman of a health authority (Merton & Sutton/ Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth – seventeen years altogether). He also served on Wandsworth  and Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trusts and was chair of a nursing and midwifery college.

Harry is an active member of his church where he has also served as Churchwarden. Experienced in working with and supporting minority communities Harry enjoys theatre, film, travel, reading and gardening.

Jimmy graduated from the Three Year Acting course in 1999. He’s currently best-known for his rolesas registrar 

Antoine Malick in Holby City, and the washed up Mick in the BBC comedy Rev. He began his acting career on the stage in The Nativity at The Birmingham Rep, his stark and kinetic performance drew audiences in; he followed on from this with Baby Doll at The National Theatre, and the hit play The Player Room. 

He starred alongside Ian McKellen in the world premiere of Mark Ravenhill’s play The Cut (Donmar Warehouse and national tour). He went on to take the title role in Frantic Assembly’s acclaimed production of Othello. He won a TMA Award for his performance in Joe Penhall’s Blue / Orange.

He is co-founder of TriForce Promotions, which seeks to develop young talent and hosts legendary networking events for actors, writers and producers, working frequently with the BBC workshopping new writing. Jimmy is also one of ALRA’s Trustees.

Peter grew up in London where he went to what he describes as a not very good school that was good for him.   The good part included regular visits to student productions at RADA and LAMDA, to art exhibitions and talks, all of which made a big impact and created a strong interest in the arts.  

He went on to Swansea University where he stayed for 6 years following an undergraduate course and then research in political philosophy.   He was intrigued by trying to understand how other people thought about politics and, after deciding that an academic career was unsuited to someone who clearly had no ability to teach, translated this into trying to understand other peoples and joined the British Council.

Work in the British Council included 3 or more years in Mexico, Croatia / Slovenia, Iraq, Zimbabwe, Pakistan and Kenya.   It also included periods in Human Relations at the London HQ with a special interest in diversity.

Peter retired in 2004 and since enjoys contributing to a number of charities, seeing family and friends, and spending time in Croatia.

Richard Gill began his theatre life as an actor, director and playwright. He was senior lecturer at Central before being head-hunted to run the Drama School at Dartington.

In 1967 he founded the Polka Theatre for Children, which toured to all the major theatres of Britain for 21years. In 1979 he created London’s first permanent theatre for children and Polka is still flourishing in Wimbledon.

In 1988 he moved on to create Parasol Theatre which toured all over the world until his retirement in 2005. He is the author of 37 plays, mostly for young people. In 1980 he was awarded the Lord Mayor of London’s Prize for 'The outstanding contribution to the cultural life of the nation'.

Born in Nelson in 1945, he has two children, a son currently teaching abroad and a daughter who is a civil servant and lives in Warrington with his two grandchildren. He retains an affinity with North East Lancashire as shown by his support of Burnley Football Club.

He has a background in education ending his teaching career as Head Teacher of Kingsdown High School in Pemberton, Wigan. For a number of years he was employed as an adviser/assessor by Cambridge Education Associates visiting schools in the North West of England to assess teacher performance and to advise governing bodies on the appraisal of head teachers.

He was also involved for four years with a lottery funded project to provide counselling for young people in Wigan.

He is Vice-Chair of Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust, a charity/social enterprise company operating in Wigan, Selby and Cannock with a portfolio which includes libraries, parks and green spaces, swimming pools, leisure centres and performance areas. He is also a Director of the Young Persons Centre in Wigan which is a charity providing child care in the Pemberton area of the town.

Tony is a member and past president of the Rotary Club of Wigan and is involved

in several projects including International Group Study Exchange. He is a Paul

Harris Fellow. Tony is a member of Golborne and Lowton Methodist Church at Heath Street where he was active in securing funding for an extension to the Church.

In 2011 he became a Trustee of ALRA.

Having had a varied career with the British Council,Shoba has extensive experience of the international development environment as well as the educational and cultural sectors.She has lived and worked in  number of African countries and has at different times served as the Director of the British Council in S Africa ,South Korea and Mauritius as well as in middle management posts in Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Carolyn is the founder of Acting for Change Ltd, a drama based training company. She graduated from ALRA in 2005 (as a very mature student!) and is now a freelance actor and coach. 

Carolyn also has over 20 years experience as a management consultant working in both public and private sectors. In the late 1990’s she established a reputation as a nationally respected figure in strategic change and project management. For some years, her article ‘Communication Centred Project Management’ was mandatory reading for students on the Open University Project Management Diploma course. She has published over 30 articles on a wide range of subjects. 

She originally trained as a teacher and taught for nine years in various London Primary Schools.

Carolyn enjoys choral music, raucous family meals with plenty of singing and poetry, and her pride and joy is her 1940’s jukebox.

..

Please visit 

http://www.northern-broadsides.co.uk/

Co-Director

Clive Duncan joined ALRA in 2004. Performing for 28 years as an actor, writer and theatre director, he began his training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and went on to work in the West End, regional and touring theatres. Frequent work in television dramas, series and presenting children’s television consolidated his skills.

He writes for stage and screen and has had numerous scripts broadcast by BBC, Scottish TV and Channel 5.

As a director, his experience encompasses a wide range of classical, contemporary, educational, devised and pantomime for companies in the UK and overseas.

Working with students, he has taught at East 15, Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and the Oxford School of Drama.

He has successfully completed a Certificate of Education at the Institute of Education and a Master of Arts in Screenwriting at the University of the Arts.

Currently, he is the external moderator for Bath Spa University’s Performing Arts BA & FDA.

Co-Director

Adrian joined ALRA in the summer of 2009 before which he spent 22 years as a professional actor and the last ten years as Head of Production at GSA. Adrian trained at Arts Educational School and has worked extensively in TV, radio & theatre including the West End production of 84 Charing Cross Road. He has taught at all levels from primary school to Drama School including A Levels, BTEC, BA & MA.

He has worked as Director, Designer, Lighting Designer or Production Manager on over 250 productions in the education sector and was Academic Advisor to the Royal Scottish Academy.

He has been involved with short filmmaking for many years as producer and actor.

Programmes Manager

Sarah studied Stage Management and Technical Theatre at LAMDA. On graduating she worked for 10yrs as a Stage Manager in theatres across the UK, the Middle East and Australia.  On returning to the UK she was the Senior Events Manager at Kempton Park Racecourse where she ran the events there for 2½ years.  Missing theatre she did her PGC in Arts Management and in 2003 cofounded Youth Music Theatre: UK, where she worked for 5 years. 

She joined the ALRA team in September 2008.

PA to Senior Management

Head of Movement

Fiona joined ALRA in 2010, before which she taught movement and dance at Central School of Speech and Drama, Mountview, GSA, The Bridge and London Centre for Theatre Studies. She has taught, choreographed and managed outreach projects with companies including YMT-UK, RAD, London Youth Dance, Ice and Fire Theatre Company, KSDT and Creative Partnerships.

As a movement director and choreographer recent credits include: 

Daisy Pulls it Off (The Watermill), Oliver! (Merchant Taylor’s School), You be Ewe (The Round House Studios), Holoray Holiday (The Arcola), Fish (Camden People’s Theatre), The Marilyn Monroe Show (Brighton Festival).

For Central School of Speech and Drama, The Tempest, The Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters, Brecht Fest (Embassy Theatre).  Corporate clients have included RBS, Coutts and Microsoft APAQ.

Training- Central School of Speech and Drama - MA in Movement Studies London Studio Centre - BA (Hons) in Theatre Dance.

Head of Voice

John has worked extensively as an actor, director and voice coach within theatre, TV, Film and radio, both in the UK and abroad, for the last 30 years. John trained in voice at Central School of Speech and Drama in 1994/5 and then studied to become a Roy Hart voice teacher in 2007. He is currently head of voice at ALRA. He became a designated Kristen Linklater teacher in 2011. John’s unique experience with the voice and his on-going passion for awakening an individual’s potential, by freeing their voice, continues. He looks forward to the many opportunities that lie ahead.

Dip Voice Studies, Central

Roy Hart Voice teacher

PGCE ( Post Grad Cert in Education)

Designated Kristen Linklater teacher

SMTT Course Co-ordinator

Head of Technical

Dan graduated in the summer of 2002 from Derby University with a 2:1 in 3-D Visualisation and Computer Graphics (Bsc - hons). He joined ALRA later that year as the college Librarian and now runs both the IT Network and the TV/Radio studios.

Prior to this Dan worked as a Systems Developer for Enterprise Park (E3), a Design / IT tutor for Mackworth College Derby and a Graphic Designer for Illustrated Arts. Dan's free-lance web-design portfolio includes projects for SONY, OTB Soul and The Actors Centre. 

Dan is also a CISCO Certified Network Instructor (semester 1 standard - 98%) and has written dissertations on 'Systems Design Methodologies' and 'Multimedia in Learning' focusing specifically on the development of learning resources for different learner styles.

Dan's portfolio of work can be viewed at www.so-media.co.uk

Facilities and Resources Manager

David joined ALRA summer 2010 as the schools technical assistant supporting TV and Radio lessons as well crewing the third year films as gaffer and technical chief.

Spearheading the overhaul of the schools ever expanding I.T. network including site wide Wi-Fi access, recorded lesson media and production based I.T. systems, he continues to keep ALRA up to date with industry technical standards.

Having trained for four years in Technical production (GSA-School of Production Level 3 BTEC ND Triple Merit “Technical” Level 6 Trinity ND “Professional Production Skills”), he assists with lighting, sound and stage craft on the schools stage output both in house and touring.

Being brought up into a wide variety of professions, David has experience in many areas including mechanics, engineering, circuit level/mains installation electronics, carpentry/restoration, agricultural/site machine operation and estate management to name a few.

Registrar

Student Advisor

Maddy graduated from the BA Hons 3 year acting course at ALRA in 2010, she has worked as the Student Adviser at ALRA South since 2011, dealing mainly with accommodation, advice and queries from students, links with graduates and co-editing the ALRA: Article, ALRA’s quarterly newsletter alongside Hannah Bulgin.

Maddy is also a working actress. 

www.maddyanholt.com

Marketing & Publicity Officer

Administrative Assistant

Learning Support

Counsellor

Technical Assistant

Finance Officer

Prior to joining Alra, Marina Geraghty was  Finance Manager of MumboJumboToys Ltd, UK leading distributor of exclusive toys.

Additionally she served as Accounts Manager Of  Hitwise UK , between 2001 and 2008, during which the company grew from start-up to one that was  awarded 6th fastest growing technology company by Deloittes and acquired by Experian.  Marina brings her knowledge of commercial sector.

Marina joined Alra in February 2013.

Senior Stage Management Co-ordinator

Cleaner

Head of Postgraduate Studies and Assistant Head of Acting

Web Services Manager

Anthony joined ALRA in September 2011 after spending 11 years as the Web Services Manager at Winstanley College.  Anthony is a keen follower in web technologies and is a CiW Certified Web Professional, he also qualified with a HND in Business Information Technology, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Management in Education, whilst also boasting a 7407 Teaching qualification.

Anthony uses Joomla to build the ALRA websites, and is a high level user of Adobe Creative Suite packages (Photoshop, Fireworks, Premiere and After Effects).  Some of Anthony's external freelance work is with musical acts, where promo videos and album artwork have been created.

Contact

http://www.antzweb.co.uk

Programmes Assistant and Administrator

Deputy Security & Maintenance Manager

Counsellor & Learning Support

Over the years Erinna has been involved in various aspects of the Arts.

Now a counsellor at ALRA North, Erinna is delighted to be in her 2nd year!

Erinna has a history of teaching Drama and Art, and has worked for many years as an actor and singer.

Erinna has a penchant for The North and despite 20 years in London she is now back on firm northern ground.

Cafe Manager

Learning Support

 Security & Maintenance Manager

Stephen joined ALRA in September 2012, after gaining first-class honours in his second degree, a BA in Media, Culture and Communication at Liverpool JMU. 

Prior to this, Stephen has worked extensively within television and film, undertaking post-production and production management roles. This work has taken him across the globe, working in USA, Germany, Spain, Norway and France – as well as Weatherfield, working on Coronation Street.

In 2000, Stephen joined award-winning production company First Take, quickly becoming a co-director of the company - where he produced and directed the feature length documentary, Pink: Past & Present, which was premiered at the much-revered Homotopia festival in 2010.

Stephen fluent in all aspects of the film production process – specialising in editing and post-production.

Stage Management Co-ordinator and Technician

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Since graduating from Mountview Theatre School Andrew has enjoyed over twenty years of stage, screen and radio work.

He has worked with the RSC, Royal Court, on Number 1 tours and in regional repertory theatre, and has also toured abroad performing as Othello in America, as well as touring in China, Hong Kong, Italy, France and Spain.

Alongside acting Andrew has been working as a guest director at ALRA since 2007, specialising in storytelling, narrative skills and improvisation.

Having recently finished a hugely successful production of Bleak House at the New Vic Theatre in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Andrew is looking forward to sharing his experience and passion for the acting profession with his students prior to an international tour in 2011 of Katrina, a unique promenade production about the impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans.

Andy trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Since leaving Andy has gained a teaching qualification and works with various groups around the North West, teaching Youth theatre, Private Classes, BTEC and 'A Level' as well as other speciality projects. 

Andy has worked in theatre and TV professionally, but more recently his work includes an ITV commercial and a BBC Radio play. He has done extensive Corporate and Roleplay work and has an Advanced Certificate in Stage Combat.

Andy is excited to be working at the new ALRA North.

Teaching Staff (acting)

Clive Duncan joined ALRA in 2004. Performing for 28 years as an actor, writer and theatre director, he began his training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and went on to work in the West End, regional and touring theatres. Frequent work in television dramas, series and presenting children’s television consolidated his skills.

He writes for stage and screen and has had numerous scripts broadcast by BBC, Scottish TV and Channel 5.

As a director, his experience encompasses a wide range of classical, contemporary, educational, devised and pantomime for companies in the UK and overseas.

Working with students, he has taught at East 15, Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and the Oxford School of Drama.

He has successfully completed a Certificate of Education at the Institute of Education and a Master of Arts in Screenwriting at the University of the Arts.

Currently, he is the external moderator for Bath Spa University’s Performing Arts BA & FDA.

Since training as an actor at the former Manchester Polytechnic School of Theatre, Paul has worked widely in theatre, radio, film and television, including in BAFTA-winning and Olivier-nominated productions on stage and screen. He has worked as a director with UK touring group ImpAct and has directed numerous public productions with student casts, many of which have been staged ‘in the round’.

Paul recently completed work on a PhD thesis that examines the work and legacy of theatre maker Stephen Joseph, and saw Paul record video interviews with a range of theatre figures including Alan Ayckbourn, Faynia Williams, Ben Kingsley, Trevor Griffiths, Mark Ravenhill and the late Peter Cheeseman. Alongside his research Paul has been working as a part-time lecturer at the University of Hull, specialising in acting and performance. He is the author of the Methuen handbook Acting Characters - designed to develop greater physical and vocal versatility among student and professional actors – and is currently planning an expanded second edition for release in the United States in 2011. Paul is a visiting professor in Performance at the Savannah College of Art & Design in Georgia, US

Lheila trained as an actress at Guildford School of Acting. In 1995 she was awarded a BEd (Hons) in Teacher Education at Oxford Brookes University and has worked in over 150 schools as a class teacher or drama practitioner.

As well as working professionally in theatre, tv and film, other fields of performance have included clowning, physical theatre and improvisation. She trained with Keith Johnstone, also performing in "Keith Johnstone's Micestro" at the Cockpit Theatre, London. She ran regular improvisation workshops and performed in weekly shows with ‘Off The Cuff’ comedy troupe for three years.

Lheila has taught street theatre and clowning at Portsmouth New Theatre Royal, The Komedia comedy club and Circus Space. She has presented many live stage shows for clients including Disney and Sesame Street. In August 2011 she directed “Slug” for the Royal Vauxhall Tavern. Lheila also performs regularly on the London comedy circuit, originally in musical double act “Aliens Ate My Schnitzel!” and as numerous solo comedy characters. >

David Crowley

Peter Cregeen trained as an actor and teacher of Drama at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, a College of which he is now a Fellow.

After working in the theatre at Watford and Salisbury, where he began his directing career, he joined BBC Television.

Since then his work has been split evenly between the BBC and ITV, where he has produced or directed many of the most successful Drama Series on both channels

From 1989- 1992  he was Head of Drama Series at the BBC after which he joined Stoll Moss theatres as Production Director, finding and developing the productions for 13 West End Theatres.

He has served on the BAFTA Council, the board of the Directors' Guild, and the board of the Royal Television Society.

Suzy Catliff

Peter has acted professionally from an early age and completed his Actor training at London Drama School 'Arts Ed'. His TV & Film credits include 'Coronation Street', 'Hollyoaks', 'City Halls', 'Videopolis', 'Be Aware', 'A&E' & 'Wilmot'. Peter has recently filmed the role of Gary in BBC 3 sitcom 'The Gemma Factor'. His Theatre Credits include the UK premier of Ciaran McConville's 'Lay your Sleeping Head', 'Eight', 'As You Like It', 'Romeo & Juliet', 'A Duty of Care', 'Friendly Fire', and 'Company'. He has worked at some of the finest regional Theatres including 'Stephen Joseph Theatre - Scarborough', 'The Lawrence Batley Theatre - Huddersfield' & 'The Nottingham Playhouse'.  

Having graduated with a degree in Film & TV production Peter has also worked behind the camera. He has worked on productions including 'Where the Heart is' (ITV), 'Shameless' (C4), and 'The Innocence Project' (BBC) to name a few. In 2006 Peter spent a year working for ITV Drama Manchester organising and co-ordinating top dramas including 'Mobile', 'Cold Blood' and the popular 'Blue Murder' starring Caroline Quentin. 

Experiencing both sides of the camera has also led Peter to work in Casting, both as and agent and a casting assistant. During his time as an assistant he helped out on castings for 'Where The Heart Is', 'Coronation Street', 'Casualty', 'Doctors', 'Eastenders', 'Holby City', 'Judge John Deed' and 'Waking the Dead'. He has also worked with agents in London's West End and has helped manage the careers of various leading artists. Having returned to the North, Peter continued working as an agent and in the past year has helped provide artists of different ages to productions such as 'Emmerdale', 'Heartbeat', 'Shameless', 'Casualty 1909', 'Britain's Fattest Man', 'Coronation Street' and 'The Street'. 

Peter was chosen as one of the assistants to help cast additional roles in the Manchester filming of Guy Ritchie's 2010 Warner Brother's movie 'Sherlock Holmes'.  

As well as teaching at ALRA Peter runs top part time Acting Academy 'ActUpNorth' working alongside top UK Casting Directors and Directors from the world of TV and Film.

Peter trained first as an actor at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. On graduating, he was a recipient of the BBC’s prestigious Carleton Hobbs Award, and as such has worked extensively as a performer in radio drama both as a freelance and as a member of the Radio Drama Company.

Highlights include Ruby on Tuesday by Charlotte Jones, Les Miserables, Anthony and Cleopatra, and The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. 

In theatre, he has played leading roles at Birmingham Rep, Bristol Old Vic, The Northcott (Exeter) the Sherman Theatre (Cardiff) and Leeds Opera House.

Having retrained as a theatre director, he directed Beautiful Thing at the BAC, and his company recently staged the first London run of Arden of Faversham for 20 years, at the Rose Theatre, Bankside, which is set to be revived in the New Year.

He is set to return to the Rose with a new production of Marlowe’s Edward II, in the theatre where the play was first performed 400 years ago. His production of Mysterious Skin was hugely successful at this year’s Edinburgh Festival and will be transferring to a London venue in the New Year.

Gordon House joined the BBC in 1972, and worked in Children’s Television and Radio Sport, before becoming a Radio Drama Director.   He headed the small BBC World Service Drama team for fourteen years, and directed over 200 plays. He was a founder member, and ex-Chair, of The Worldplay Group – an association of  Radio Drama directors from around the world

In April 2001 he became Head of BBC Radio Drama, a post which he held until his retirement from the BBC in 2005.  During this time he was a judge at Prix Italia and Prix Europa conventions, and his tenure as Head culminated in the Department winning its largest ever number of awards in a single year.

Gordon is now an Executive Director of Goldhawk Essential.  Last year he went to Guyana where he was the drama consultant for the new Aids-based Radio Soap, Merundoi. He has recently directed a radio version of Alan Bennett’s “Lady in the Van”, - Alan himself starring alongside Dame Maggie Smith.  Gordon’s production of Peter Souter’s Goldfish Girl has just won a 2009 Sony Radio Award.

Gordon is a guest lecturer at several drama schools, but teaches primarily at ALRA .

I have worked as a professional actress for twenty-three years. I graduated from LAMDA in 1990, winning the BBC Radio Carlton Hobbs Award.

I joined the BBC Radio Repertory Company, working in drama, comedy, Light Entertainment, live shows and educational programmes with many renowned producers such as John Tydeman, Jane Morgan and Gordon House and many distinguished actors including Paul Schofield and Peggy Ashcroft.. I have over fifty radio drama credits with the BBC and independent companies such as Pier Productions.

In television I have worked with the BBC, ITV, Granada, YTV, Darlow Smithson, Pearson Television and Company Pictures. In theatre I have worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, Shakespeare's Globe, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Manchester Library Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Oldham Coliseum, Orange Tree Theatre, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse, Perth Theatre, Tron Theatre Glasgow, Hull Truck Theatre, Stephen Joseph Theatre Scarborough, Original Theatre Company, York Theatre Royal, Redgrave Theatre Farnham, English Theatre Frankfurt, Mercury Theatre Colchester, Harrogate Theatre, Kenny Wax Productions, Nimax Productions, PW Productions and the West End. I have toured extensively throughout the UK, and in the Netherlands, Germany, America, New Zealand and Japan.

I work extensively as a VoiceOver artist for companies such as BBC, AETN ( Bio, History, Crime channels), Channel 5. I have provided audio guides for Tate Modern, museums in Singapore, Germany, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands. I have recorded Shakespeare for the Aarkangel/Riverrun collection, audio books for Naxos, commercials for radio and television, animation and promos.  I can also be heard as part of the British Library cd collection of radio plays by Sir Tom Stoppard, to celebrate his 75th birthday.

Head of Voice

John has worked extensively as an actor, director and voice coach within theatre, TV, Film and radio, both in the UK and abroad, for the last 30 years. John trained in voice at Central School of Speech and Drama in 1994/5 and then studied to become a Roy Hart voice teacher in 2007. He is currently head of voice at ALRA. He became a designated Kristen Linklater teacher in 2011. John’s unique experience with the voice and his on-going passion for awakening an individual’s potential, by freeing their voice, continues. He looks forward to the many opportunities that lie ahead.

Dip Voice Studies, Central

Roy Hart Voice teacher

PGCE ( Post Grad Cert in Education)

Designated Kristen Linklater teacher

Jane Vicary is a Northerner who lives in the South Lakes. She read Theatre Studies and English at Lancaster University a long time ago and then worked in libraries, newspapers, advertising, antiques and fine art and as a drama teacher in Adult Education for many years. Whilst bringing up her family and teaching part time, she acted and sang in various small scale Northern companies, one of the high lights being a tour in Sri Lanka. The re-discovery of her singing voice and requests to teach singing led to a need to know more about the voice. In 2002 she sold a picture by Ben Nicholson and commuted to London (leaving the children with a very patient and supportive husband) in order to do the MA in Voice Studies at Central School of Speech and Drama. They all survived this very challenging year and so, after completing the MA, Jane worked as a freelance voice and drama teacher.  To further the voice work begun at CSSD, Jane began working (and continues to work) with Nadine George (Roy Hart Theatre) and this now forms a significant element of her work and vocal philosophy. For the last four years Jane has been teaching voice at The Arden School of Theatre in Manchester and is delighted to be part of the ALRA team.

Liz trained at Central School of Speech and Drama in London, graduating with an MA Voice Studies with Distinction. 

She is currently a vocal coach on the RSC's Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge Theatre in the West End.  Prior to returning to ALRA in 2012, Liz spent a year as Head of Voice on Unitec's Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts (Acting) degree programme in Auckland, New Zealand.  She has been a visiting lecturer at a number of other prestigious drama schools and universities including Central School of Speech and Drama, East 15, The Oxford School of Drama, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, the Urdang Academy, and The Actors Studio in Auckland.

In her private practice, Liz offers vocal coaching lessons for singers and actors, as well as specialist dialect and accent coaching and voice workshops.

Natalie trained as an actor at Drama Centre London and has gained extensive experience in the business working with acclaimed actors and directors including Samuel West, Chris Honer, Douglas Hodge, Tim Piggot-Smith, Sir. Nicholas Hytner, Meera Syal and more.

Theatre credits include See How They Run (West End and Tour - Olivier and Whats on stage awards runner up 2006)), As You Like It (Royal Shakespeare company and Sheffield Crucible), Gallithea (Shakespeare’s Globe), Rafta, Rafta (National Theatre - Olivier Award winner 2007) What the Butler Saw (Salisbury Playhouse) The Importance of Being Earnest (Library Theatre Company), Tiger at the Gates (National Theatre), Merlin and the Woods of time (Chester Open air) and most recently played Rosalind in Nikolai Fosters acclaimed production of As You Like It.

Television Credits include Doctors (BBC), Jam and Jerusalem (BBC) and Coronation Street (Granada TV). Also, Silver Street for BBC radio Birmingham.

Natalie works as a freelance voice tutor specializing in phonetics, RP and accents and alongside ALRA teaches and directs at the Arden School of Theatre and runs acting and text workshops for the Library Theatre Company, Manchester and Actors Centre North. She has recently developed a professional development scheme for the Library Theatre Company, ‘Playing Up North’.

`Natalie studied voice under Stewart Pearce (Master of Voice at Shakespeare’s Globe for many years) and William Conacher (renowned accent and voice specialist in Theatre, TV and film) and has also worked with Kate Godfrey and Jeannette Nelson at the National Theatre and Cicely Berry at the RSC.

Jennifer graduated with a BA in Applied Drama from Queen Mary University of London then went on to study and train at RADA in 2006 for an MA in Text & Performance.

In 2007 she toured throughout the UK and Europe with indie-pop outfit The Hoosiers (Sony BMG) as their session musician (backing vocals, keyboards and percussion). She continues to spotlight as a lead and backing singer with various rock, pop and jazz bands. Jennifer also spent a year managing independent record label in London, Beatroute Records. Jennifer’s music television credits include T4 on The Beach (Channel 4), MTV Brand Spanking New (MTV), and Top of The Pops Christmas Special 2007 (BBC). Her Radio credits include sessions for Dermot O Leary (BBC), Craig Doyle (Capital FM), Live from Maida Vale (BBC), and NRJ Radio Stuttgart.

In parallel to her work in the music industry Jennifer has been developing a career in Acting. Prior to taking up her position at ALRA, she performed in the controversial Philosophy In The Bedroom by Marquis De Sade at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 2011.

Jennifer has worked independently as a singing teacher and vocal coach since 2008, continues to tutor privately and to pursue her career as a professional Singer and Actor. 

Janis trained originally as a speech & language therapist at the Central School of Speech & Drama and specialised in neurological rehabilitation. This work gradually led her from therapy into developing a long-term management service for victims of traumatic brain injury.

Her clinical interest in voice, speech and language skills is matched by a passion for voice, speech and text in performance and prompted a further career change. At the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Janis gained an MA in Training Actors Voice, under the leadership of Patsy Rodenburg.

Janis is keen to expand her work teaching acting students, coaching actors and providing company voice work for productions.

Teaching Staff (Voice)

Gary trained as an actor at Guildford School of Acting and has worked throughout the UK in film, theatre, television and radio. It was because of his love of language and teaching he completed his Masters Degree in Voice Studies at Central School of Speech and Drama. Gary currently teaches voice in various institutions around London. Furthermore, has coached on a variety of professional shows, such as Romeo and Juliet (The Chocolate Factory) Reverie (The Pleasance Theatre, Edinburgh) The Arsonists (Watford Palace Theatre) In His Image (Hampstead Theatre) and the award winning Play on Words at the Tristan Bates Theatre, London. Finally, Gary is currently investigating the ‘Choral Voice’ and the ‘Actors Ensemble’ trying to push its boundaries through an understanding of voice, movement and audience participation. This has led to Gary directing a short Greek tragedy as part of the Battersea Arts Centre Scratch Project in October 2011, which involved a group of second year ALRA students. 

Abigail trained as an Actor at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and on the postgraduate Musical Theatre course at the Royal Academy of Music. Her theatre credits include As You Like It, Oh What A Lovely War and Romeo and Juliet (New Shakespeare Co. at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre), Mothers Have Nine Lives, The Ballad of Little Jo, The Girl in the Frame and Blood Drive (Bridewell Theatre), Shakespeare in the Streets (Shakespeare's Globe), The Handmaidens of Death and The Old Lady Shows Her Medals (Max Stafford Clark - Out of Joint), One Touch of Venus (Royal Opera House), the Merry Widow (Opera Holland Park) and work for the Theatre Royal Windsor, the Yvonne Arnaud Guildford and the Mill at Sonning.  

Abigail holds an MA in Voice Studies from the Central School of Speech and Drama and has worked extensively with the Estill Voice Model as both a CMT (Certified Master Teacher) student in the UK and abroad with Anne - Marie Speed and Associates.

Abigail was Head of Voice at LIPA (Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts) from 2007 - 2011 and has also taught at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, and on the postgraduate Musical Theatre course at the Royal Academy of Music.  Abigail currently combines her freelance practice with teaching Singing skills and Voice at the Birmingham School of Acting.

Musicianship/Choral Tutor

Holly studied classical singing at Trinity College of Music and Musical Theatre at Mountview. She has appeared in Into the Woods, Worked with Ray Cooney on Time’s Up, sung at the Proms, travelled as a singer on board the QM2, created her own one woman show and appeared on various recordings on Acid Jazz label Twisted Tongue. She has also taught at E15 and Italia Conti and runs a busy private teaching practice. She has a thorough knowledge of the Estill model as well as Bel Canto. Holly joined ALRA in Sept 2012.

Articulation Tutor

Nancy has been teaching speech & accent work for the past 6 years having graduated with an MA in Voice Studies from Central School of Speech and Drama. She spent a year studying acting and theatre speech at Austin State University in Texas and has since specialised in tutoring accents of The United States.

She works at several London’s leading drama schools; such as Italia Conti, Rose Bruford and East 15; where she specialises in speech and accent work. 

Nancy originally trained as an actor at Rose Bruford College  and as well as teaching voice she works as a professional voice-over artist and regularly records voice-overs for various TV and radio advertising campaigns.

She is passionate about approaching accent and speech work in a creative, practical and multi-sensory style; giving actors the tools to understand and develop their own speech. 

Sally trained at The Webber Douglas Academy more than 20 years ago. After graduating she worked as an actress,  writer and script editor for stage and film. In 2006 Sally gained a Masters Degree in Voice Studies at The Central School of Speech and Drama. She now works as a voice and text coach within leading corporate companies (Nokia, Symbian, Mills&Boon, Olympics 2012)

and top London drama schools(Central School, Rose Bruford, Arts Educational) She has been a coach at ALRA since 2007.

Joanna Clark

Erin Shanagher

Head of Movement

Fiona joined ALRA in 2010, before which she taught movement and dance at Central School of Speech and Drama, Mountview, GSA, The Bridge and London Centre for Theatre Studies. She has taught, choreographed and managed outreach projects with companies including YMT-UK, RAD, London Youth Dance, Ice and Fire Theatre Company, KSDT and Creative Partnerships.

As a movement director and choreographer recent credits include: 

Daisy Pulls it Off (The Watermill), Oliver! (Merchant Taylor’s School), You be Ewe (The Round House Studios), Holoray Holiday (The Arcola), Fish (Camden People’s Theatre), The Marilyn Monroe Show (Brighton Festival).

For Central School of Speech and Drama, The Tempest, The Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters, Brecht Fest (Embassy Theatre).  Corporate clients have included RBS, Coutts and Microsoft APAQ.

Training- Central School of Speech and Drama - MA in Movement Studies London Studio Centre - BA (Hons) in Theatre Dance.

Teaching Staff (Movement)

Combat

Teaching Staff (Movement)

Carran Waterfield is an international theatre director, teacher and performer. She is also artistic director of Triangle Theatre (est.1988) and Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Manchester.

She has presented her work in Europe, Japan, Africa, Australia and America. As well as creating her solo projects, she has collaborated with, amongst others: Odin Teatret (Denmark), Pantheatre and members of Roy Hart Theatre (France), RSC Studio, Belgrade Theatre, Snarling Beasties, The Little Herberts, Bare Essentials Youth Theatre, Crescent Theatre, Kindle Theatre, Cosmino Theatre, Fountain Theatre (The Shysters), Creative Partnerships, Coventry Cathedral, and various museums, National Trust properties and heritage sites in the UK. More recently she is developing theatre and heritage based collaborations in the North West, having based herself in the region. Most recently she has produced and directed immersive projects with The Lowry and at Media City and two studio productions at the John Thaw Studio, Manchester.

As well as her professional performance work, Carran has mentored and directed undergraduate and post graduate student projects since 1994 working with, amongst others: the Universities of Warwick, Exeter, De Montfort, Birmingham, Aberystwyth, Salford, Northampton and Manchester.

A number of her conference papers and other articles have been published and she is currently working towards the publication of a collection of her devised performance scripts.

She has appeared in two independent films with Matthew Kelly and Ricky Tomlinson directed by Debbie Isitt. With Richard Talbot she has produced and directed several short films demonstrating Triangle’s award-winning immersive improvised site-based heritage projects with and for young people. In 2007 she produced the extensive DVD resource Triangle’s Work in Times of War in collaboration with Richard Talbot.

She has won the Edinburgh Fringe First, Independent Theatre Award shortlist, the Museums and Heritage Award and Most Outstanding Performer (International Festival of Experimental Theatre, Volgograd, Russia).

Carran’s website: (www.triangletheatre.co.uk). 

Teaching Staff (Movement)

Teaching Staff (Movement)

Alice graduated from London Contemporary Dance School in 2004 with a BA(hons) in Contemporary Dance, and went on to study Anatomy and Physiology and Sports  Massage Therapy, qualifying in 2005. Since then she has worked both as a dance practionner and teacher, and as a Sports Massage Therapist. She has taught in a range of community settings, as well as further and higher education insitutions, including LUDUS, University of Central Lancashire and Lancaster University.

Alice is currently working towards a Master's degree at London Contemporary Dance School, specialising in how knowledge of anatomy and physiology can be used to inform and enhance dance education.

Lucia Tong is a performed from Hong Kong.  Began training in Chinese dance and as a member of the Hong Kong National Rhythmic Gymnastics team. Lucia discovered Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies at the University of California-Berkeley, USA. She has since worked with dance and theatre companies in Asia, North America and Europe including Handspring Puppet Company, Troika Ranch, Protein Dance, Upswing Aerial, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Generating Company, Future Cinema and the Joe Goode Performance Group amongst others.  Most recently, Lucia appeared in the role of Maenad in the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre production of "The Lightning Child."  Lucia directs her own company, Pangea Art, which creates multimedia work in collaboration with artists from different backgrounds and is co-director of Arts 4 Human Rights, a charity using arts in innovative ways to increase awareness of social justice issues.

Joe Wild

Niamh McKernan

Clive Duncan joined ALRA in 2004. Performing for 28 years as an actor, writer and theatre director, he began his training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and went on to work in the West End, regional and touring theatres. Frequent work in television dramas, series and presenting children’s television consolidated his skills.

He writes for stage and screen and has had numerous scripts broadcast by BBC, Scottish TV and Channel 5.

As a director, his experience encompasses a wide range of classical, contemporary, educational, devised and pantomime for companies in the UK and overseas.

Working with students, he has taught at East 15, Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and the Oxford School of Drama.

He has successfully completed a Certificate of Education at the Institute of Education and a Master of Arts in Screenwriting at the University of the Arts.

Currently, he is the external moderator for Bath Spa University’s Performing Arts BA & FDA.

Teaching Staff (Contextual Studies)

Teaching Staff (Contextual Studies)

Rob Swinton started a career in writing for theatre in 1972, at Oxford Playhouse. He trained as a teacher of Drama and English, and was Head of Drama in a Leeds comprehensive for five years, before starting a career in acting and directing in 1980. Acting work has included two

one-man shows, West End, and no 1 Tours, regional repertory theatre, the Royal National Theatre and the Almeida, Radio (for a while he was a regular character on “the Archers”) Television and Film. He has performed in, or directed over thirty Shakespeare productions, and twenty one of the plays.

He was Artistic Director of the Datfford Shakespeare festival for three years in the 90s. Most recent directing credits include St Mark’s Gospel for Creation Theatre Company, and Light and Dark for Malvern 925.

Rob is also a writer: shows include “Passacaglia” “Marriage of True Minds”, a new version of the Mystery Plays, “The Savage” “The Dark Lady”, “Light and Dark” and is currently working on a new satirical play, provisionally titled “Faction.”

Recent work has included further work for the “Archers”, playing Homer, in a children’s opera “Troy Story” in Stratford, with the Orchestra of the Swan, and work as an acting coach on a film biography of Robert Stewart, “I Killed My Padmate”. 

Gerrard has performed in both conventional and experimental theatre in Europe and the UK.

In recent years he has worked, with Pina Bausch, Graeme Miller, Jonathan Burrows, David Gale and Improbable; made pieces with dance film and video-makers Magali Charrier, Shelly Love, and Lucy Cash, for the BBC, CHANNEL 4 and shown internationally. He has made experimental films of Krapp’s Last Tape and Prufrock; installation work at NottDance, SBC, and The ICA (with A2), and site specific work (with PunchDrunk, dreamthinkspeak and Stacked Wonky).

He worked at the Orange Tree Richmond, Sheffield Crucible and the National Theatre. He has directed at the Edinburgh Festival and the ICA.

The Temptation of the Lamb was written for him by the Hungarian playwright, Andor Silagyi.

He has been filming in Hungary, on Dr Who and on La Chinoise with the Chinese Director Xiaolu Guo, with Chris Nash on his NESTA fellowship and mentored for Jonathan Burrows & Matteo Fargion on Speaking Dance which premiered at The Place in Dance Umbrella. He is working on a series of time based installation pieces with Adam Roberts. He collaborated with Stan’s Café on The Cleansing of Constance Brown for the Vienna Festwochen: and will work on a new piece to premiere in Montpellier next spring.

In 2007 he began investigating the nature of performance and developing his own work with the support of ArtsAdmin.

Trained as an actor at Central.

Theatre includes: Seven Jewish Children (Royal Court), The Common Pursuit (Menier Chocolate Factory), Three Sisters on Hope Street (Everyman Liverpool, Hampstead), Two Thousand Years (Mike Leigh-National Theatre and tour), Hamlet (Nuffield Theatre); The Dwarfs (Tricycle Theatre); Romeo & Juliet (UK Tour), As You Like It, Sweat (Bloomsbury), Hedda Gabler, The Man of the Future is Dead (Edinburgh), Rose and the Ring; Guys & Dolls, Les Grandes Meaulnes, Judging Billy Jones (Young Vic.)

Television includes: The Runaway (Sky), Trinity (ITV), The Passion (HBO/BBC), Maxwell (International Emmy), The Candidate, Judge John Deed, Dwarfs, Band of Brothers (HBO/BBC, winner of Golden Globe and Emmy), A Touch of Frost, Soldier, Soldier, Inspector Morse, The Perfect Blue, Where The Heart Is.

Film: Leapyear, Guy Ritchie's Rocknrolla, Driver (official selection for the London Film Festival 2009), Hospital, Patrick Mann’s Daughter, Scotch Corner.

Directing credits include: The Collector (Underbelly Edinburgh and Arcola London), King Lear, As You Like it, King John, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Orphans.

Short films- Park Life, Hope, Intern, Man’s Best Friend, Kung Fu Action Chic, Wilting.

Started Aslan Productions in 2002 and co-produced Everything is Illuminated (Hampstead Theatre).

Darren extensive experience as an actor includes lead roles in film, on television and at various regional, touring and West End theatres. He has performed main roles at several of the UK’s leading regional theatres including Citizens Theatre Glasgow, Birmingham Repertory, Dukes Theatre Lancaster, Southwold Rep, as well as roles at various West End theatres including Theatre Royal Haymarket, The Ambassadors Theatre and The Royal Court. A fluent British Sign Language user, Darren was Associate Director of Krazy Kat Theatre Company between 200-2010, and alongside Clive Duncan helped establish courses for D/deaf actors at ALRA. Since leaving Krazy Kat Darren has been working as an Associate artist for Kipper tie, as Associate Director for UnFit Productions, and most recently writing and directing for YCTs Theatre Co. Darren’s extensive directing experience encompasses classical, contemporary, educational, devised, regional touring theatre and pantomime - for professional, amateur, adult, student and children’s companies, in Britain and abroad. He has been actively involved in the development of many new plays since 1997 – as a director, actor, teacher, writer and dramaturg. With a passionate interest in both classical and contemporary text, Darren specializes in directing new writing for theatre production and to date he has directed over thirty productions, often developing the play with the playwright through dramaturgy, workshops, and rehearsed readings.

www.darrencheek.co.uk

Robert was born in London and trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

He has worked in repertory in Manchester, Oldham, Bristol, Southampton, Chichester, Edinburgh, Ipswich and Westcliff, his roles including Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night, John Merrick in The Elephant Man (for which he was awarded the Manchester Evening News Award for Best Actor of the Year), George in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Miller in The Deep Blue Sea, Scrooge in A Christmas Carol and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice.

More recently he appeared as Nightingale in Tennessee Williams’ Vieux Carre at the Manchester Library Theatre, and as the Duke in The Revenger’s Tragedy and as Dr David Kelly in The Palace of the End, both at The Royal Exchange.

He has twice appeared at the Crucible, Sheffield, in Michael Grandage’s productions of Edward II and Richard III. For Deborah Warner’s Kick Theatre he played Prospero in The Tempest, the Duke in Measure for Measure and Lear in King Lear, and worked with the English Shakespeare Company on a ten-month British and world tour of The Winter’s Tale and Coriolanus.

Robert spent six years with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford and London, playing such roles as Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet, Hubert in King John, Duke Senior in As You Like It, Lord Talbot in Henry VI  and the General in Jean Genet’s The Balcony.

Other London work includes Marya (Old Vic), Medea (Wyndhams), The Rules of the Game, The Doctor’s Dilemma and The Jew of Malta (Almeida), Trelawney of the Wells and The Seagull (National), The Duchess of Malfi (Wyndhams), A Busy Day (Lyric), Oxygen (Riverside) and The Woman in Black (Fortune, plus national tours). He has worked with Thelma Holt on two British tours, playing Gremio in The Taming of the Shrew and Polonius in Hamlet, the latter directed by Yukio Ninagawa and playing at the Barbican.

He was also at the Barbican in  Julius Caesar for Deborah Warner, before touring to Paris, Madrid and Luxembourg. More recently he appeared in The President’s Holiday at Hampstead.

Robert has made over sixty appearances on television, from By the Sword Divided to Waking the Dead, from Forever Green to the last series of Doctor Who. Film credits include Little Dorrit, Wuthering Heights, Different for Girls, The Young Poisoner’s Handbook, Orlando, Secret Passage and Longitude.

Guy Slater began his career as an actor working in repertory, West End and Television, his last performance being in I Claudius. He has also written books and many scripts both for television and radio. As a free lance theatre director he has worked in theatres throughout the country as well as in London and California. He founded the Horseshoe Theatre Company in Basingstoke which he ran for seven years with seasons at the Haymarket Theatre and tours both local and national. On televison he has produced and directed many single plays / films and long running series such as Miss Marple (with Joan Hickson) and Love Hurts with Zoe Wanamaker and Adam Faith. He was Head of Drama for the SelecTV group.

Teaching Staff (Visiting Directors)

Graduating from The Drama Studio London in 1977, Roman has enjoyed working almost non-stop in his 33year career.

His forté has been devising visual and physical theatre with a strong understanding of the technical aspects. Having joined Polka Theatre as an actor in 1980 he was asked to become the Associate Director and has worked consistently with Polka for 31 years, directing over 60 shows, helping it to become one of Britain’s leading theatre companies for children along with world wide recognition. Over the years he developed his devising, mime and puppetry skills and has been able to help actors to lose their doubts and inhibitions of puppetry, developing their own skills in manipulating objects and puppets.

As a an actor he has played various roles at Polka, West End and on TV including a variety of commercials. Roman has worked with; the Henson Organisation, Spitting Image and even helped animate Kate Bush's last pop video. Along with ALRA Roman has directed at East 15 and Drama Studio as well as master classes with CSSD and RADA. As a puppetry consultant Roman has assisted in productions with, to name a few; Birmingham Stage Company, Savvy Theatre, Pied Piper, Watershed Productions and WebPlay.

Rob Swinton started a career in writing for theatre in 1972, at Oxford Playhouse. He trained as a teacher of Drama and English, and was Head of Drama in a Leeds comprehensive for five years, before starting a career in acting and directing in 1980. Acting work has included two

one-man shows, West End, and no 1 Tours, regional repertory theatre, the Royal National Theatre and the Almeida, Radio (for a while he was a regular character on “the Archers”) Television and Film. He has performed in, or directed over thirty Shakespeare productions, and twenty one of the plays.

He was Artistic Director of the Datfford Shakespeare festival for three years in the 90s. Most recent directing credits include St Mark’s Gospel for Creation Theatre Company, and Light and Dark for Malvern 925.

Rob is also a writer: shows include “Passacaglia” “Marriage of True Minds”, a new version of the Mystery Plays, “The Savage” “The Dark Lady”, “Light and Dark” and is currently working on a new satirical play, provisionally titled “Faction.”

Recent work has included further work for the “Archers”, playing Homer, in a children’s opera “Troy Story” in Stratford, with the Orchestra of the Swan, and work as an acting coach on a film biography of Robert Stewart, “I Killed My Padmate”. 

Natalie trained as an actor at Drama Centre London and has gained extensive experience in the business working with acclaimed actors and directors including Samuel West, Chris Honer, Douglas Hodge, Tim Piggot-Smith, Sir. Nicholas Hytner, Meera Syal and more.

Theatre credits include See How They Run (West End and Tour - Olivier and Whats on stage awards runner up 2006)), As You Like It (Royal Shakespeare company and Sheffield Crucible), Gallithea (Shakespeare’s Globe), Rafta, Rafta (National Theatre - Olivier Award winner 2007) What the Butler Saw (Salisbury Playhouse) The Importance of Being Earnest (Library Theatre Company), Tiger at the Gates (National Theatre), Merlin and the Woods of time (Chester Open air) and most recently played Rosalind in Nikolai Fosters acclaimed production of As You Like It.

Television Credits include Doctors (BBC), Jam and Jerusalem (BBC) and Coronation Street (Granada TV). Also, Silver Street for BBC radio Birmingham.

Natalie works as a freelance voice tutor specializing in phonetics, RP and accents and alongside ALRA teaches and directs at the Arden School of Theatre and runs acting and text workshops for the Library Theatre Company, Manchester and Actors Centre North. She has recently developed a professional development scheme for the Library Theatre Company, ‘Playing Up North’.

`Natalie studied voice under Stewart Pearce (Master of Voice at Shakespeare’s Globe for many years) and William Conacher (renowned accent and voice specialist in Theatre, TV and film) and has also worked with Kate Godfrey and Jeannette Nelson at the National Theatre and Cicely Berry at the RSC.

Andy trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Since leaving Andy has gained a teaching qualification and works with various groups around the North West, teaching Youth theatre, Private Classes, BTEC and 'A Level' as well as other speciality projects. 

Andy has worked in theatre and TV professionally, but more recently his work includes an ITV commercial and a BBC Radio play. He has done extensive Corporate and Roleplay work and has an Advanced Certificate in Stage Combat.

Andy is excited to be working at the new ALRA North.

Teaching Staff (Visiting Directors)

Kate Coogan graduated from Manchester Polytechnic School of Theatre in 1994, since then she has worked with  Kaboodle Theatre Company, playing Cordelia in King Lear and Catherine in A View From the Bridge, Northern Broadsides in the Complete War of The Roses, Manchester's Royal Exchange in Mad for it and The Gatekeeper, The Library Theatre in Top Girls and Caucasian Chalk Circle - where she was nominated for a Manchester Evening News Best Actress award for her role as Grusha, Leeds West Yorkshire Playhouse in The Accrington Pals and Bolton's Octagon - where she was nominated for a Manchester Theatre Best Actress award for her role as Helen Reed in Secret Thoughts.

Her TV appearances include Baby Cows "The Starlings," and "Hometime," Jimmy McGoverns “Moving on,” “Hollyoaks,” “The Royal,” “Cold Feet,” “A&E,” “Judge John Deed,” and “Emmerdale,” amongst others and she has appeared in adverts for Maltesers (winning a campaign award for best advert) Volkswagen and Easyjet.

She has recorded numerous voice overs for adverts, corporate videos, video games and animations and also for Alan Partridges “Mid-morning Matters," on the Fosters website, as well as vocals for Hugo Blix's “Sensitive Skin,” featuring Joanna Lumley. 

Judy graduated from the Manchester Polytechnic School of Theatre 30+ years ago and has gained extensive experience working with acclaimed actors, writers and directors including Peter Capaldi, Daniel Day-Lewis, Amanda Redman, James Fox, Paul Abbott, Russell T Davies, Willy Russell, Sally Wainwright, Michael Attenborough, Chris Bond, Vicky Fetherstone, Greg Hersov, Alan Parker, Lawrence Till and many more.

Theatre credits include a national tour of Blood Brothers, productions at Birmingham Rep, Nottingham Playhouse, Royal Exchange and seasons at Liverpool Playhouse, Newcastle Playhouse, Oldham Coliseum and the Half Moon Theatre.

Television credits include regular roles in At Home with the Braithwaites,

A & E, Springhill, Children’s Ward  and appearances, both guest and leading in many more. Judy recently appeared as the Alzheimer sufferer Lesley Kershaw in Coronation Street and will be performing as Maddie in Maddie by Dave Simpson and Diane Whitley in the highly acclaimed JB Shorts season 8 in October 2012.

She has also recorded numerous voice overs for documentaries, adverts, award ceremonies, corporate videos and video games.

Judy completed her PGCE in 2008 and until last year was a full time Acting Tutor at The Arden School of Theatre. She also tutors at The Actors’ Lab.

Dickon Tyrrell

Christopher Robert has worked as an actor, director and teacher for almost forty years? He has directed for many companies and Drama Schools. Some of his work as an actor has included appearances with the Royal Shakespeare Company in five different productions; he has worked with Nancy Meckler, Michael Boyd, Philip Breem, Cicely Berry and John Barton at the Swan Theatre, Stratford. He appeared in the West End with the RSC and at The Theatre Royal, Haymarket and national tour with Sir Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart in Waiting for Godot. Other venues have included Salisbury Playhouse, Watford Palace, The Bridewell, The Minack, Theatr Clwyd, Mold. A European tour with The British Shakespeare Company in 12th Night, A Midsummer Nights Dream, Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing, appearing at the famous open air theatre at Rammgard in Oslo. 

He has appeared in several films, notably: Tea-Break and The Last Great British Execution.

Recent TV appearances include Emmerdale and Coronation Street.

Teresa Grimsditch MA

Teresa Grimsditch is a trained actress (ALRA), theatre director (ASAD) and a qualified acting coach (Royal Central). She has designed and delivered acting courses for ALRA, RADA, Warner Brothers, NFTS, Royal Central, Drama Centre London, Bristol Old Vic, East 15, LFS, the Actors Centre London and many small independent theatre companies. Her directing has taken her to the London and Edinburgh Fringe, Edinburgh Festival Assembly rooms, Moscow's Podium International Festival and the Spileto Festival, USA. Teresa specialises in imagination training, particularly for those working on green screen, but in her approach to acting she also draws from previous teachers who include Karen Wentworth (who studied with Sanford Meisner and Stella Adler), Sam Kogan (a student of Maria Knebel who was trained by Stanislavski) and Graham Dixon (director and founder of the Michael Chekhov Studio London).

Laurence trained at Drama Centre London and has been working as an actor for over 16 years. Theatre work includes the National Theatre, Young Vic, Old Vic, Almeida, RSC, Soho Theatre, Lyric Hammersmith and Manchester Royal Exchange among others. On TV his work includes Kavanagh Q.C., The Bill, Dalziel and Pascoe, Heartbeat, Doctors, Never Better, Summerhill and Spooks. 

He has taught at Central, Drama Centre London, ALRA, Central St Martins, The Actors Centre and is a visiting tutor at Copenhagen International School of Performing Arts.

Emma Gersch

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Phil Clark trained at Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama where he studied for a Diploma in Theatre Arts and a teaching qualification.

His professional career began as a founder member of Theatr Powys before becoming a founder member of Bruvvers Theatre Company based in Newcastle upon Tyne.

In 1983 he joined Tyne Wear Theatre Company as a Director and established and directed Britain's largest annual Youth Theatre Festival. 

The position of Artistic Director at the Crucible Theatre in Education and Community Theatre followed. While in Sheffield, Phil was also on the advisory panel for Tertiary Education for Sheffield Education Authority and established a programme of training for school governors on 'Theatre for Young People'.

He was appointed Artistic Director and Chief Executive of the Sherman Theatre Cardiff in 1990. He prioritised new writing and commissioned some 104 new plays for the company.   In 1993 he was nominated BBC Artist of the Year.

He received the Arts for Young Audiences Award from the Commonwealth Conference for Young People in Canada.  He has edited two new books of Welsh plays and a collection of his plays has been published by Oberon Books.

Titania trained at the University of Birmingham and Central School of Speech and Drama and has an MA in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University, where she completed her first novel for teenagers, Fallen Wings.

Her writing credits include an adaptation of The Little Match Girl (Salisbury Playhouse) and The Real Boy, a version of Pinocchio for 7-11 year olds (RADA and London schools tour). Titania also wrote and directed Beauty Sleeps at the Young Vic in 2002. It was translated into German and performed at the Theater der Jungen Welt in Leipzig in 2005. She was commissioned to write Something Wild, a storybook encouraging children to engage with artwork, by The Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool in 2009.

More recently Titania directed Diane Samuels’ play How to Beat a Giant (Unicorn Theatre, 2007) and worked with Pentabus and Kindle theatre companies as Dramaturg and Associate Director of their summer project Underland, a site-specific piece at Clearwell Caves (2008).Titania works regularly with drama schools across London as a director and tutor. She has also assisted on several projects at the RSC, Lyric Hammersmith and Young Vic and was Arts Council Trainee Director with Shared Experience and Salisbury Playhouse in 1998.

Katie Lewis trained on the MFA in Theatre Directing at Birkbeck College and as Resident Assistant Director for The Library Theatre Company. Katie also worked as an Assistant Director for The Off Broadway Theatre, The Flea, in New York.

Directing includes:  The Summer Display (Off Cuts, Old Red Lion), Eight (Lowry Studio), Mr Happiness, The Jewish Wife (Library Theatre), Unmanned (Miniaturists, Arcola) Fractures, The Mixer (Slice, Theatre 503) Shelflife (Old Red Lion), Spoonface Steinberg (Etcetera, King's Head) and various rehearsed readings of new plays at The Library Theatre, Menier Chocolate Factor, Brian Friel Theatre and Blue Elephant Theatre.  

Katie works as a freelance workshop leader and tutor for The Queen's Theatre Hornchurch, Churchill Theatre Bromley and Arts Educational Schools London.  Katie is currently devising the first stage of an Artist Development Programme for Manchester Library Theatre and developing a new play titled The Firewatchers by Bruntwood finalist Laura Stevens.

Kwong trained as an actor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and studied Balinese mask movements in Bali after obtaining a Masters degree in classical Asian and Greek theatre forms.

Directing credits include plays by Mishima, Caryl Churchill’s Serious Money (in Hong Kong), All Nudity Shall be Punished and Our Lady of the Drowned (Time Out Critic’s Choice), by Brazil’s foremost playwright, Nelson Rodrigues. Other productions include Rashomon, DOGS, Darkness in the Wooden Bell, Festival for Fish, staged playreadings at Soho, Hampstead Theatre and Birmingham Rep.

Kwong regularly directs at the Birmingham Rep on their new writing programmes with young writers. He also runs directing and acting workshops in London and Asia. 

He is joint Artistic Director of StoneCrabs, and a founder member of Yellow Earth Theatre, with a great interest in international theatre works and genres.

Gareth is a theatre director based in Glasgow who makes work with a sense of play, innovation and investigation at its heart across a range contexts. His directing work includes Pause With A Smile (Arches/Traverse), Sandholm (Company of Angels/ALRA), Do a dance no-one can see you do and put it in a little bag (National Theatre of Scotland), Starting From Now (Strathilsa distillery), The Chrysalids (Lyceum Theatre) and Violent Night (Arches). As Associate director he has worked on Real Men Dream In Black And White (Eastwood Park theatre) and Crunch (UK Tour 2011/12).

As assistant director he has worked with Mark Thomson (Royal Lyceum) Pol Heyveart (Campo, Belgium), Graham McLaren, Simon Sharkey (National Theatre of Scotland), Richard Gregory (Quarrantine), Andy Arnold (Tron Theatre) and Graham Eatough (Suspect Culture).

Currently Gareth is Imaginate artist in residence creating several new pieces of work for teenage audiences including Educating Ronnie (due to open summer 2012) and Dede the Treeman (due to open autumn 2012).

Awards include Arches New Directors Award (2011), National Theatre of Scotland Emerging Artist (2008) and The Bruce Millar Award (2006).

Paul is Joint Artistic Director of Olivier Award-nominated Theatre503 for whom he has directed Salt Meets Wound, They Have Oak Trees in North Carolina (503/R4) and The Lifesavers (503/Colchester Mercury) for which he received a TMA nomination. 

Other recent credits include the West End premiere of Athol Fugard’s Hello and Goodbye (ETT/Trafalgar Studios) and Breakfast with Mugabe (Bath Theatre Royal)  He also directed Who Killed Mr Drum? (Riverside Studios), World’s End (Pleasance / Trafalgar Studios) and the West End transfer of Tom Stoppard’s Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Having graduated from The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, he received the Arts Council Bursary at the Manchester Royal Exchange for whom he directed Isolated Children in Far Away Places and Bus Stop. He was further selected to attend the National Theatre Studio’s Directors’ Course. He was then Staff Director on five consecutive shows at the National Theatre, where he directed Falstaff and Duck Variations.

He is a fervent advocate of new writing being the lifeblood of the theatre and has developed new plays at many of the country's leading theatres. 

Dan is Artistic Director of Real Circumstance Theatre Company. Recent credits include: A Lady of Letters, Lough/Rain, LIMBO and Inside/Out. Previously Dan was a staff director at the National Theatre, working for Mike Leigh. Dan trained at the National Theatre Studio and RADA.

Theatre includes: The Laramie Project (Arts Educational School); Gut Girls (ALRA); The Bogus Woman (Theatre by the Lake, Keswick); Pacifiers (Present: Tense 9, Southwark Playhouse); The Disorderly Women (Arts Educational School); The Memory of Water (ALRA); The Promise (New Wimbledon Theatre Studio); The Giving of Flowers (Bite Sized Festival, Theatre 503); After Miss Julie (Nottingham Playhouse); A Kind of Alaska (Edinburgh Fringe Festival); The Last Days of Mankind (Warwick Arts Centre). Also rehearsed readings of various new plays at Soho, Leicester Haymarket, Lakeside Arts Centre, Warehouse Theatre, Farnham Maltings and Theatre 503.

As associate director: All Quiet on the Western Front (UK tour for Nottingham Playhouse) and Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down (The Arcola).

Zoë was the recipient of the New Wimbledon Theatre’s Emerging Directors Award 2007.

Max Webster read English at Cambridge then trained at the Lecoq school in Paris and the Odin Teatret in Denmark. In London his work has been seen at the Riverside Studios, Southwark Playhouse, Soho Theatre, Arcola, Unicorn Theatre and Theatre503. Internationally he has directed Feast Kakulu and Carnival Under the Rainbow for the Hilton Festival in South Africa, The Caucasian Chalk Circle for Aarohan in Nepal and El Mono for Hopballehus in Argentina. He has also worked as an assistant to Eugeio Barba and Simon McBurney, and is currently an associate of Company of Angels.

Jenny directs and teaches at several drama schools, most recently directing Lysistrata and Caucasian Chalk Circle at ALRA and My Night With Reg at Drama Studio, where she is also a tutor.

Jenny has directed new writing for companies such as Paines Plough, Hull Truck, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Manchester Contact Theatre, Royal Exchange Theatre, London New Play Festival and the Brighton Festival, including the premiere of Peter Nichols’ new play So Long Life; Everlasting Rose (Judy Upton); Lady Chill (Kay Adshead) and Workers’ Playtime (Toby Whithouse).

She has also worked as a dramaturg and on script development with Paines Plough, North West Playwrights, Yorkshire Playwrights, The Actors’ Centre and Show of Strength Theatre Company. Jenny has also directed for Shakespeare’s Globe: Women, Beware Women, The Devil’s Law Case, Custom of the Country, The Tragedy of Hoffman, Selimus, The Fair Maid of the Exchange, John a Kent, Julius Caesar, Othello, The Taming of the Shrew, Love’s Labours Lost, King Lear and Richard III. For the National Theatre Studio: A Trick to Catch the Old One and A Mad World, My Masters.

Jenny has worked as Associate Director to Michael Blakemore on Afterlife by Michael Frayn at the National Theatre; Democracy by Michael Frayn at the National Theatre; Wyndham’s Theatre, West End; Broadway, New York and Sydney Theatre Company; Embers by Christopher Hampton at the Duke of York’s Theatre, West End and Three Sisters at the Playhouse Theatre, West End. Also as a Resident Director: Blue/Orange by Joe Penhall at the Duchess Theatre, West End and The Homecoming by Harold Pinter at the National Theatre and Stadsschouwberg Theatre, Amsterdam (both with Roger Michell) and The Devil is an Ass by Ben Jonson with Matthew Warchus at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

Dee Evans originally trained as an actress at LAMDA, but after two years performing in rep, her career moved behind the scenes. Dee joined Shakespeare and Company in America, and on her return to England she spent eight years developing the education and community work for the Theatre Royal Plymouth. Whilst in Plymouth, Dee directed various productions and became a producer before moving to the Mercury Theatre Colchester where she is Artistic Director.

Dee began to establish the Mercury Theatre Company in 1998. For the company she has directed King David, Man of Blood, Julius Caesar, Devils Advocate (Which went on to be performed at the 2006 Edinburgh festival), Twelfth Night, The Tempest and The Provoked Wife. She returned to acting in 2009 appearing for the Mercury Theatre Company as Martha in Through the Leaves and Flora in the 2010 production of A Slight Ache.

In 2008 Dee was awarded an honorary degree by University of Essex. 

Cordelia has worked with the RSC, the NT and as Peter Hall’s Associate Director, most recently last summer on 'Henry IV Part II' at Bath.. She was Trevor Nunn's Associate on 'The Tempest' with Ralph Fiennes, and recreated Stephen Unwin's 'Importance of Being Earnest' for the 2012 Hong-Kong Arts Festival. She was Associate Director on Peter Hall's Pygmalion in his Bath Theatre Royal season, following that with her own production of Athol Fugard's Victory. In 2009 she recreated Pygmalion for the Hong Kong 2009 Arts Festival and was Associate on Peter Hall's productions of The Apple Cart (Bath) and Bedroom Farce (West End); A Midsummer Night's Dream with Judi Dench at the Rose; and The Rivals for the reopening of the Bath Theatre Royal, as well as directing the UK premiere of Athol Fugard's Coming Home at the Arcola.

Her most recent Drama School productions are 'The Relapse' and ''The Provok'd Wife' for Oxford Drama School.

Lucy Bradley

Joyce Branagh

Liz is a Performance Maker and Writer based in Manchester, UK. She began her career on the Young Directors' Course at Contact, followed by training at Middlesex University, The Royal Spanish Academy of Dramatic Art in Madrid and The Russian University of Theatre Arts in Moscow. Her work focuses on making inventive and innovative theatre and creative experiences with professional and non-professional performers and artists, telling stories that reflect the world around us and help us understand it better. In addition to this she has a wide range of experience developing and delivering creative projects in community settings and formal and informal education settings. She has worked for a wide number of organisations within the cultural sector including Manchester International Festival, The Library Theatre Company, London College of Fashion, Monkeywood, Lowri Evans, The Lowry, The Citadel (St Helen’s), Zion Arts and Contact. She is Creative Director of Small Things (www.smallthings.org.uk) - a company exploring creativity in contexts of learning and change.

Elisa Amesbury

George started in the industry at Warwick University acting with some exceptionally talented people. He was lucky enough to get a scholarship to an American university and continued acting whilst in the US. The head of the Drama department was setting up a small theatre company and offered him a job upon graduation. George accepted his offer of Professional work and moved to the States. Sadly his dreams of Hollywood stardom weren't realised and returned to the UK where he continued to follow his ambitions.

After six years of acting - some good/some bad he took more control of his life and decided to pursue an alternative career as a Director. He worked his way up through the BBC starting as a 2nd Assistant Director/ Location Manager/ 1st Assistant Director and finally training at the Beeb on their Drama Directors Course.

Due to family commitments he chose not to start Directing straight away and continued as a 1stAD for some time, working on a variety of shows: Pride and Prejudice, Bambino Mio, Brazen Hussies, Dangerfield, Out of the Blue. The Knock, London's Burning, The Hour of the Pig, Amongst Giants to name but a few.

George started Directing full time in 1998 and haven't really stopped since: Brookside, Emmerdale, Coronation St, Crossroads, Heartbeat, Hollyoaks, Doctors and Holby City! And here he is having worked at ALRA North for the first time this year. Long may it last!!

Martin Gibbons

Sarah Hughes

Josh Azouz

Des Kennedy

Chris trained on the MFA in Theatre directing at Birkbeck College and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He has worked as a director with a range of companies including Opera North, Headlong Theatre Company, Birmingham Repertory Theatre and West Yorkshire Playhouse, where he was resident assistant director in 2008/2009.

He has worked extensively with new plays and his productions of ‘Me, As A Penguin’ by Tom Wells and ‘Rabbitskin’ by Dom Grace have toured the UK. He regularly acts as a mentor for emerging theatre makers and this work has ranged from supervising young companies for the National Theatre’s Connections project, to advising the creators of an intergenerational dance theatre piece in Kani City, Japan.

Roman Stefanski

Chris Monks

Samuel Dore has been a London-based freelance film maker since 2000, and works in all genres of film. His work is primarily focused on drama and music videos; he’s won awards for his short films and has been developing a music video portfolio with mainstream bands. He’s also worked in television making short VTs for See Hear, Vee-TV and Wicked!

His website is www.bursteardrum.net

Teaching Staff (Film Directors)

Lynne is presently directing the feature film ‘Big Society The Musical’, which is due to be released in 2014.  She has a further feature in development with German Producer Sven Schnell and is working with Script Consultant Sarah Golding (The Constant Gardener).  Lynne has directed several short films including ‘Enough Rope’, shot on location in France with BAFTA award-winning Vicky McClure, which was selected for Hamburg International Film Festival and Los Angeles Women’s International Film Festival.  Her short film ‘Tmesis’ was selected for festivals in Sau Paulo, London and Helsinki.  Her short western, ‘The Angel and The Whore’, was shot on location in Spain, played at Cannes.

With an MA in Screenwriting, Lynne has had a number of broadcast commissions as a writer, including writing for United Productions (ITV1).  She has written several short films and two feature length films ‘Don’t Do It Di’ and ‘Enough’, both commissioned by UK Film Council and optioned.  Lynne has written as part of a team for World of Wonder (BBC 3), Liverpool’s Everyman and Playhouse Theatre and on ‘Big Society The Musical’.  She was the finalist in the Television Arts Performance Showcase with her comedy drama ‘Mum’s The Word’ and Runner-up on Linda LaPlante’s Screenwriting competition with her 50-minute psychological horror ‘Group’. 

Lynne is a dynamic and inspiring Producer with great people skills, having worked on co-productions nationally and internationally including an 8-part documentary series broadcast throughout Europe, which was a co-production with Sydvest Films, Norway, working with Prix Italia award-winning Exec Producer Bob Long.  She has produced several short films including ‘Lilie’, nominated for ‘Femme Fantastique’ at the London International Film Festival and ‘Morgan’s Organs’, which was broadcast through Canal+ France and Canal+ Africa.

Originally trained at The Broadcast Training Centre, Lynne has since trained at both the BBC and the National Film School.  She has worked as a Director of First Take since 1993.  First Take is an independent production company.  The ethos is to make films that make a difference, working primarily in diverse communities and on artistic collaborations, producing edgy, authentic, untold and often complex stories.  First Take aims to create films to impact on people’s lives and understanding, and push the boundaries of filmmaking.   During her career Lynne has also been a Camera Assessor for the BBC and a judge at the Royal Television Society Awards. 

Neil Alderton is an award winning Television Director. He studied English & Drama at Exeter University and a Postgrad in Film& TV Production at Bristol. He has a wide range of credits in Documentaries, Factual Programming and Current Affairs for BBC, ITV & Sky. For the last ten years he has been directing continuing drama for ITV on their flagship soaps "Coronation Street" & "Emmerdale". As a short filmmaker his directing credits include the ALRA productions "Brenda's Place", "Downhill Fast", "Bare Facts", "Ruffled Feathers', "The Last Victim" & "Pure Attraction". He is married and lives in Manchester.

Adam Jenkins

Baz Taylor

Course Co-ordinator [North]

Emma began her professional Theatre training at Lancaster Institute of Contemporary Arts where she attained a high honours degree in Theatre, specialising in Movement and Contemporary Dance. After graduating she joined Ludus Dance Company in Lancaster as their Resident Apprentice. At Ludus, Emma trained across the company ultimately focusing her training within Dance Development. Teaching across a broad spectrum Emma experienced teaching movement to all ages and abilities and continues to work in Arts Organisations across the North.

Choreographing for a number of Youth Dance Companies Emma has enjoyed seeing her choreography performed both nationally and internationally. In addition to teaching Emma is a founder member and performer of the Contemporary Dance Company, Out of Bounds.

More recently Emma has successfully completed her GTP in conjunction with Edge Hill University where she was awarded ‘Outstanding’ in all areas.

Jennifer graduated with a BA in Applied Drama from Queen Mary University of London then went on to study and train at RADA in 2006 for an MA in Text & Performance.

In 2007 she toured throughout the UK and Europe with indie-pop outfit The Hoosiers (Sony BMG) as their session musician (backing vocals, keyboards and percussion). She continues to spotlight as a lead and backing singer with various rock, pop and jazz bands. Jennifer also spent a year managing independent record label in London, Beatroute Records. Jennifer’s music television credits include T4 on The Beach (Channel 4), MTV Brand Spanking New (MTV), and Top of The Pops Christmas Special 2007 (BBC). Her Radio credits include sessions for Dermot O Leary (BBC), Craig Doyle (Capital FM), Live from Maida Vale (BBC), and NRJ Radio Stuttgart.

In parallel to her work in the music industry Jennifer has been developing a career in Acting. Prior to taking up her position at ALRA, she performed in the controversial Philosophy In The Bedroom by Marquis De Sade at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 2011.

Jennifer has worked independently as a singing teacher and vocal coach since 2008, continues to tutor privately and to pursue her career as a professional Singer and Actor. 

Course Co-ordinator [South]

Diane is a movement tutor, choreographer and movement director who trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.  Working initially as a professional dancer, Diane toured with The Dance Movement, Movement Angol, Adzido Dance, Sakoba Dance Theatre, Méta Méta, Mashango Dance Company, and worked with Holders Season from Barbados at the Edinburgh Festival.  As a movement director and choreographer, her theatre credits includes Julius Caesar (Royal Shakespeare Theatre), The Relapse (Embassy Theatre), Lola – The Life of Lola Montez (Trestle Theatre), and All About It (Little Fish Theatre).  Diane was part of the creative team for the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony as a Movement Assistant, and currently teaches across a number of drama schools in London.

Teaching Staff (Foundation Course)

Gary trained as an actor at Guildford School of Acting and has worked throughout the UK in film, theatre, television and radio. It was because of his love of language and teaching he completed his Masters Degree in Voice Studies at Central School of Speech and Drama. Gary currently teaches voice in various institutions around London. Furthermore, has coached on a variety of professional shows, such as Romeo and Juliet (The Chocolate Factory) Reverie (The Pleasance Theatre, Edinburgh) The Arsonists (Watford Palace Theatre) In His Image (Hampstead Theatre) and the award winning Play on Words at the Tristan Bates Theatre, London. Finally, Gary is currently investigating the ‘Choral Voice’ and the ‘Actors Ensemble’ trying to push its boundaries through an understanding of voice, movement and audience participation. This has led to Gary directing a short Greek tragedy as part of the Battersea Arts Centre Scratch Project in October 2011, which involved a group of second year ALRA students. 

Course Leader

Ria has been working as a Stage and Production Manager since graduating with a degree in Technical Theatre in 2004. Since starting her career at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, Ria has gone on to work in venues such as Buxton Opera House, Hackney Empire, West Yorkshire Playhouse and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. As well as working extensively in the West End and on many touring productions, Ria has worked at many music events and festivals such as Glastonbury.

Nik Corall

Rhyannon Richardson

Lauren Cameron

Trained at Trent polytechnic, Nottingham

Richard has designed over 150 productions for theatres all over the country & also works as a scenic artist, props maker & draftsman. He was assistant /deputy designer at Contact Theatre Manchester from 1989-1993 before becoming resident designer at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton1993-1999 (for whom he has now designed approximately 60 productions). He has been freelance since 1999.

Theatres/ companies  designed for include:- New Wolsey Ipswich, Mercury Theatre Colchester, Dukes Theatre Lancaster, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Sheffield Theatres, Bath Theatre Royal, Watford Palace Theatre, Bath Theatre Royal, Hull Truck, John Godber co., LipService, TAG Glasgow, Manchester Library Theatre.

Richard has designed a wide variety of productions from Shakespeare to new works by Richard Bean, John Godber & Tanika Gupta; also Musicals, Pantomimes, Dance  and site specific work. His designs have been seen at the Prague Quadrennial as part of the British exhibit. He has  been a judge of the Linbury prize for stage design & has won the Manchester evening news design award five times & twice been nominated for  the TMA award.

Directors he has worked with include:- Joyce Branagh,  Kevin Shaw, Ken Alexander, Phil Lowe, Gareth Tudor Price, John Godber, Janice Dunn, Sue Lefton, Wils Wilson, Lawrence Till, Ian Forrest, Jo Read, Richard Beecham, Vicky Featherstone, Kenny Ireland, Caroline Leslie, Hannah Chiswick, Asha Kahlon, Jim Carwright, Mark Babych, Pete Rowe , John Clancy, Gwenda Hughes,  Kerry Michael, Chris Honer, Topher Campbell  & Brigid Larmour.

Belle Mundi

Lucy Newholm

Michelle Tilling

Anna Toumanova

Teaching Staff (Lighting Design)

Aideen trained in Dublin and London. She has worked extensively in theatre, dance and opera since 1994. Some of the companies she has collaborated with are; English Touring Opera, Theatre Rites, Clod Ensemble, Akram Khan Company, Angika Dance Company, Bush Theatre and Paco Pena.

For information on Prema pleas view this website:

http://www.premamehta.com/

Ian studied at Rose Bruford College and since graduating has designed the lighting for a variety of scales and styles of shows including straight plays, musicals, opera, comedy and site specific theatre in a shop, a tent and a nightclub.

Credits include: Timon of Athens (Cardboard Citizens / RSC), Woyzeck (Cardboard Citizens), The Shy Gas Man (Southwark Playhouse), Inglorious Technicolour (Scarborough), The Wizard of Oz (New Theatre, Oxford), The Importance Of Being Earnest, (Manchester Library Theatre and UK Tour), The Smallest Person (Trestle Theatre Co UK tour), Charity Wars (Pleasance, London), Beauty & the Beast, Hans Christian Andersen’s Magical Tales (Creation, Oxford), It's Now Or Never (Chester Gateway), Cor Blimey, Wait Until Dark, Darkness Falls, Three Steps To Heaven and Passport To Danger (Watford), Talent (Mercury Colchester), Lucia di Lammermoor (New Sussex Opera) and An Italian Straw Hat (Trinity College of Music).

Ian is a Professional Designer member of the Association of Lighting Designers.

www.west15.co.uk

Teaching Staff (Lighting Design)

Teaching Staff (Stage Managers)

Teaching Staff (Stage Managers)

Natasha Brain

Xye Appleton