Subject taught at LSDA: Acting Techniques for TV and Film

Alicya studied at the Court Theatre Training Company and has been working professionally for 20 years. Television credits include Clink, Casualty, Band of Gold, Doctors, The Bill, Holby City, Spooks, Hetty Wainthrop Investigates, Paradox, Bad Girls (in which she spent 5 years as a regular) and she was a series regular in Emmerdale in which she played the part of Ruby. Film credits include The Low Down, Tube Tales and Stalin My Neighbour. Alicya has also performed at various theatres including the Royal Court and the Theatre Royal, Nottingham. She also performed in the critically acclaimed play Any Which Way.

Subject taught at LSDA: Acting Techniques, Scene Study Director

David trained as an actor at Rose Bruford College.

He is best known for his portrayal of Gregory ‘Gloria’ Finch in Russell T Davies’ multi-award winning Channel 4/HBO mini-series ‘It’s a Sin’.  He received a Best Supporting BAFTA nomination in 2022 for his work on the series and was also nominated for a BAFTA Scotland Audience Award in 2021. The series broke the All4 steaming record, including biggest ever drama launch and most binged series ever, and notably won an NTA award for Best New Drama.

He was also the Proud Scotland Award’s Entertainer/Artist of the Year 2021.

His work as an actor includes theatre productions of The Tell-Tale Heart (National Theatre); You Stupid Darkness! (Paines Plough/TRP), The Outside (L’Etranger) (The Print Room at The Coronet); Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland (Royal Lyceum Edinburgh); The Government Inspector (Birmingham Rep/UK Tour); To Kill a Mockingbird (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre/UK Tour/The Barbican); Three Sisters (Southwark Playhouse); Carpe Diem (National Theatre); Victoria (Dundee Rep); Somersaults (Finborough); Yellow Moon, The Monster in the Hall (National Theatre of Scotland/Citizens Theatre, Glasgow); Caledonia (National Theatre of Scotland); Hansel and Gretel (Citizens Theatre, Glasgow); You Once Said Yes (Look Left Look Right, E4 Udderbelly); Dead Heavy Fantastic (Liverpool Everyman).

Television includes: It’s a Sin, Casualty, Bodyguard, Lip Service II (BBC).

Radio includes: End of Transmission; ANGST! The Teachings of Smart Town; Kitchen Confidential; Behind Her Eyes; The Stroma Sessions; Chernobyl (BBC Radio 3 & 4).

He created the Virgin Radio Documentary ‘Getting Out’ and guest presents across their channels

Subject taught at LSDA: Acting Techniques

Holly is most famously known as Newt’s Mother in Aliens and Lady Farrow in Blackadder. Her acting experience is extensive starring in the National Theatre and throughout the West End. Holly’s television and film work has included: The Duchess of Duke Street, Lytton’s Diary, Van der Valk, Poirot, The Detectives, The Assassination Run, The Chief, Doctors, Daniel Deronda, Electric Dreams, The Hiding Place, Casualty, Eastenders and Soaked. Most recently she has worked at the Sheffield Crucible theatre in Arthur Millers Playing for Time, at the Ustinov studio Bath in Half Life directed by Nancy Meckler, at the Southwark Playhouse in Roundelay and recently received two Best Actress nominations for the short film Development of June and this year won a Best Actress for the film Forbidden Love on the Shores of Greece. She has also written two short films which are currently in post production. 

Subject taught at LSDA: Acting Techniques for TV and Film

Stephen is a professional actor with a wide breadth of experience playing leading roles in feature films, television dramas and on stage. Best known for playing Lysander Hawkley in ITVs The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous and Greg Kelly in Coronation Street (for which he won a British Soap Award).  He has worked with many leading film directors including Peter Greenaway, Franco Zeffirelli and Mel Gibson.

He continues to work in independent movies and in theatre, enjoying classical roles as well as those in challenging new writing. Stephen has been teaching acting and screen acting to students and professionals for over seventeen years and has taught at The Method Studio, The Actor’s Centre and Drama Centre London.

Stephen trained as an actor at the Drama Centre London.

Subject taught at LSDA: Acting Techniques

Paul trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) where he won the Brian Cox scholarship. Since graduating Paul has worked as an actor on both stage/ screen and as a fight choreographer and director. Most recently he appeared in the feature film Broken Promise and played King Phillip II of Spain in Juana of Castile – Edinburgh and National and European tour. Other credits include: Acts of Cod (RNT & the Old Vic), The Three Musketeers (Bristol Old Vic), Robin Hood, Macbeth, Richard II (The Tobacco Factory), Theatre Loyalties, Italian American Reconciliation (The Finborough) European Tours of Gone, Macbeth (Paines Plough). TV – Heartbeat BBC. Film – The Date, the Bafta nominated I’m Frank Morgan, the lead in Lucky Man directed by Jim Sturgess and The Shipwreck Trilogy (RSC). He directed Treading the Boards, London-Edinburgh and UK tour.

Subject taught at LSDA: Life Coach

Helen completed an MA in English Literature and a BA in Psychology at Copenhagen University. After performing English theatre in Copenhagen for 8 years Helen moved to London to train at Drama Studio.

She co-founded Yardbird Shuffle Productions at DSL and played Patricia in Brimstone and Treacle and Carol in Oleanna at Krudttoennen. She also performed for several seasons with The Project Makers playing Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Rosaline in Love’s Labour’s Lost co directed by Annetta Laufer. Other credits include Livia, Women Beware Women directed by Matthew Wilde and Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Bedlam Theatre where she also worked with Jamie Reid in The Dead Monkey. In 2010 Helen worked with Edward Bond on the world premiere of his modern bloody classic There Will Be More where she played (Me)Dea directed by Adam Spreadbury Maher. Other recent credits include Countess Gouvarinha in The Maias (Galleon Productions) and Candida in Candida (CandyKing Productions).

Helen Trained as a Life Coach with The Coaching Academy in 2009-11 and greatly enjoys empowering her students to make the best of their lives. She teaches them problem solving skills and helps them set powerful challenging personal and career goals with focus on taking full responsibility for their development and future success.

Helen has worked extensively with film maker Lucy Beech including the art film Credible passion.  Helen has been working with the international theatre company TheatreLab since 2012. She has performed in The Oresteia and Medea at Riverside Studios and had played Queen Herodias in Salome in London, Avignon, Athens and Thessaloniki. Helen received excellent reviews when she reprised her role as DEA in 2016, directed by Edward Bond. Helen played Aunt Patience in TheatreLab’s acclaimed performance of Jamaica Inn in November 2017.  In 2019 Helen performed in several shows at The Suffolk INK festival.

Helen has since 2017 co-written, produced and performed in new comedy webseries The Self Tapers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE5QmYnKKh0&t=36s.  She is currently filming Canonbie Production’s new Feature film Gentrification – shot in 5 minute episodes, penned by her husband Peter Rae – a cautionary tale about the encroaching dangers of middle-class xenophobia. Helen Produces, directs, acts and provides all the first class vegetarian catering.

Helen is in rehearsals for Great Expectations, a new edition written from the view-point of Miss Haversham whom she is playing. This is a December 2019 Christmas Production.

Subject taught at LSDA: Acting Techniques, Scene Study

Jason trained at LAMDA and Mountview.

Jason was awarded MA in World Theatres from University of London in 2021 and holds a BA (Hons) English and Drama from University of Leeds.  

Directing credits include: Kissing Sid James (Jermyn Street, 59e59St NYC); Not a Game for Boys (King’s Head); Christmas Concerts (Chichester Festival Theatre); Charlie & Henry (New End Theatre); Danny’s Wake & Huge (King’s Head, Edinburgh Pleasance); Sleeve Notes (Southwark Playhouse, Theatre 503, Union Theatre); Some Afternoons, Red Sky, Blue Sky (Hen & Chickens, Bridge House); Quinto Quarto & The Rose Garden (Union Theatre); Premature Burial (Corsica Arts Studio).  

Associate Director credits: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead (Old Vic), Passion Play (Duke of Yorks’ UK Tour); Backbeat (London, Toronto & Los Angeles) 

Resident Director credits: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Playhouse) 

Assistant Director credits: Arcadia (Barrymore, NYC), Through a Glass Darkly, New York Theatre Workshop); Being Shakespeare (Harold Pinter Theatre); In A Dark Dark House (Almeida), Triptych (Southwark Playhouse), Nicholas Nickleby Parts 1&2 (Chichester Festival Theatre, Gielgud Theatre, UK Tour); The Syndicate (Chichester Minerva Theatre, UK Tour), Tryptych (Southwark Playhouse), The Pagans (Abingdon Theatre NYC). 

Jason is a Visiting Lecturer at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Senior Foundation Acting Tutor & Director at Mountview (2018-2021) 

Residency Director at Almeida 2008-2010 

Resident Associate Director Extempore Theatre Company 2003-2010) 

Associate Education Director at Southwark Playhouse (2005-2006) 

Subject taught at LSDA: Acting Techniques and Mindfulness

Aled trained at Guildhall School of Music & Drama and is a professional actor, singer and theatre director. As well as teaching at LSDA, he also lectures at Guildhall, Arts Ed, London Southbank University, University of Wales and other institutions across the UK. His most recent work as an actor include S4C’s 35 Awr and Sherman Theatre’s Woof (directed by Gethin Evans), and as director, his production of Saturday Night Forever for the Welsh National Theatre was on National tour earlier this year.

His acting credits include: Doctor Who (BBC); 35 Awr (S4C); Lewis (ITV); Parch (S4C); Woof (Sherman Theatr); Say It With Flowers (Sherman Theatre); The Nutcracker (Theatre Royal, Bath); Poking the Bear (Theatre 503).

As director he has worked at Finborough Theatre (The Doll Mender/Saer Doliau); The Welsh National Theatre (Nos Sadwrn O Hyd; Pan Oedd Y Bydd Yn Fach); Theatre Clwyd (My People); and a national tour with Invertago Theatre Company (The Tower). 

Subject taught at LSDA: Acting Techniques, Text Analysis

Biography to come.

Subject taught at LSDA: Screen Acting

Simon has acted on Stage, TV and Film for more than 25 years. He wrote and directed the short film Salvage starring Peter Capaldi and was an Executive Producer on Mrs Lowry & Son starring Timothy Spall & Vanessa Redgrave.
He has also managed his own theatre company Counterpoint, founded Just Voices voice-over agency, set up Professional Communicators Ltd a telemarketing enterprise for out of work actors and been Youth & Community Director at Oxford United Football Club. Simon is a Director of leading educational software company Competence Development.
Simon also produces the podcast ‘Who Am I This Time?’ presented by David Morrissey. Hand in Glove and Seaboot, his first attempts at writing drama for TV are currently ‘in development’.