As part of our commitment to provide our students with the best training possible, and exposure to the top professional actors in the UK, we organized a group Q & A session with professional performer, Craig Revel-Horwood.
Craig is a well-known face on British television as a judge on BBC TV’s STRICTLY COME DANCING, and he has written a book entitled Teach Yourself Ballroom Dancing, published by Hodder. Craig also choreographed the hit BBC TV show ‘How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?’. He has just finished another series of Strictly Ballroom, and directed Chess, The Musical.
Craig was able to impart knowledge about his training, his experiences and his career. Some of Craig’s key points highlighted the importance of being a triple threat (i.e. being skilled in singing, acting and dance) and spoke about the need to be a versatile performer to succeed. In addition to his invaluable industry knowledge, he was also able to give advice regarding auditions and how to present yourself to casting directors and audition panels.
After a brief chat our Students asked their own questions. This encouraged them to consider what they really wanted to know from Craig, forcing them to think deep about their own development as a performer and question how they can progress. Some really great questions were asked by our students and they will certainly remember this experience far into the future.
Over the last term we have held weekly Q&A sessions for our students, giving them the chance to get insight from industry experts. Some of our professionals include; Shaun Dooley (Netflix’s ‘The Stranger’), Ashley Daniels (Hamilton), Julian Bigg (Musical Director Les Mis and Miss Saigon) and many more. We’ve also offered our students the chance to be taught by these professionals through workshops. To name a few, Phil Snowden (Les Mis Film, Rocketman, Billy Elliot, 42nd Street, Jesus Christ Superstar) has run a number of Tap workshops and Thomas Paton (Cats, Grease, Birmingham Royal Ballet) has taught ballet.
Craig’s Q&As was insightful and hugely beneficial to our students, who gained a wealth of knowledge from Craig’s ‘coal-face’ experience. There are no short cuts.
