My teaching career began over two decades ago. I spent six happy years at the ArtsEd Drama School in Chiswick, where, rather serendipitously, I assumed the reins of responsibility from MY drama teacher! I worked for a further 15 years at a highly ambitious and educationally driven institution, Ibstock Place School in Roehampton. I still teach part-time at Ewell Castle School, near Epsom. I am a highly experienced practitioner of Drama. I have directed countless productions, small and large scale. I have Production Managed almost every single one, so good organisation and the requirement to be 'people-friendly' and an effective communicator, are skills I acquired quickly and retain today. Most of all, I am proud to say that former pupils have gone on to study at a host of vocational training institutions: RADA, Guildhall, Brit, London Contemporary and Laines, and are themselves now successfully working professionally as actors, singer, dancers and stage managers. Some have even gone on to play leading roles on Broadway, the West-End, the RSC, Regent's Park and film and TV. I have taught both GCSE and A-Level Drama with a proven track record of outstanding results, year on year. I know what exam boards require and what pitfalls to avoid. I understand different learning styles and appreciate that young people do not necessarily fall into the same learning mould. I am happy to accommodate everyone. I have examined Drama GCSE and Expressive Arts GCSE for AQA. In pastoral roles, as a former Head of Year 11 and Sixth Form Tutor, I am acutely aware of the physical and mental pressures our teenagers can experience as they try to navigate the choppy waters around public examinations season. You will find me empathic, patient and interested in helping learners challenge their perceptions of learning, helping them shift from a 'fixed' mindset to a 'growth' mindset, thus repairing a bruised self-confidence in the process. I have taught LAMDA Examinations in Acting and ESB (English Speaking Board) Public Speaking Examinations, each to Grade 8, Gold Medal Level, once again, with a proven track record of success. Throughout my career, I have always held a managerial role. I have been Subject Leader for Drama, Head of a large Creative Arts Faculty and also on the Senior Leadership team at ArtEd. Latterly at IPS, I was on the Building Committee, advising on constructing a state-of-the-art Performing Arts Complex which included a Proscenium Arch Theatre and fully equipped Studio Theatre. Crucially, my teaching work has been underpinned and informed by my early career working as a professional actor and Stage Manager. I studied a Performing Arts degree at Middlesex University, after which, I spent a decade performing in the West-End and National Touring large-scale musicals. I have worked extensively in the recording studio and on the radio. Until Covid hit last year, I was the Stage Door Keeper of the Noel Coward Theatre, working for Sir Cameron Mackintosh. |
