Saturday Tutos back up
Tutors
Alison Avis FISTD Examiner
Alison is Head of Enterprises at GSA and one of her roles is to Manage both GSA Saturday School and Junior Conservatoire. Alison started dancing at the age of 4 and knew that this was a career path she wanted to follow. Once graduating from college with her ISTD teaching exams in Ballet, Modern and Tap Alison set off travelling the World as a Jazz dancer. Alison was part of a stadium tour of China and worked on a variety of Cruise ships including Costa and Celebrity as well as being Dance Captain for a Guildford Pantomime of Mother Goose. After retiring from professional dancing Alison then started teaching as a full-time career, she has taught at many full-time vocational colleges studying musical theatre diploma’s and degree, including GSA, Italia Conti Arts Centre, Italia Conti academy and Redroofs. She has entered numerous students at the imperial Classical Ballet awards where there have been many placings. Before joining GSA on a full-time permanent roll in 2018 Alison was Head of Ballet at Italia Conti Arts Centre. In 2015 Alison qualified as an Imperial Ballet Examiner Grades and Intermediate. Alison has taught and adjudicated at The Imperial Classical Ballet Awards, Junior and senior.
Alison absolutely loves running the GSA Saturday School and particularly enjoys watching the students develop and the joy that performing brings them.
Mitch Harper AISTD: Mitchell trained at Laine Theatre Arts. Performance credits include; Dancer for Bonnie Langford in Ten; A Decade of Dreams (London Palladium) Ensemble u/s Hook in Peter Pan (Theatre Royal, Newcastle) Ensemble u/s Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk (Kings Theatre, Edinburgh) Toy Soldier in Nutcracker (MAC, UK & Ireland) Playlist Performer (Carnival Cruise Line) FT Ensemble in Snow White (Bristol Hippodrome) Ensemble u/s Prince Charming in Cinderella (New Theatre Cardiff) Ensemble u/s Robin in Robin Hood (Theatre Royal Plymouth). Television includes; Handsome Bell Boy in Dr. Who (BBC) Dave in Being Human (BBC). Mitchell has modelled for Spa Experience, Rhys Giles, Burton, Bound To You, Chisel Cheeks, Barry M, Ynad Javier, L’Oreal and Smirk Teeth Whitening. Creative credits include; Choreographer Beauty and the Beast (Aylesbury Waterside Theatre) Movement Director Falstaff (The Grange Festival) Choreographer Le Nozze Di Figaro (The Grange Festival) Choreographer Dick Whittington (Lighthouse Poole) Choreographer Around the World in 80 days (The Union Theatre) Choreographer Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Grange Festival) Offie Nomination; Best Choreographer Twang!! (The Union Theatre) Choreographer HMS Pinafore (UK Tour) Choreographer The Mikado (UK Tour) Associate Director Fabulous 50 (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre) Choreographer Goldilocks (Ivy Arts Centre) Choreographer Loserville (Ivy Arts Centre and Electric Theatre) and Choreographer Jack and the Beanstalk (Freshwater Entertainment). Mitchell is part of the casting team at UK Productions for their Christmas productions. He will choreograph Cinderella this Christmas at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, followed by The Pearl Fishers at Kentish Opera and The Barber of Seville at Santa Fe Opera. Mitchell has taught at GSA Saturday school for many years and also teaches/choreographs for the degree and Foundation at GSA, as well as Hurtwood House.
Emma Dalton DDE
Emma has been dancing and performing from a young age. After leaving secondary school she went on to do her A-Levels at Hurtwood House before continuing her vocational training at Italia Conti Arts Centre. Whilst at Italia Conti, Emma studied to complete her ISTD DDE Teaching Qualifications in Ballet, Tap and Modern. In the midst of this Emma joined Tap Dancing company 'Tap Attack' and was fortunate enough to represent England with them at the World Tap Dancing Championships and after winning the formation team event, came away with a World Champion title. Since graduating from Italia Conti, Emma has performed in touring pantomimes, was a dancer for Warner Leisure Hotels and most recently returned from Mallorca where she was Entertainment manager and performer at a 5* Hotel. Emma now teaches various dance styles and musical theatre in a variety of dance schools including GSA (Degree course), Hurtwood House, Horsham School of Dance, Farnham School of Dance and Highfield and Brookham Prep School. She absolutely loves teaching and therefore cannot wait to share her passion for the arts with her new students!
Hannah’s passion for dance began in her home town of Epsom at Laine Theatre Arts, she then went on to further her training at Performers College where she graduated with a National Diploma in Dance & Musical Theatre. Theatre Credits Include: Wicked (International Tour) Last Night A DJ Saved My Life (UK Tour); Cinderella (Birmingham Barclaycard Arena); Wicked (UK Tour); Hairspray (Kuala Lumpur and Singapore); Dick Whittington and Mother Goose (Millfield Theatre). Television Credits Include: Elvie Pump (Elvie Commercial) Like a Cow (Elvie Commercial) Dancer for Olly Murs (Brit Awards) Ant and Dec Saturday Night Take Away. Film Credits Include: Alone Together (BFI Indian Film Festival) and Walking on Sunshine. Hannah has been teaching at GSA Saturday School and Junior Conservatoire for the last year as well as GSA evening classes, she is looking forward to meeting new students and getting back in the studio.
Dance Teacher Lucy Elcox began dancing at the age of three at the Susan Robinson School of Ballet. She completed her training at London Studio Centre, where she gained a diploma in Performing Arts. Since graduating, Lucy has worked professionally overseas, as dance captain for various production shows. Back home she performed in residential shows in Blackpool as dance captain, toured the UK and performed in various UK pantomimes and corporate events. Lucy then took the natural progression from professional dancer to teacher over ten years ago. She really enjoys helping the children with their technique and watching them grow in confidence and is delighted to teach the students at GSA.
Adam Reeves Bachelor of Arts. As an actor, Adam was trained at the School of Drama & Creative Industries of Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh. This vocational and accredited course covered an array of practitioners including Hagen, Laban, Berry, Rodenburg, Lecoq, Boal, Meisner and others. This led him on to professional acting work in theatre, TV, voice-overs and film both in the UK and overseas. He also went on to direct several productions of new writing and some classics at various theatres in and around London. He began tutoring acting and facilitating workshops and shows in 2010 and has been doing this at GSA Saturday School since 2017. He covers one to one acting tutorials and group acting classes for both young people and adults. Wearing his other professional hat, Adam heads up a business that delivers training workshops in presentation and communication skills and public speaking in corporate environments.
Cory graduated with honours from the University of St. Thomas in his native Minnesota, USA with a degree in politics and economics. He then studied at the Webber Douglas Academy in London and GSA where he obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Acting. His numerous theatre, TV and film credits include: The Crown, Jurassic World 2, Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them, Patrick Melrose. Cory has taught at universities and drama schools in both the USA and UK, notably School for Film & TV NYC, Italia Conti, the Courtyard Theatre and the University of Surrey.
Julia has been an actor and teacher for over 20 years. She trained at the Guildford School of Acting in Musical Theatre graduating with a 1st class Honours Degree.
Performance credits include The Apple Tree, Nine, Anyone Can Whistle, The Best of Friends, Just William, Toad of Toad Hall, One Good Turn, The Amazons, Company, Twelfth Night, Numbers, Oh! What a Lovely War, the UK premiere of Ruthless! The Musical, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Romeo and Juliet for award winning local producer Guildford Shakespeare Company. Television credits include Look East, Casualty (BBC) and Make My Day (Channel 4). Pantomime credits include Robinson Crusoe, Dick Whittington, Wicked Queen in Snow White; and Cinderella and King Charming for London’s famous Players’ Theatre where Julia also appeared regularly as a soloist for their ‘Late Joys’ Victorian Music Hall both in London and around the UK.
Julia has worked within the corporate sector as a performance and voice coach for business professionals and trainee teachers, and she has experience as a role play training actor and voice over artist. She has also spent some time working as a casting assistant and as an agent’s assistant at a busy Theatrical agency.
Alongside her successful performing career, Julia has always loved teaching and is a fully qualified and highly experienced teacher of Drama and Acting, having held two Head of Drama roles at secondary schools in Surrey and Hampshire. She has directed and facilitated many workshops, summer schools and productions and has taught for private drama schools across the UK including Italia Conti, Stagecoach and The Sunday Drama College as well as being part of the original teaching faculty when GSA Saturday school first began! She has additionally undertaken Drama examining for A-level Theatre Studies and is currently completing a further professional diploma with LAMDA.
Cheryl started her career at Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop.West End credits include Polly in The Boyfriend, Martha Jefferson in 1776, Joan in Time and Time Again, Evelyn in Absent Friends, Miss Kinnean in Flowers for Algerson and Miss Casewell in The Mousetrap. She toured America playing Eliza in My Fair Lady with Rex Harrison. Amongst roles she has played in regional theatres are Elizabeth Bennett in First Impressions, Gloria in You Never Can Tell, Agnes in Brand, Maggie in Teeth N’ Smiles, Kay in Time and the Conways, Vivie in Mrs Warren’s Profession, Moll in Moll Flanders, Miss Haversham in Great Expectations, Mary and Teresa in How the Other Half Loves, Trudie in Man of the Moment, Hesione Hushabye in Heartbreak House, Phyllis in Season’s Greetings and Meg in The Birthday Party. TV credits include Sweeney, Professionals, What Every Woman Knows and Brookside. Cheryl has worked with young actors at a number of drama schools producing plays, musicals and workshops. For GSA she has directed Children of Eden, She Loves Me, Flora the Red Menace, Elegies, Little Women and The Boyfriend.
Born in Guildford, Ally trained at East 15 Acting School on the BA Acting Course. Acting credits include; The Girl on the Train (West End +NO1 UK Tour) Pride and Prejudice (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre + NO1 UK Tour) The English Game (Headlong) Berenice (The Space) Black Snow (Tristan Bates Theatre). His play ‘Two Across’ premiered at the Etcetera Theatre, London in 2014. TV credits include EastEnders (BBC). RADIO credits include In Freedom's Cause (Heirloom Audio, USA). Short Film credits include Blue Vision. Credits whilst training: The Seagull, Wild Honey, All My Sons and Baal. DIRECTING credits include: Bugsy Malone, Ghetto, Wendy & Peter Pan (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre). Assistant DIRECTOR credits: The Art of Success and The Taste of the Town (Rose Theatre Kingston). Ally is the Acting teacher and Director of GSA Junior Conservatoire as well as Saturday School Tutor.
LUKE OSBORNE
Luke trained at the Royal Academy of Music and holds a first class honours degree in theatre and performance from the University of Leeds. Luke is in the final stages of studying for his EMT (Estill Master Trainer) voice qualification with Anne - Marie Speed. He also teaches at Laine Theatre Arts as well as privately.
As a performer Luke has most notably performed as a backing vocalist for Sir Elton John at the iTunes festival and the Brit Icon awards at the London Palladium. He has appeared with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Maria Friedman in a celebration of Cole Porter and, most recently appeared in the concert version of The Hired Man at the Cadogan Hall.
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Currently Musical Director of the Footloose UK Tour, Nathan is a composer, musical director and musician with a wealth of experience in music, TV, film and theatre. He has performed and conducted in the UK and internationally from the Madinat Theatre (Dubai) to the Edinburgh Playhouse, the Royal Albert Hall and O2 Arena and was part of the orchestra in the first musical produced in Bahrain. Most recently he played in 9 to 5: The Musical (Savoy Theatre, West End), on the season finale of TOWIE and worked on the new James Bond movie, No Time To Die. He is part of the music team behind the annual panto at the London Palladium including the Olivier Award winning Dick Whittington.
He has musically arranged for BBC 1’s All Together Now, artists, bands and shows at The Other Palace, The New Wimbledon and more besides. Nathan’s CD, Footsteps, hit the best seller list for Dress Circle Records and reached the finals of the UK Song Competition (vocals by Ashley Lilly - Mama Mia The Movie). He has written music for short films, awards ceremonies, TV shows, online ads, artists and musicals such as Sue Townsend’s Bazaar & Rummage.
Alongside his other work, Nathan was Musical Director/Supervisor at The Italia Conti Academy of Performing Arts (London) for nearly 20 years, Head of Singing at their Guildford branch for nearly 10 and Principal of Italia Conti Hull for 5. He is a singing tutor at Hurtwood House and has close ties with East Riding Theatre and other institutions.
Greg, originally from Scotland, moved to London in 2016. Since then he has worked in many areas of professional theatre and music. As a vocal coach and MD, Greg has works in some of the UK's top training schools including London School of Musical Theatre, Arts Educational Schools, Laine Theatre Arts, The Urdang Academy, Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, London Studio Centre, Performance Preparation Academy and The MGA Academy. He also is a regular pianist on the cabaret circuit and accompanist for auditions in London. Greg has worked as both an MD and Performer. Some credits include; When Midnight Strikes (Chelsea Theatre and Finborough Theatre, London) Save The Last Dance for Me (UK Number 1 Tour) Little Shop of Horrors (Pleasance Theatre, London) and Big Top (Bridewell Theatre London) Zanna Dont (C Venues, Edinburgh Fringe) Dreamboats and Petticoats (UK Number 1 Tour) Tonight... From The West End (Tour) Brenda Bly, Teen Detective (Tristan Bates Theatre, London) Musical Starnights (German/ European Tour).
BARRY POTTS BMus(Lond) DipRAM LRAM EFP Vocal Consultant and Singing Teacher
Barry is an internationally renowned Vocal consultant, Choral Director and Theatre Producer from Newcastle-upon-Tyne. With over 20 years experience in this highly competitive industry he has learned to diversify and get the most from his students and industry professionals. Specialising in Bel canto and is completing the second Phase of Estill Voice Master Trainer programme. He has developed skills to adapt the uniqueness of individual performers young and old. Every voice is unique and needs a specialist approach to harness the singers individual style. Having worked with dancers and singers Barry prides himself on nurturing the triple threat that is required for success in Music Theatre.
Having studied Opera at Trinity College of Music and Musical Theatre at The Royal Academy of Music, Barry has had great success both as a performer and a teacher. He has taught at Arts Ed, GSA (MA course) and is currently a Singing Teacher at Laine Theatre Arts and an Acting Vocal Teacher at Mountview. Currently he is the Vocal consultant on The Magic that Goes Wrong with the Mischief Theatre Company.
For 6 Years Barry was a producer and musical consultant for Spirit Productions USA/UK responsible for the hit show The 12 Irish Tenors, one of the highlights being the Monte Carlo Grand Prix. Other productions include The Spirit of Christmas at the Kodak Theatre LA working with Debbie Reynolds, The Osmonds, and Neil Sedaka, Dancing Queen USA/UK and The Spirit of Broadway USA/UK. Barry also had the privilege of conducting the New Zealand Sinfonia, The Johannesburg Festival Orchestra and The Capetown Philharmonic in the production ‘Rock Legends.’ Barry has directed the Rat Pack on Broadway and was the youngest person to conduct the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra age 28. He has performed internationally in South Africa, New Zealand, India, Europe, Scandinavia, Canada and the USA.
Along with running a very successful teaching practice in Greenwich, Barry is also Managing Director of Icon Theatrical Ltd producing shows around the world including ‘The Tenors’, ‘Somebody to Love’, ‘The Sopranos’, ‘The Blues & Soul Show’ and many more.