We have successfully been training actors since 2010
To gain recognition as the leading method acting studio in the UK by developing aspiring actors into world class, professional actors and helping them get started with their career.
StandBy Method Acting Studio was born in October 2010 after Artistic Director Louise, realised many aspiring actors couldn’t afford the fancy fees of drama schools or felt too old to pack up their jobs to study a degree in acting.
Who is Louise?
A lovely, down to earth, salt of the earth lass from Sheffield, who also happens to have worked professionally in the acting industry for a number of years as well as being absolutely bonkers about The Method. She’ll talk about it till the cows come home if you let her!
Louise has appeared in Hello magazine for her international acting work, at top UK regional theatre’s with her own original work, alongside Stephen Graham (Boardwalk Empire, This is England) in short film Shut Your Mouth, in panto as well as many independent feature films.
When did her love affair with The Method begin?
At drama school – she wasn’t trained in Method there though, which she found absolutely crazy seeing as though The Method gained huge results for the actors using it.
I’ll let you into a little secret, her acting wasn’t great at drama school. It was good before, that’s what got her in, but when she got there she started comparing herself to others. This meant that in scenes she became stupidly self-aware: of her accent (which was even stronger than it is now), of how she thought she should be saying lines, of what she should be doing with her hands, of her voice and of what others were thinking about her acting. She started thinking she was rubbish and totally lost her confidence. The worst part of it all, was when her director told her in front of the rest of her year, at the final rehearsal for her showcase, that she was F**king sh!t. Oh and she didn’t get an agent or any interest from casting directors at the showcase ironically!
OUCHEY WAWA!!
Louise is made of strong stuff – her fiesty Irish roots mixed with her council estate upbringing make her one tough cookie!
She’s one driven lass!
She knew that she had two options after this epic fail at drama school 1) go back to Sheffield and do a job that earns her good money but doesn’t fulfill her 2) Dust herself off and tackle these bad acting habits head on.
She chose the latter.
And…
Whilst her acting mates were swanning off stressing about getting agents, she took further classes in acting for TV & honing the monologue. They were OK, but she wasn’t learning anything new and still had these bad acting habits clinging to her like a clam. Nothing felt juicy or raw enough for her UNTIL… she stumbled across Meisner’s repetition technique.
HALLELUJAH
Louise worked with a coach who totally understood what was going on with her and armed her up with some nuclear strength acting techniques that helped her leave herself alone and pull out some pretty potent performances.
Louise was revved up and firing on all cylinders but wanted more – this is where she became addicted to The Method. She continued to train in The Method, as laid down by Lee Strasberg, whilst at the same time working professionally, which is a firm belief Louise lives by and is at the root of StandBy Method Acting Studio – that no actor should ever stop their training/learning no matter where they are In their career.
Her addiction grew
Method acting is Louise’s crack!
She attended a Q&A with Al Pacino and trotted across the Atlantic to the Actor’s Studio, New York (the home of the method) for extra method acting training (which has inspired the development of StandBy Method Acting Studio).
Louise also needs a yearly hit of Meisner so trots off to The American Academy of Dramatic Arts each year to keep improving her coaching skills.
As you can see, the American way of training actors has hugely influenced StandBy Method Acting Studio.
SHOCK, HORROR!
Louise was shocked to discover that this ground breaking technique, which has transformed the craft and careers of so many globally recognised actors, isn’t readily available in the UK, the way it is over in the States.
Louise feels strongly that aspiring actors shouldn’t have to give in to the pressures of drama school being the only way into the industry, which can be costly. Louise decided she wanted to pass on these world class skills to aspiring actors in the North of England and set up Sheffield’s first and only Method Acting Studio to do exactly that.
StandBy Method Acting Studio is the only acting studio outside of London that teaches The Method in depth as it was delivered by Lee Strasberg, Stanislavski and those at The Group Theatre.
Louise has taken everything she has learnt from her own drama school training at The Arden School of Theatre, Manchester, her further training at The Actor’s Studio, New York and continuous training at The American Academy of Dramatic Art to develop the highly acclaimed, 5 star rated 12 week method acting programme and Weekend Method Acting Training Camp so those who are serious about their acting aspirations, can have access to that same world class technique that has won actors an astonishing 150 awards (at the last count).
Louise has created a highly respected place for actors to train each week where the under belly of the company is and always will be the craft first for long term success.
