I have spent the last 30 years either performing, teaching, managing or guiding in a very difficult profession and I won’t be holding back on my thoughts and opinions about what I’ve seen. To wear so many hats has given me a greater understanding as to what actually goes on, and to share it will no doubt help you to get it right first time. Trust me, I have made lots of mistakes but, as with anything in life, practice makes perfect.

After years of training and working professionally as an actress in TV and theatre, I started my drama school quite accidentally from one parent asking me to coach their child. Soon, another parent was asking me as well, and so the story begins. However, after meeting so many shy children I was able to get down to the core reason of how I wanted to shape my school. Initially, I set it up to help children overcome their fears of performance on whatever level and, more importantly, children who were being bullied. I was very reluctant from the start to have a “stage” school as I could foresee the difficulties that would lie ahead and hence why this blog even exists. Like everything in life, though, you have to evolve and, if you want to survive in such a hectic environment, the whole package comes with it. I often wish I had just applied for funding and set up a drama school on a charity basis to help children with all the reasons I have stated. The truth is, it’s nearly impossible to keep something like that funded and on-going. I couldn’t risk letting down children whom I’d started to change for money!

If you’re reading these diaries, you must have a genuine interest or know somebody trying to make his or her mark in acting. It always makes me laugh that people seem to think a person just wakes up one day and says “Oooh, I think I’ll be an actor!” and that’s it. They just go to an audition, get the job and become a star overnight. What many people don’t see are the endless hours of dance and drama classes, the hours that parents have sat waiting for rehearsals to finish, the tears and injuries that are inevitable for anyone with the passion to want to get up and entertain. But when it’s right, when the magic happens, it’s the most wonderful, exhilarating and rewarding job you will ever do. For me, it’s a gift. It makes me feel complete and whole.

It takes a lot of guts to get up and perform in front of anyone. I know for a fact that if I asked some of my friends to do it, they would literally crumble in front of me and come up with all kinds of excuses as to why they shouldn’t and couldn’t. For some people, it’s torture. So when we ask our children or youngsters to just get up and perform we have to realize there is a process that has to be developed over time to give them that confidence to do it. Even the most able people in life have wobbles or get nervous and it’s been well publicized that even some of our most well-known beloved stars have had stage fright in their careers! I’ve had it myself! But that’s a whole other story, which you can find out about later in the chapters.

Firstly we need to get down to the basics for all budding actors and performers everywhere! Choosing the right drama school!