550 stories by "John Byrne"
I'll never forget my best friend telling me how lucky I was when we started drama school together. What she meant was
1. Be informed The UK, especially London, has one of the most developed burlesque scenes in the world, and performers in the most
"When I say action, don't breathe, Nancy." Those were the director's notes as I lay on the cobblestones with a grizzly open
I've just come home after my first Edinburgh Festival Fringe. I heard lots of good and bad stories from other people before
My first audition was at Jill Freud's apartment in central London for the tap-dancing play Stepping Out. I'd never tapped in my
1. Listen For Rotterdam, Jon Brittain's play about gender and sexuality, we had a long period of just trying to hear as many
I'm sure you get a lot of queries from actors who are unhappy with their agent, but I've been delighted with mine
1. Be open As an American who has trained in San Diego, Poland and in London at LAMDA and East 15 Acting School,
I went to Jacques Lecoq the year after studying at Middlesex University because I wanted to expand my knowledge of my craft,
In 1989, I started Arts Threshold with the aim of teaching graduate students how to survive in theatre (a fetish of mine).
1. Find the fun Playing the same character day in, day out " especially in relatively long runs such as at the Edinburgh
As one of the shows that came to Edinburgh in the first week of the fringe, at the time of writing we
1. Economise It's tough to prepare yourself for the financial outlay of the fringe if you've never been before. Seeing several shows a
My first Edinburgh show was about 10 years ago at the Gilded Balloon in the Dining Room. My agent at the time
Last year, a group of friends and I started supplementing our on and off acting jobs by putting together some sketches, which
1. Keep it bright, keep it fun Little ones get bored very easily and it's vital that you keep their attention, or the
Before I became a children's TV presenter and entertainer full-time, I tried my hand at many different jobs within the industry. My first
I have worked as a freelance drama practitioner and theatre director for several years, and my dream has been to set up
1. Use original material Don't rehash old TV scripts, it's an amateur's mistake. Find a writer or company experienced in writing for actors
My first job was on the TV series Ripper Street for the BBC. I was still in drama school at the time,
Having started stage school at seven and held on doggedly to my acting goals all through school, I have at last been
1. It's not just for action heroes Dramatic action comes in all shapes and sizes in theatre, TV and film, and isn't limited
My first audition was for the Vienna English Theatre, as part of one of its theatre in education tours. I had always
I have just returned from spending some time in New York. Although it was a hugely invigorating experience, I'm not quite ready
From Shakespearean swordplay to the elaborate and bloody battles in Game of Thrones, audience appetite for more imaginative and spectacular stage and
