ABOUT
A unique and professionally led three-hour acting school for young people who love acting. Best Acting Students develop personal creativity and confidence though improvisation, professional skills like acting for camera and advanced acting techniques through performance styles.
3 tutors from the acting industry run weekly sessions, with three age-appropriate groups, purely based around acting and performance. Each hour focuses on building a well rounded actor (detailed description below).
Each term there are specialist weeks run by guest tutors. These have included: Stage combat, Make up for stage and screen (including special effects), Physical Theatre, Puppetry (War Horse), Masks, Comedy, Clowning, Shakespeare, Devising, and Circus Skills.
This course is excellent for young people looking to improve their acting skills, enter into the acting profession and those studying GCSE or A'level Drama. We also support students applying for scholarships, drama school or attending auditions.
Each student will take part in a termly monologue slam, yearly performance for family and friends and a yearly tutorial where they can discuss their development and aspirations with their coaches.
TIMES
Saturdays
2pm - 5pm
LOCATION
Sandringham School, The Ridgeway
St Albans, AL4 9NX
Best School of Acting
Ages 8 - 18
Acting for theatre film and tv
AGE RANGE
Age 8 - 18
Too young? Check out our Best Beginners Course or Best School of Musical Theatre.
Want something more performance focussed? Check out our Best Youth Theatre.
FEES
Termly fee of £390 split into four monthly instalments of £97.50
Childcare vouchers accepted, sibling and multi class booking discounts available.
BOOK
Book your place or two week trial here:
Best School of Acting
Personal Development
The skills developed in this class are for life and not just performing! Through advanced level improvisation and games this session develops confidence, communication, concentration, quick thinking, motivation, positivity, creativity and sociability. Short and long form improvisation and improvisation for devising and performance are all included in our weekly classes.
Best School of Acting
Performance Development
A wide and varied class culminating in a yearly performance. Different acting and production styles are explored from classical theatre to the modern and absurd, from scripted pieces to devised work. Voice projection, accents, and physical skills are key areas that actors need to develop and acting games and exercises are programmed to enhance these areas.
Best School of Acting
Professional Development
Tutors from the industry encourage students to develop their professional acting skills and support young actors' understanding of the acting profession. Weekly classes focus on naturalistic acting techniques including acting for film and television. Audition and interview techniques, monologues, support for drama school, and information about the career are also included.
We hire skilled, committed and family orientated theatre professionals with a real passion for teaching. We value consistency and a progressive, structured approach. We know that it is Best’s responsibility to provide the framework in which the teachers can thrive – loving what they do and being able to pass that enjoyment in bucket loads on to the students.
Meet The Team
Best School of Acting
JONATHAN CARLTON
Jonathan has devoted his life to the performing arts, with a passion for inspiring and mentoring the next generation of theatre-makers. Growing up with a love of storytelling and music, he followed his dream to train at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, graduating from the musical theatre course and going on to perform all over the world.
He has performed leading and featured roles across the UK and internationally, from Erwin Bach in Tina (Aldwych Theatre), covering Charlie Price in Kinky Boots (Adelphi Theatre) and the original Charlie Price with Norwegian Cruise Line. His credits also include Ordinary Days (Cockpit Theatre), Game Theory (The Lowry), and Pippin (Hope Mill Theatre/Southwark Playhouse) to name a few.
Alongside his work as a performer, Jonathan found a passion for teaching. Sharing his expertise in acting and voice with students of all ages through teaching, directing and producing youth theatre. His approach blends the discipline and craft of professional theatre with a supportive, creative environment where students feel free to explore and grow.
REBECCA BRILEY
Rebecca Briley trained in Physical Theatre at East 15 Acting School, BA (hons), during which time she mastered a range of techniques including mask and mime, Theatre in Education, puppetry and movement but found a particular interest in storytelling and clowning.
Since graduating, Beckie has performed across a variety of platforms including Film and TV as well as devising her own work for stage, and has collaborated with many theatre companies as an assistant choreographer. She has also been lucky enough to work with multiple TIE companies in the UK and in Italy, where she began to fall in love with teaching and facilitating specialised workshops for all ages.
In 2013, Beckie became a member of ‘The Flying Seagull Project’, a UK based Children’s Charity whose aim is to spread joy and laughter to those who need it most across the globe through circus, clown and play. With several years of humanitarian clowning under her belt, she became a core team leader and facilitated activities for displaced children and families on the ground in Calais, Greece and Lebanon.
KIERAN SEABROOK FRANCE
Kieran is a multi-talented professional in the entertainment industry.
After graduating from Guildford School of Acting, he has shared his expertise by training numerous aspiring actors and guiding them in refining their skills across multiple aspects of performance. In addition to teaching, Kieran has also founded an improvisation company.
Kieran is also a professional actor himself, with extensive experience in stage, television, and film acting alongside his work in film production, establishing his own company to produce high-quality films that showcase his creative vision and talent, focusing on films that help raise awareness.
LISA SCHULBERG
Lisa’s spent her lifetime in the arts and is passionate about the positive effects it can have on us all. As a professional actress, Lisa toured extensively for 7 years across the UK and Europe in acting roles, from Shakespeare to Soap Opera, in Stratford Upon Avon and Manchester to London. Lisa’s career highlight was 100 shows playing Marianne Dashwood in the stage premier of Sense and Sensibility. Whilst building up her TV and film work, presenting for BBC London, and playing a lead in a British Television Award winning film, Lisa began teaching and directing.
Lisa taught Acting, Voice Theory and LAMDA for Italia Conti for 8 years and has directed and run numerous youth theatres including Snap, Trestle, and our now twice National Theatre Connections selected Best Youth Theatre.
After working on numerous mental health and wellbeing projects for theatre companies, councils and charities as a performer, writer, director and workshop facilitator Lisa set up Tip of the Iceberg Theatre Company in 2007, with the aim to involve, inform and inspire people to lead happier lives, her work and mental wellbeing and relationship projects have reached over ½ million young people.
Lisa's husband Drew is an ex-trapeze performer, circus expert and engineer who often helps on our set designs and builds.
