Blog

Jenny Eastop and the Mercurius project

Wednesday, 10 April 2013 17:11

Jenny Eastop works as a teacher, director and tutor at Drama Studio London. "I juggle being a Director, Teacher and 2 year Course Tutor at Drama Studio with being a freelance Director. After more years than I care to mention directing plays I’d been given to do whilst trying, usually unsuccessfully, to get producers to back the projects I wanted to do, I had a large pile of plays I yearned to direct. I finally faced up to the only way I was going to make this happen and set up my own theatre company, Mercurius, in 2011…

Olivia Vinall at The National Theatre & Life After DSL

Wednesday, 20 February 2013 09:18

Olivia Vinall graduated from Drama Studio London in 2010 and will be staring as Desdemona at the National Theatre with Adrian Lester and Rory Kinnear from April to July 2013: http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/othello "I’ve been asked to write a little about life since graduating from Drama Studio London (DSL) in 2010 – (wow, even typing that I can’t quite believe it’s been that long!) The past two years have, as I’m sure most graduates would agree, been quite a roller-coaster. You have the exhilarating high of finishing a year of training and all the possibilities that lie ahead, but also the reality of…

Putting on a Panto

Sunday, 23 December 2012 14:04

Written by 1 Year Course student Emily Wyatt. The last two weeks of term at Drama Studio London were the most exhausting and demanding yet. “Gird your loins,” said Principal Pickles before it began – rightly so. Within days of our last Chekhov performances, which were a depressing mix of worrying about who’s going to buy the cherry orchard and what’s going to happen to Uncle Vanya, we entered the world of pantomime - which couldn’t have been further removed from recreating the practices of pre-revolutionary Russia. We were divided into four groups; Aladdin, Babes in the Woods, Hickory Dickory…

David Tucker's Balancing Act

Tuesday, 13 November 2012 09:26

Written by David Tucker Head of Media at Drama Studio London My life is hectic at the moment! As well as teaching Screen Acting on both the 1 Year and 2 Year 1 courses at Drama Studio London, I have also been teaching at Royal Holloway University (a multi-camera studio project for first year undergraduates) and at Drama Centre (but not much – my real loyalty is to Drama Studio London!). I’m also two weeks away from shooting a 30-minute film called BURN THE CLOCK. This is my project, so no backing from a major broadcaster. It’s written by Laura…

My First Week at Drama Studio London 2 Year Course

Thursday, 25 October 2012 09:24

Written by Amy Harris 2 Year Student. Day 1: So day 1 of 2YR1 was finally upon us today. For every person, the build up to this day will have been different. Some may have known for months that they would be coming, and others for just a few weeks. I myself, only accepted a place here at the end of August after a rather spontaneous application to the Summer School. Tying up loose ends at home, working a lot to save a bit of cash, and upholding existing commitments meant I was only able to move to London on…

My First Week at Drama Studio London

Monday, 20 August 2012 08:11

Written by Adam Sowter 1 Year Student. ‘MUM CALLING!’ my phone loudly announces to the world. Bleary eyed I struggle to read the clock - 6.30am! My parents clearly don’t trust me to wake up on time. I try to go about my usual morning routine as if it was like any other day (admittedly with a few alterations e.g. reduced shower singing and a lot of running taps to disguise bodily functions - after all it’s only been a day) but as me and my new housemates assemble in the hall nothing can disguise the fear - this…

A Week in the Life of a Director at DSL

Thursday, 31 May 2012 11:15

Written by Gillian King Director and Tutor at Drama Studio London. So this was a busy week for me as a director at Drama Studio London and also as an actor. So here goes: Monday – This was the final day of rehearsals for ‘Spring Awakening’ by Frank Wedekind for the One Year Students’ Ensemble Block. This is an exciting block as we only have six days to create an ensemble performance. It’s not the whole play, about an hour long, but it’s a tricky piece; very wordy, with lots of big themes around teenagers’…

A Showcase A Showcase - My Kingdom for a West End Showcase!

Wednesday, 16 May 2012 00:00

Written by Paul Valentine: 2 Year Course Student (2010-2012) I have been asked to write a blog for the Drama Studio London website. I have never written a blog before, but I feel I should refine my skills in this area in order to fill some of the free time I might have after I haul up the DSL anchor and sail away into the misty ocean called “the profession”.Okay, this is a somewhat pessimistic tone to start on, but it ties in nicely with what this blog is going to talk about; the West End Showcase, a chance to…

1 Year Course: Restoration Block

Tuesday, 08 May 2012 00:00

Written by John Conway: 1 Year Course Student (2011-2012) Restoration Theatre Workshop: over two days starts with a history of Commedia Del’Arte (so very crude and bawdy) and how it has been the basis of all character comedy and sitcoms since. Think; Norman Wisdom, Lee Evans, Basil Fawlty, Manuel, Frank Spencer. Day 2 starts with separate sessions: 1) The restoration. Here we go again, that old politics and religion chestnut! Still, at least theatres and playwriting were back, thanks to Charles II, after having been shut by Cromwell. 2) Team Comedy. A short leader with a tall gangly henchman –…