I remember when I was about 9 years old, my acting teacher, David Coyle, offered a session where students could enter drama school exams. As we were going through a monologue, it suddenly occurred to me that he did this for a living. Teaching Speech & Drama! What an awesome thing to do with your life! To share great literature in such an exciting way. Maybe this was something I could do in a thousand years when I was grown up? From then on, I started paying particular attention to how he and all my teachers taught.
When I was 17, I trained to be an actor at the eclectic Theatre Nepean and gained an additional degree in Education not long after. I worked with some wonderful theatre companies like Company B with their Asian Theatre Festivals, toured a couple of times with Bell Shakespeare in a beautiful production of Sadako and 1000 Paper Cranes, and made some steadfast friends producing, directing and acting on the indie theatre scene.
In my mid-twenties, I returned to London and tested my mettle. I taught, and also collaborated with many great artists and companies, each with their own understanding of how to best communicate their work.
In 2011, I returned to Sydney with my own family, and with the encouragement of the brilliant teacher, Jacqui Field, I started my specialist training in Speech and Drama and then went on to study with a very special teacher, Robyn Fraser. I taught at Loreto Kirribilli and with the team at PLC Sydney.
In 2016, I started my own studio where I could concentrate on developing my method of teaching performance skills. This is an ongoing labour of love. Every person is a world unto themselves, and I hope to provide each of my students with many sources to inspire their drive to communicate in their unique way. Having been a stutterer and battled chronic shyness as a child, I know there are many paths to finding one’s voice.
I have the honour of being an Examiner for the Australian Speech and Communication Association (ASCA) and you’ll sometimes even find me performing on tv or on stage!
