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If you’ve been taking acting classes in Leeds or Manchester, you’re in a great position as an aspiring actor. The north of England is currently one of the most exciting places in the UK for TV productions, independent films, and theatre. Over the past couple of decades, a thriving performance scene has evolved that no longer plays second fiddle to London.

If you are passionate about a career on screen or stage and ready to take your next steps, here are some places to start looking.

Major TV productions and studios

The TV and film industry in the North is booming, with many flagship British shows filmed here. Manchester’s MediaCityUK in Salford is home to the BBC, ITV, and CBBC, producing household names such as Coronation Street, Waterloo Road, and Peaky Blinders (parts of which were shot in Manchester and Liverpool).

In Leeds, ITV Yorkshire produces Emmerdale, while Channel 4’s new headquarters has brought additional production work to the city. These studios regularly work with casting directors who need local talent for speaking roles, extras, and stand-ins.

Independent film and theatre

Manchester and Leeds both have thriving indie film and fringe theatre communities. Smaller productions often cast locally, giving new actors the chance to gain on-set experience and build credits. Check out HOME Manchester, which hosts stage productions, film festivals, and local filmmaking events.

On the other side of the Pennines, Leeds Playhouse runs creative engagement projects and sometimes casts emerging actors for community-led shows.

Regional casting calls

Not all acting jobs are advertised publicly, but there are several places you can check for genuine regional opportunities. Good online platforms include Spotlight and The Mandy Network, but local Facebook groups are also well worth checking out if you’re scouting for your first break.

With the summer in full swing, Britain’s outdoor theatres are full of colour, sound and activity as actors perform under the wide open skies. From the enchanting clifftop experience of Cornwall’s Minack Theatre to the leafy grandeur of London’s Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, it’s possible to see everything from Shakespeare to children’s shows. 

If you are considering embarking on drama classes for adults, acting in the great outdoors is not only a thrilling experience, but also good practice. You’ll need to be able to project your voice against the breeze, carry on in the face of a sudden rainshower or seagull invasion, and respond to your environment. 

This helps to hone the skills that all good actors need to master (and casting directors value): the ability to be agile, react to what’s around you, stay focused and ride out distractions or mistakes, or even turn them into creative opportunities. 

Open air acting is a great way to step out of your comfort zone, and realise that great acting is all about presence rather than the pursuit of perfection. Live theatre is magical but also raw and unpredictable, and an outdoor venue helps you to experience it as it is intended to be. 

Great outdoor venues in the UK

If you feel inspired to see some open-air acting action or even go for an audition, here are some of the greatest outdoor theatres to check out. 

The Minack Theatre, Porthcurno, Cornwall

This historic amphitheatre is carved into a cliff overlooking the Cornish sea, so it would be difficult not to feel transported by the setting, whether you are watching or performing. Live programmes run throughout the summer, and this year it includes The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, based on the best-selling novel. 

There are also performances of Hamlet, Moby Dick, and a modern recreation of a Shakespeare masterpiece, The Tempest in a Teacup. Even if you visit when there’s no performance, you can take a guided tour of the theatre and subtropical gardens during the summer months. 

Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre, Chester, Cheshire

This is a pop-up summer venue based on the round design of Elizabethan theatres. It puts on a range of performances throughout July and August, from literary plays to family-friendly fun. This year, there’s The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Pride and Prejudice, and Alice in Wonderland. 

Brighton Open Air Theatre, East Sussex

This 400-seat amphitheatre embraces diversity, and is a natural home for drag, burlesque and comedy. It also puts on children friendly shows throughout the summer, and a handful of classics. This year, check out Cinderella, Twelfth Night, a Dolly Parton tribute night, and a whole host of live music and comedy nights. 

Many people are drawn to acting because they dream of performing on the stage or screen, but at our acting classes in Liverpool, you’ll also be taught a more overlooked skill: how to act for radio. As demand rises for entertaining podcasts and audiodramas, there’s a growing market for talented voice actors. 

Radio can also be a more accessible and manageable way for older actors to break into the industry. Here’s what to know about voice acting. 

A growing market

At one time, radio acting was limited to a few drama slots on Radio 4 or commercial voiceover work. However, with the rise of streaming platforms such as Audible and BBC Sounds, audio dramas and ‘talking books’ are finding a new audience. There’s also a growing demand for skilled voice actors for animations, gaming, and advertising. 

The challenges and advantages of voice acting

Voice actors rely on their control of tone, rhythm and breathing to communicate feeling and meaning. With no visuals to rely on, they need to make their character so believable and compelling that they come alive in the imagination of the listener. This takes skill, but they are learnable skills that will get better with tuition and practice. 

The advantages of voice acting for older actors are also worth considering: it means you can bypass any character stereotyping based on your appearance or age, and this can open up a much wider range of roles and genres. 

You don’t need to worry about camera angles, hair, makeup and costumes, so you can pour 100 per cent of your focus into character and storytelling. 

Older actors are often rich in life experiences, and they have a voice inside them that is authentic and lived in. That’s definitely something worth sharing.

We often wish aspiring actors good luck when they go for an audition, but luck is often really just a matter of preparation meets opportunity. This is never more true than when auditioning for a play, television show, or radio drama. The process is about more than being able to put in a good performance: it’s a whole skillset. Here’s what to know. 

Cold reading and script work

“Cold reading” means performing from a section of script that you’ve had a limited time to prepare, maybe even just a few minutes. You may be asked to do this in an audition, perhaps just for a line or two, or maybe more. 

It is not just a case of reading the lines out loud; it requires you to show that you can interpret and bring to life a character, even when the pressure is on. The ability to be spontaneous is highly prized in acting, because it demonstrates the actor can think on their feet and adapt to the unexpected. 

It’s a way for the casting director to see if the actor has an innate ability to embody the character, and to assess their potential to grow into a role. This might sound daunting if you are an inexperienced actor, but it’s one of the skills you will learn at our acting classes in Liverpool.

As you gain experience and confidence in your acting skills, you’ll learn how to trust your instincts and be spontaneous. There are also practical points to remember, such as taking the time to understand the narrative and character motivations, even if you only have a few minutes for a read through. 

If the scene involves other characters, you need to show you can react to their performance as well as delivering your own. When you are speaking, stay composed and use voice modulation and articulation techniques to ensure that you are clearly understood and convey the appropriate meaning and emotion in your voice. 

Taking direction 

The audition team will also be looking for someone who can collaborate with others and take direction well. This means being able to apply a direction note correctly and without undue hesitation, while maintaining an authentic performance. For example, it might be a subtle shift of tone or intention, or trying a completely different angle on a scene. 

Self-tape techniques

Self-tapes are now the industry standard, whether as a preliminary requirement for a second audition stage, or to replace an in-person audition. However, putting together a good self-tape requires some skill and experience. You’ll need to have an understanding of the technical aspects such as framing, lighting, and sound, and to be aware of eye lines.

You’ll also need to be able to create that sense of immediacy and intimacy without another actor or reader to respond to, and to recognise when you’ve got the final cut and when to do a re-tape.  

Casting professionals are looking for someone who can read the room, demonstrate spontaneity and work well with others, alongside all those traditional techniques such as voice modulation. These are skills that you will learn at acting school.

If you are thinking about joining adult acting classes in Manchester, you might find that you end up learning more than you bargained for. Of course you’ll be armed with the skills you need to perform effectively on stage or in front of the camera, but many people are surprised to find that their new skillset carries over in other areas of their lives. 

In fact, some people take up acting not to pursue a career dream, but for a whole range of other reasons: to boost their confidence; meet new people; enhance their creativity, and many more. Here’s a look at some of the unexpected skills you might pick up at our acting classes.

Enhanced communication skills

Good communication is at the heart of effective acting, and in drama workshops you’ll learn how to take your skills to a whole new level. You’ll have plenty of instruction and opportunities to practice speaking confidently and clearly, how to modulate your voice to suit the situation, how to express your intentions fluently and how to listen actively to others.

You will find that these skills transition effortlessly into other areas of your life, from job interviews to dealing with clients at work, and even in casual conversions or when talking to loved ones.

Greater self confidence

Acting pushes you out of your comfort zone: it takes courage to stand up and perform in front of strangers, whether you are a natural extravert who loves company or a home-loving introvert. Over time, you will gain more confidence as you work in a safe and supportive environment with plenty of advice and encouragement along the way. 

Learning how to act is especially useful for people who fear public speaking: they can find themselves suddenly able to handle tasks such as making a presentation at work or college, or making a wedding speech with the ease and poise they could only previously dream of. 

Higher emotional intelligence

When you take on an acting role, you are doing so much more than just delivering lines and gestures: you will need to immerse yourself fully in the character, understanding their motives, desires, weaknesses and what lies at their emotional core. You’ll need to intuitively understand how they respond to other characters and events in the storyline.

In short, you’ll step into their shoes and see the world through the eyes of another person. They may be a fictional character, but understanding how they think and feel can make you more empathetic and intuitive with the real people in your life, enhancing the quality of your personal and professional relationships.

Resilience and adaptability

In live performance, not everything goes to plan, and in fact the funniest or most creative moments can arise spontaneously from mistakes. Acting will teach you how to adapt, bounce back from failure, improvise and find another way to carry on. 

Over time, these abilities will shine in other areas of your life, and you will find yourself much more resilient and less afraid of failure.  

At our acting workshop in Manchester, we teach TV acting classes to students over the age of 16. With the quality and number of TV productions at an all time high thanks to streaming services such as Netflix, there are exciting opportunities for aspiring small screen actors. However, you might be wondering how the acting techniques differ from stage to screen.

While the two types of acting craft share similar key skills, they require different approaches. Here’s a brief look at the unique challenges of each to help you understand which one might suit you best, or if you just want to build good all-round experience as you train. 

Acting for screen

When acting for screen, the camera can capture close-up shots from multiple angles, so there is scope to pick up more subtle facial expressions and nuanced emotions. It’s also possible to make multiple takes of the same screen, so there’s space to develop and refine your acting if necessary. However, a certain degree of consistency between takes is needed.

Screen acting requires a more naturalistic approach, and it’s possible to convey meaning and emotion through facial expressions and small gestures. This makes the performance convincing and engaging. The voice should have a relaxed and conversational tone. Technical awareness, such as understanding camera angles and lighting are also important. 

Acting for stage

Acting for stage is much more physical, involving a more heightened performance with voice projection and exaggerated facial expressions and body language. It also requires strong mental focus because scenes can’t be reshot, so you’ll need to be well prepared and learn how to handle mistakes without losing momentum. 

You’ll also need to work at engaging with the live audience, and respond to their reactions to hone your performance. 

One of the key skills an actor should develop is breaking down a script, whether they want to act for stage or screen. This helps you to understand the story arc and character in more depth, enabling you to deliver a more confident and convincing performance. Here’s a guide to getting to grips with a script.

Read the script x 3

Aim to read the script right through three times. On your first read, just take in the story and themes, thinking about what is driving the drama. On your second read, focus on your character and their central relationships: what is their emotional core, and how does it fit in with the key plot developments?

On your third read, get a feel for the tone and rhythms of the dialogue and how your character responds to other characters and events. Look for any subtexts (ie. hidden motivations that you might convey in body language or tone rather than words) that you might have missed before. 

Break down the details

Now you have a handle on the story and character, delve into the context in some more depth. For example, is there any indication of the time period and location of the drama? This will help you to add subtle nuances to your performance. Similarly, is there any clue to your character’s backstory that could help you to understand their motivations?

Think about how this information will translate into stage: how will the situation appear from the audience’s perspective? Which other characters will you be sharing the space with, even if they do not have a speaking role? 

As the Shakespearean character Jaques in As You Like it said, “All the world’s a stage”, so start to think about how you will approach your stagecraft even as you are reading.

If you find it helpful, add your own notes to the margins of the script to help you flesh out your thoughts. However, be wary of going too far and embellishing the story or character with details that are not present or implied in the script. 

Start memorising lines

When you feel as though you have really got under the skin of your character, start the process of memorising lines. Break it down into manageable sections rather than trying to learn big chunks in one go. Say the words out loud rather than just reading them, and practice with a partner if you can, and aim to react to them rather than just say your piece. 

As you become more familiar with your lines, start to think about your movements and body language as well as the words, as eventually these will all need to work together. 

If you’d like the chance to develop your skills further, check out our adult acting classes in Liverpool.

It’s the festive season, and you might be planning to catch a pantomime. These lively productions are always great fun to watch, and they are also fantastic opportunities for aspiring actors to showcase their skills. Often an amateur theatre group will put on a pantomime at this time of the year. 

They are a great way for adults taking part time acting classes in Liverpool to combine experience of the stage with their other commitments. Here’s a look at the noble history of the pantomime, and how you can join in the fun. Remember that many theatre groups start planning next year’s panto as early as January, so it’s the ideal time to brush up your skills.

The Great British panto tradition

Pantomimes are usually based on a classic children’s story or a fairy tale such as Snow White, Dick Whittington, Cinderella or Robin Hood. They are rowdy and raucous family entertainment, with slapstick humour for the kids and bawdy double entendres for the adults. They usually include an element of singing and dancing and plenty of special effects.

The biggest productions command major stars from the entertainment industry, but there are hundreds of smaller regional pantos that are always on the lookout for skilled performers.

There’s a variety of roles available. If the main character is male, it’s traditionally played by a female actor, while the Panto Dame (usually the hero’s mother) is played by a male actor. There’s also usually a co-principal boy or girl who is the hero’s love interest, and a comic lead who tends to have good slapstick skills and encourages audience participation.

Other classic panto roles include the villain and their sidekick, double acts such as the Ugly Sisters, and a Fairy Godmother. There’s also of course the role of the pantomime animal! This is a job for actors with plenty of stamina. 

For newer actors, there’s also opportunities to be cast as an ensemble performer. These actors will take part in singing and dance routines, and may have small speaking roles or understudy one of the main performers. It’s a great opportunity to get your foot in the door with live stage performances, without being thrown in at the deep end. 

Tips for a great audition

If you fancy giving Panto a go, then make sure you are familiar with the story and characters, and decide which role suits your personality and skillset. As previously mentioned, if it’s your first audition for a proper acting role, then starting with a more low-key part such as chorus or ensemble might be the best approach. 

Do not underestimate the skills and abilities required to be a good pantomime actor: it may be for laughs, but this requires a lot of energy and positivity. Be upbeat and the best version of yourself to impress the panel. 

Public speaking, such as giving a presentation or hosting a seminar, is a necessary part of many careers. Yet it is also one of the most common sources of phobias, and there is even a word for it: glossophobia. Even for people without a full-blown phobia, public speaking can be a daunting prospect.

To some extent, this is a natural reaction: humans have evolved to fear a situation when all eyes are turned to them, because to our distant ancestors, this was a dangerous moment where they might be eyed up for lunch by a predator. The ‘fight or flight’ instinct kicks in, leading to a racing heartbeat, shallow breathing, and a weak and wavering voice.

Obviously, this state is not conducive to being a good communicator. Your fear and discomfort will limit your ability to speak naturally and clearly, and the audience will be distracted by your unease and find it difficult to engage. 

One of the best ways to improve your public speaking skills is through exposure therapy, by arming yourself with coping skills and putting yourself in the situation until you become more comfortable with it. Here’s how our acting classes in Liverpool are an ideal training ground for public speaking. 

Improving your voice control

Acting classes will teach you how to project and modulate your voice properly, so that you can make yourself clearly heard by the whole room without sounding strained. You will learn how to use your breath and warm up your voice, and enunciate clearly so that your audience will relax and enjoy listening to you speak. This in turn will help you grow in confidence.

Managing performance anxiety

Stage fright is a common occurrence in the world of acting, and you’ll be introduced to techniques for managing it that are transferable to public speaking situations. You’ll also develop greater emotional resilience and be able to adapt to unexpected situations and little mistakes without becoming flustered and losing your flow. 

Crafting storytelling skills

Even the driest subject matter can become more engaging if you are able to build a narrative and inject emotion into your words. Obviously, you will need to use these skills in a way that is appropriate to the nature of the speech, but showing no emotion at all can make you sound robotic and it will be difficult to retain the attention of the audience for long. 

Using body language

When you learn how to act, you will learn how to use your body language and positioning to enhance your words and build stage presence. These skills will help you be a more confident and dynamic public speaker and help you to connect more naturally with your audience. 

Memorisation skills

Acting requires you to learn lines by heart or respond discreetly to cues, and you can use these skills to deliver your speech without obviously relying on your notes. This will help you to become a more fluent and polished public speaker.

If you are embarking on adult acting classes, you are starting a creative journey that will be full of excitement, self-discovery and moments of real connection. However, there will also be some challenges that you might find daunting at first, not least comedy improv. 

This is a time honoured technique of unscripted interactions that will help you to become more intuitive and confident as an actor. It does take some effort and practice to become skilled and sustain your energy during an improvised performance. Here are some tips to help you on your way to being ‘effortlessly’ funny.  

Don’t try too hard

The first rule is to not actually try to be funny, because real humour lies in truth and spontaneity, and this cannot be forced. Do not worry about getting it ‘right’, because there’s no wrong way to improvise. In fact, mistakes are golden opportunities for humour, so try to relax and enjoy the process, which will lead to a natural performance.

Listen actively

Beginner actors often assume that their performance is all about them and the words they say, but in fact listening actively to your stage partner and reacting to them authentically is the true skill of good actors. This will bring forth true moments of emotion and thought, which are always more interesting than a forced joke. 

Stay present in the moment rather than reflecting on what you just said or what you are planning to say next, because this will allow you to listen and observe details that you will be able to refer back to later. This will impress and surprise the audience, generating a laugh that is based on your wit rather than a cheap gag at the expense of someone else. 

Build the scene

If you block or fail to respond actively to your stage partner, the scene will quickly lose energy and fizzle out. Keep the momentum going by adopting the “yes, and…” mindset, which is like returning a serve on a tennis court: it allows you both to keep playing and entertaining the audience. 

Therefore even if your partner does or says something that you are not expecting, pick up the baton and run with it rather than interrupting the flow or trying to change its direction without continuity. If you have a great idea it’s fine to run with it, but it should not be a complete non sequitur that freezes out the contribution of your stage partner. 

Running jokes can build the sense of silliness and hold the whole scene together, however abstract or absurd it becomes, so find the game and be a team player. 

Learn to trust your instincts

An instinctive performer can make even mediocre jokes seem funny because they have the ability to create a real chemistry between their stage partners and the audience. This is not a skill you might have immediately, but practice in a safe space such as an acting class will help you to build your skills and have fun along the way.