Professional Performer

Our Year 13 learners at Stagedoor Learning had a fantastic experience during a two day workshop with actor Jack James Ryan. Jack has been a supporter of Stagedoor since 2018, when he made his professional debut in a play which was produced in Cheltenham, and also featured SDL teacher Jenny Cameron. Since then, Jack has performed in 'After Life' at the National Theatre, and has featured in several major TV series. He is best known for playing Jacob Hay in Coronation Street, and has another ITV drama - 'Passengers', coming out in the new year. We were privileged to have him with us for two full days, during which the learners learned a huge amount about screen acting, self-taping, and professional practice. Jack worked the learners hard, both in and out of college - they had to make and submit two professional level self-tapes from home as part of the process. During the two days, they took part in daily intensive physical warm ups, in-depth discussions in which they learned about agents, Spotlight, auditions, and the importance of making and maintaining positive relationships in a professional context. Jack worked with individuals in a masterclass set-up, on the differences between screen and stage acting, and on acting through song.

Stagedoor tutor, Jenny said 'Jack was really impressed with the learners’ performance work, but also with their professionalism, their focus and their positivity. This was an incredible opportunity for the learners to learn from a professional performer, and I was really proud of how much progress they made in such a short period of time. It was an intense but positive experience for all of the learners, and they learned a great deal.'