Clara Marullo, Andy Cryer, Chris Donnelly, Ollie Parham and Elise Ball are all highly qualified and experienced professional singers, actors, dancers and teachers. We collaborate extensively to offer expert drama and vocal coaching to young performers in Bristol and London. We are all CRB checked.
As well as our permanent staff, we also invite top professionals from film, TV and theatre to teach for us on an occasional basis. Look out for upcoming masterclasses on acting for TV/film with award-winning director and cinematographer Tony Miller, Musical Theatre with West End legend Louise Plowright, Hip-Hop with Grace Ekall and Alexander Technique with Jennifer Mackerras.
Clara Marullo (MA OXON, QTS) received a degree in English from OxfordUniversity, before training as a singer at London’s RoyalAcademy of Music. She started out in opera, playing principal roles for Welsh National Opera and Glyndebourne Festival opera, before moving into West End musicals. Roles include Fantine in Les Mis, Jenny Lind in Barnum and Emma in the world premiere of Orphans. Clara has numerous commercials and print ads to her credit, both in the USA and the UK. As a writer, she specialises in the documentary arena: she has written many documentary films, and has authored narration for actors like Harrison Ford and Saheed Jaffrey. Her anthropological book, The Last Forbidden Kingdom won a major international award. Over the years, Clara has written and directed numerous plays and musicals for children; these range from adaptations of Shakespeare to original work. After running both a primary school and a theatre group in New York, she started the Bristol Shakespeare Workshop last year, in an attempt to make the Bard more accessible to children. Plans are currently afoot to expand this and incorporate it into The Actors Workshop. (More details as they become available!) Clara is well known in London and the Southwest as a vocal expert. She regularly trains young actors/singers for professional performances and auditions; her students achieve excellent results at London drama and music colleges. Clara is a qualified teacher in the UK and USA.
Andy Cryer is a highly experienced working actor, whose versatility extends from Shakespeare to popular television series and voice-overs. Catch him in Romeo and Juliet andTwelfth Night at the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park this summer! Andy trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, before spending two years as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. His prolific theatre career has taken him all over the country. On television, Andy has appeared in numerous shows, such as:The Royal, Emmerdale, Heartbeat, Doctors, Casualty and The Bill. Film work includes To Kill A King andFairytale - A True Story. Andy frequently voices BBC Radio Drama, focusing especially on Shakespeare. He is also an innovative and experienced teacher, who has worked extensively with young performers.
STOP PRESS: Check out this review of Andy's performance as Edmund in theWorld Premiere of Jack Lear at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough - from THE STAGE:
"Andy Cryer has always been an exceptional actor. Here he plays Edmund as a cunning, sexually voracious lawyer. It is a wild, rampant, audience-rousing performance. His voice is taking on a new quality, seasoned and mature. He is ready for the great parts."
BRAVO ANDY!!!
Chris Donnelly just finished playing Bottom and Stephano in Shakespeare At The Tobacco Factory's recent season. Chris trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He has been part of the Actors From The London Stage ensemble since the company formed six years ago, and has performed in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Puck), Measure For Measure (Pompey), in The Winter's Tale (Autolycus) and in Troilus and Cressida (Diomedes). His theatre credits include Othello (Iago) The Winter's Tale (Autolycus) and The Changeling (Lollio) for Andrew Hilton's highly acclaimed Shakespeare At The Tobacco Factory Company, as well as the role of Antigonus and The Shepherd in Erica Whyman's award-winning version of The Winter's Tale at the Southwark Playhouse. Chris's television credits include Fat Friends, Silent Witness, Wire In The Blood, Drop The Dead Donkey, Casualty, Wycliffe, The Verdict, Reckless, and Damion Spinks in Eastenders. In addition, Chris has performed many plays for BBC Radio 4. Chris spearheads the SATTF education arm, running both outreach and workshops at the Tobaco Factory.
All of us combine group teaching with individual coaching, working with children of all ages on everything from drama games to script work, singing and movement. Our focus is to prepare our students for auditions and to help them access the right training/opportunities in the profession. Our pupils appear regularly on the professional stage and on television. In Bristol alone, we teach or have taught three of the Jeremy and Jemimas cast in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Bristol Hippodrome. Clara has also coached children for Joseph, (twice) Jesus Christ Superstar and Scrooge. – all at the Hippodrome.
Recent TV appearances by members of The Actors Workshop include TRACY BEAKER RETURNS, MY ALMOST FAMOUS FAMILY,, Moonshot,Free Agents, Casualty, MI High, Genie in the House and Skins. Film includes Last Chance Harvey (with Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson.) Currently, our kids are shooting Free Agents and Halo Boys. Several of our older students have moved on to study at top London drama colleges; some have also won scholarships. Many have auditioned successfully for theatrical and modelling agents. Of our current students, two have also won places at the National Youth Music Theatre, another at the National Youth Theatre, a third at the National Youth Choir and a fourth at the Royal Academy of Music's junior department - all highly competitive and prestigious organisations.
·LAMDA EXAMS. We are delighted to welcome Nanette Ackerman, a veteran professional LAMDA teacher to our staff! Nanette will offer LAMDA coaching in acting and verse & prose for any student who wishes to participate. Many of our younger members enjoy the challenge of taking these exams; older students may wish to take the more advanced levels as they do attract UCAS points. Anyone who wishes to do LAMDA exams in Musical Theatre will be welcome to do this with me! Fees for LAMDA are listed below and are payable directly to Rebecca (or to Clara for musical theatre…)
The Actors' Workshop is affiliated with SRA, one of London's most dynamic children's agencies. Many of our students are now represented. Susan and David also run SID Casting and work throughout London as casting directors in theatre, film and television. We are very proud to be affiliated with this prestigious agency.
OUR OWN CHARITY....
The Sarah Lacey Fund
We have recently set up our own charity - see below:
A personal message from Clara...…
SARAH LACEY was an incredibly talented professional singer and mother of George Ray and Lili Ivin – both rising stars and members of The Actors’ Workshop.
She was also my dear friend.
After a brave and inspirational fight with cancer, Sarah passed away on Saturday October 18th, 2008. To honour her and continue the work she was already doing to encourage young performers, we have established a memorial trust in her name.
The SARAH LACEY FUND will provide financial assistance to young actors/singers/dancers from the greater Bristol area who show great potential but need our help to achieve their goals.
Our first task will be to raise £5,000 so we can become aregistered charity…. We have already banked £2,000 of this, thanks to generous donations and fundraisers, and a collection at Sarah's funeral.
We are holding a Charity Ball at Redwood Lodge on May 15th 2009 to help get this very special project off the ground.
Please contact me, if you would like to become involved. We will need your energy, commitment and fundraising expertise to make the SARAH LACEY FUND the dynamic and effective charity she wanted it to become!
