As was announced just before Half Term at the Drama Festival, Alex McWilliam, who has been the Acting Coach at SOTA Reading for the past 6 years will be leaving us shortly to further develop his Improvisation Company.
We are delighted to share with you the exciting news that David Blair will be stepping into Alex’s shoes from Saturday March 10th.
David trained at renowned Guildhall School of Music & Drama and since training, David has worked in a wide and varied capacity as an actor. He has written and performed shows at the Edinburgh Festival, performed on the stand up comedy circuit, and written and directed short films as well as working extensively in Theatre, Film & Television. David is passionate about supporting and developing young people.Some highlights from his previous work include, the News Revue at the Canal Café Theatre, Potholes (Theatre 503) Mercutio in Romeo & Juliet and Casio in Othello (both with the Birmingham Stage Company), The Blue Hour: City Sketches (Bridewell Theatre), Noon (Bridewell Theatre), Proposals (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Twelfth Night (Northcott Theatre), Owning the Knuckleball (Grace Theatre), Tambourlaine (RSC), workshops with Prunella Scales and Philippe Gaulier.
Film credits include: All Souls Night (written/directed), A Grey Morning, Elizabeth, Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet.
Television credits include: A Touch of Cloth, Murder in Mind, Hear the Silence, Casualty, A & E, Shipman, A Great Deliverance, Heartbeat, Silent Witness, Band of Brothers, The Wild House, A Touch of Frost , Dalziel & Pascoe, Lord Kilbracken, Island, The Street, The Bill.
We are delighted that David is bringing such extensive professional acting experience to his teaching at SOTA and the children have much to learn from him and his career as an actor.
David is very excited about taking on the Acting tuition at SOTA both in SOTA School and in the LAMDA Exam classes and he is a tremendous addition to our team at SOTA Reading.
LAMDA SPACES
If your child does not do LAMDA, but would like to start, now is a great time to start, as the pupils have just finished their exams – so do email me back if this is something you would like to enrol on. LAMDA Acting Exams start from age 8, and are internationally recognised qualifications. The children work with their Acting Coach, in small groups to enable one to one coaching on staging two or three scenes, depending on the grade they are taking, which they perform to a LAMDA Examiner. The exams give the pupils valuable UCAS points which count towards their university / drama school placement and are a fantastic acting training and experience. At the upper end the qualifications are the equivalent of a GCSE, an AS Level and an A-Level – so they are really worth working towards.
I am sure you will join me in thanking Alex for his years of service to the school and our pupils and we all wish Alex the very best for his exciting future ventures. Parents, please share this news with pupils who are taught by Alex so they are aware of this news, and have plenty of time to say their thank you’s and farewells.
