BA Acting – Digital Portfolio

Clair is the Programme Lead on the BA (hons) Acing (creative Performance Practice). She trained as an actor on a full scholarship for the 3 Year Professional Actor Course at The Academy of Live and Recorded Arts and has a BA (Hons) Theatre from Guildford School of Acting. Her passion for drama and film making led her through a career as an actor, director, producer and casting director. Her work has won awards in Cannes and around the world working with great talent. She spent time in film marketing for Mel Gibson’s Icon Films and more recently has been a teacher and lecturer in a variety of settings. She works as a voiceover artist, actor and Principal of The Pauline Quirke Academies Burton on Trent & Nottingham.

Richard has a BA (Hons) in English and Drama and completed his MA in Contemporary Theatre. Richard’s performance credits include Bertolt Brecht’s ‘Life of Galileo’, ‘Oh What a Lovely War’ by Joan Littlewood at the Derby Playhouse and the title role of ‘Othello’. Richard has also worked in children’s theatre player Badger in Troubadour Theatre’s ‘Wind in the Willows’ by Kenneth Grahame. In contemporary and experimental performance Richard has worked with Third Angel on an installation called ‘Standing Alone, Standing Together’. His areas of expertise include performance anthropology and writing for performance. Richard is currently completing his MPhil/PhD in Drama and Theatre Studies.

On the BA Acting (Creative Performance Practice) programme Richard leads on Creative Practice 1 and 2 modules. Richard is also a lecturer in Acting skills, contemporary theatre, classical theatre, devising and improvisation. His directing credits at Leicester College include ‘Yen, ‘Liberian Girl’, ‘Womberang’, ‘Lord of the Flies’ and ‘The Kitchen’ at The Sue Townsend Theatre.

Lara completed her BA (Hons) Contemporary Dance degree at De Montfort University, Leicester. Lara has been leading dance courses at Leicester College since 2005. She also holds her PGCE. She has extensive dance teaching experience in Further Education and Higher Education including FD, HND and BA (Hons) programmes at Leicester College and associated colleges of DMU for which she has been nominated for the Vice Chancellors Distinguished Teachers Award at De Montfort University in 2010 and shortlisted into the final 3 of the One Dance UK Dance Teaching Awards for ‘Inspirational Lecturer at a College, University and or Conservatoire’ 2017 alongside tutors from Trinity Laban and LIPA. Lara specialises in contemporary dance, movement for actors, choreography and improvisation.

Kieran Vyas is an award-winning director and filmmaker. With roots in acting, he has performed internationally in theatre, film and TV and is a previous Triforce Monologue Slam Champion. As well as producing and directing his own films, Kieran has over 12 years of experience working with award-winning production companies, theatre companies and renowned drama schools including Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Royal Central School of Speech & Drama and ALRA.

Actors who have trained with Kieran have performed roles for West End theatres, the RSC, BBC, Channel 4, Netflix and more. He is also the co-owner and artistic director of Urban Young Actors with alumni including Mahalia (MOBO Award-winner), Jurell Carter (Emmerdale, ITV) and Owen Warner (Hollyoaks, Channel 4).

Noelle Thompson lectured at University of Central Lancashire, (BA Contemporary Theatre Practice, Acting, and Dance Practice) from 2000-2010. She also taught ‘Writing for Stage’ from 2010-2011 (MA Scriptwriting). She
delivered theory and practice modules on the Contemporary Performance
Practice degree at University Centre Doncaster and taught Voice and Body modules for ALRA North and Leicester College. She studied Drama at Exeter University 1989-1992 and completed an MA Theatre & Performance (Applied Pathway) University of Manchester in 2013.

Research interests include site specific performance, autobiographical performance, writing and embodied voice practice. For the latter her approach is drawn from the work of Kristin Linklater and FM Alexander (training with Linklater in May 2008 and 2019 ALRA North). She completed her
training in Alexander Technique in 2010. The Technique occupies a crucial place in her work. Psychophysical approaches to the performative voice are key, having trained with with Tomascz Rodowicz of Gardzienice Theatre, in 2005.

She has over 20 years experience of ‘non-stylised movement practise' having studied with ex modern dancer Anna Halprin in California as part of her research in this field. She has been practising an embodied approach to site specific performance, (mainly outdoors) since 1993 and has created performances on the South West coast, and in the Peak District. 

She is currently making an indoor solo show that features autobiographical material.

Ted trained as an actor at Rose Bruford College, studying on the BA (Hons) European Theatre Arts programme. During this course, he also trained at Arthaus.Berlin and with OBRA Theatre Company. He now works as an actor and director, where he blends traditional acting practices with more experimental European methodologies. Drawing from this work, Ted lectures on the BA(Hons) Acting programme at Leicester college and leads the 18+ Acting Group and Young Performer Training at Nonsuch Studios. Outside of teaching, Ted develops his own creative work. He places an emphasis on creative collaboration and draws together different art practices in order to develop new processes. This experience has led to him applying his understanding of dramaturgy to sound design, leading to further collaboration with musicians and theatre directors. At the core of all of his work is the search for the performer’s authentic voice, which he finds by accessing their inner play, rhythm and imagination.