Teach Yourself Acting

Acting Voice and Presentation Training

Acting Voice and Presentation Training hosted by Ellis Jones, former Head of Acting and Vice-Principal at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). Teach Yourself Acting offers no-nonsense one-to-one and group coaching for new and seasoned actors, and for non-actors needing to upgrade their presentation skills.

“…your first and most important tool is common sense”. (David Mamet in True and False: Heresy and Common sense for the Actor” Vintage 1999)

What we offer:

Online and Live one-to-one Coaching

Coaching with a top professional tutor on a real-time, one-to-one basis. Available to non-actors and actors alike at sensible prices. If you’re seeking help with a tricky presentation, or you’ve an important audition coming up, we can make a difference very quickly. PLEASE NOTE: THROUGHOUT THE CURRENT VIRUS OUTBREAK, ALL TYA COACHING WILL REMAIN AVAILABLE ON LINE – however face-to-face classes are now available in the London area.

ARE YOU IN AMERICA? Or anywhere outside the UK? If you would like to explore actor training based in the “classical” British theatre tradition, we’re here on Zoom, Skype and telephone. Drop us a message at info@teachyourselfacting.com and we’ll get right back to you!

LOOKING FOR A GIFT IDEA? Why not give a TYA class as a present? For example, a one-to-one acting class for a budding actor, or a voice class to give speaking confidence? Amazingly good value, from £45 for a one-off session. Just drop us an e-mail. info@teachyourselfacting.com

The Audition Surgery

The TYA Audition Surgery team members have been at the receiving end of auditions literally hundreds of times, and have witnessed many disasters – but also the start of many wonderful careers. This is your chance to tap into their experience and skills.

LATEST NEWS: CONGRATULATIONS AND GOOD LUCK to TYA audition coaching clients now in full-time training. Last year CHRISTIAN SEARCH started training at Mountview Academy, ISABELLA AINSLIE at Guildford Scoool of Acting, and TOBY SEDDON at Arts Education. Also to LILY RICE at Rose Bruford and MILLY POTTER at the National Youth Theatre. This autumn, despite the Pandemic having a chilling effect on drama school intake numbers, congratulations to ELLA BOYES at LAMDA, LUCY HARRIS at Guildford School of Acting and IEUAN BRADLEY at Oxford School of Drama, all three on three year degree courses, all recent clients of TYA.

Meanwhile, as usual salutes are due to RADA graduates from Ellis’s time steering the training at Gower St – currently to TOBIAS MENZIES for the Primetime Emmy Ward for his cracking turn as Prince Philip in THE CROWN on Netflix, to BEN WHISHAW for garnering great reviews in NO TIME TO DIE. To MICHELLE TERRY for steering the survival of Shakespeare’ Globe through this grim pandemic – the main stage re-opens next week with ROMEO AND JULIET, featuring SIRINE SABA  as the Nurse. The work across the board is of course widespread and wondrous – for examples, look out for new projects starring TOM BURKE (“Bring Them Down”) SALLY HAWKINS (“Spencer”) and you can still watch BERTIE CARVEL in the thriller series “The Sister” on the ITV hub.

Business or Academic Presentations

You don’t have to be an actor to make a strong, impactful presentation – but acting skills can be really useful, and can be learned. Our bespoke presention training is tailored to your (or your company’s) individual needs. The training is comprehensive, discrete – and we recognise challenges of work are changing in the current pandemic climate, for example in the need to comunicate effectively via Internet media.  Please contact us for an entirely free consultation.  

Specialist Tutors: Dialect, Voice, and Physical Skills 

Help with a specific dialect or accent, direct coaching via phone or Internet with a leading London professional. London dialect coaches Helen Ashton and Sarah Shepherd are on hand to help.

What does it cost?

For one-to-one acting classes we offer a “try-out” one-hour session (either in person or via Skype) for £45 ($60 US) so that you and we together can decide the best way forward for you. Further classes cost £60($80 US) per hour, or £100 ($130) for a two-hour session.

Other courses vary, depending on the length of the course and size of the group.

Training with Ellis

Actors who trained at RADA during Ellis’s time as Head of Acting are everywhere. Ellis supervised the training of a remarkable generation of performers including Sally Hawkins, Katherine Kelly, Maxine Peake, Matthew Macfadyen, Tobias Menzies, Joanna Page, Matthew Rhys, Ioan Gruffudd, Tom Hiddleston, Danny Mays, Eve Best, Bertie Carvel, Ben Whishaw and many more.

Contact us today to find out how we can help you.