Acting Diploma (Level 3)

Laura is an experienced theatre director, teacher and writer and has taught at City Lit since 2011. Laura has worked at a wide range of venues including the National Theatre, the Open Air Theatre Regent’s Park, Birmingham Rep, the Cambridge Arts Theatre, and Southwark Playhouse. She loves all types of plays, from new writing and devised theatre to Shakespeare and works in translation, and enjoys bringing scenes and characters to life with students in her classes. Laura studied English Literature as an undergraduate at Oxford University and went on to take an MA in Text and Performance Studies at King’s College London and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She splits her time between teaching, writing, environmental work and directing theatre productions.

Sean trained at École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq, a world renowned school for physical theatre. Over the two years he trained in devised theatre, ensemble building, character development, mask work, mime, object manipulation / puppetry and clowning, among a vast array of other training. Sean also trained at East 15 Acting School on the BA Hons / Acting & Stage Combat degree graduating in 2011, gaining specialist skills in nine different weapon sets alongside an extensive acting program, in contemporary and classical work and practitioners. Sean works as a performer, director and choreographer, and regularly leads workshops and courses for theatre companies across the UK, Europe and Asia. His approach to theatre follows predominantly from his training at Lecoq, with the body and with a playful curiosity, exploring the space and how the body moves within it. In his courses he hopes to open up a deeper understanding of performance technique, emotional engagement, physicality and the exploration of all aspects of life through theatre and to share his deep profound love of what he does with others.

Simon has worked as a professioanl actor since 2003. Working extensively in theatre, he has acted with companies including The Royal Shakespeare Company, Out of Joint, Paines Plough and played numerous theatres up and down the country and overseas. He is also an established voice actor, specialising in audio books and has numerous television credits to his name. Simon's specialist area is working largely in the realm of audition technique, scene study and professional practice. At City Lit he teaches Audition Ready and the the intensive Audition module on the Acting Diploma (Level 3). Simon has also directed the showcases for accredited drama students. Over the last 5 years simon has been an Acting and Professional Practice teacher/facilitator at The Arts Educational Drama School and Buckinghamshire New University.

Jayne worked for sixteen years as an actor. Since 2001, she has been teaching, and has also directed numerous theatre productions including professional and student shows. Here at City Lit, she has the responsibility for overseeing the Acting and Theatre program and is course leader for Level 3 accredited training. She has directed on several occasions for City Lit Theatre Company, and teaches classes in Improvisation, text work and audition technique, from beginners to advanced levels. Jayne is extremely passionate and thrives on the connections that actors and students make when engaging deeply with the work and each other. In each of her classes, she is keen to build a feeling of community that parallels acting in the theatre. This creates an excellent platform to realise the full potential of each of her students. She will encourage you to be brave and supportive of one another, whatever the stage of your acting journey.

As an actor Gary has been a regular on British television since his debut role in Hollyoaks from 1999 to 2000. Various television roles followed, but he's probably best known for his two year stint as DC Paul Riley in ITV's The Bill. Various feature films were to follow along with various stage appearances including his role as Silver in the premiere run of Jim Cartwright’s acclaimed play ‘Hard Fruit’ at The Royal Court. Recent credits include co-leading Anders Banke's 'Enemy Lines' (2020), currently available on Sky Store and Apple TV, leading Cristian Solimeno’s acclaimed dark drama 'I made this for you' (2019) and appearing in international TV drama 'Giri Haji' (2019) for BBC 2 and Netflix. Upcoming films include 'Neil Monaghan's 'Election Night' which is due for release late 2020. Gary made his directorial debut with the multi-award winning ‘Daisy’s Last Stand’ in 2010 and went on to direct feature film ‘Lighter’ for Solaris Productions. The awards for ‘Daisy’s Last Stand’ include ‘Best film’ at the BAFTA hosted annual Film London awards, and ‘Best film’ at ‘The Okanagan International Film Festival’ in Canada.

Deirdre is a supportive and dynamic acting, drama and accent tutor at Citylit. She trained in acting in NYC and at RADA , and studied Performance and Culture at Goldsmiths (MA). Her directing credits include new writing workshops of Shaken by Louise Page and staged readings of plays and musicals at RADA, a devised play The Disunderstood at CityLit; she has also directed large scale Music Hall Events for The Portico Gallery. As a writer, plays include Waking Beauty, The People Downstairs (Young Vic, Shortlisted for LWT Plays On Stage), The Lizzie Play directed by Rufus Norris (UK and international tours, Time Out & Playbill Critic's Choice) A Cautionary Tale for the National Theatre Studio, and Betty Has To Go Now, commissioned for the 2013 Solo Theatre Festival. Performance credits include Betty Has To Go Now, Adult Child/Dead Child, and What Happened to the Tyrant, Bessie in Arthur Miller's The Ride Down Mount Morgan (West End world premiere), Joanna in Home Free (directed by Kathy Burke), Jeeves and Wooster (ITV) and Simon Gray's Unnatural Pursuits (BBC TV)

Vernon Thompson been responsible for overseeing all Voice Speech and Communication courses in the School of Performing Arts (almost 200 per year) since September 2005. He is also Course Leader for the year-long OCN accredited Level 2 Extended Certificate in Drama Foundation course. He regularly directs student productions, most recently The Laramie Project (2019) and the Graduating Students Agents' Showcase (2017). Voice specialities include Shakespearean text and practical application of resonance and support. Vernon also works as Voice Consultant to Channel 4 News, and his private clients currently include BBC newsreaders and an international model. Vernon has an MA in Voice Studies from Central School of Speech & Drama and PGCE from City University. Previous posts include Voice teaching at Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. Outside City Lit Vernon also works as a freelance director (Teatro Franco Parenti, Milan 2019; Hen and Chickens, Islington 2017) and produces a season of rep theatre every summer in Bournemouth with London Repertory Players.

Martin has enjoyed a varied career as a performer, director and choreographer. A long-standing career as a dance and movement teacher Martin trained at Laine Theatre Arts and is currently co-ordinator for Dance & Movement at the City Lit where he also teaches Men’s Ballet and Movement for Actors on the Level 2 and Level 3 accredited courses. Previous credits include; Choreographer for the first ever UK stage show of ‘Lazytown Live!’. Associate Choreographer ‘Singa-longa-Abba’ Trafalgar Studios and ‘Dancing In The Streets’ starring Martha Reeves The London Palladium & national tour. Assistant to Steven Berkoff including West End and European tours of ‘Messiah’ The Old Vic and ‘On The Waterfront’ at Hackney Empire. Assistant Director on ‘Zipp!’ (a musical revue show which achieves 100 musicals in 90 minutes!!) starring Gyles Brandreth Duchess Theatre London. Choreographer of the national tour of ‘Barnum’ starring Peter Duncan. UK tours and numerous pantos to name but a few. “The thing I most enjoy about teaching - the realisation that you are a part of their improvement”

Lloyd Wylde is a former actor and now Voice Coach trained at LAMDA and at the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. She has worked for the Education Department at the National Theatre, Historic Palaces, Wellcome Trust and Soho Theatre, at several drama schools, and for the Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as independent work. At City Lit she has taught Actor's Voice: beginners and improvers, Communicate with confidence through voice and body language, Self-presentation skills for business people (with Nikki Kelly), Use your voice assertively, and on the Foundation Drama and Acting Diploma courses. Having worked at City Lit since 2015, Lloyd enjoys the diverse range of students that come to City Lit keen to learn. She aims to help all students achieve their potential, find and harness the power of their voice, all within a safe and fun environment. Voice is in the body and is an expression of your personality and presence. Lloyd aims to help you find out what your strength is and help yourself counter the things that might get in the way. Come and play with your voice and see what you can discover.