Professional Director of 5 star Theatre Company and LAMDA Acting Grad gives coaching for drama school entrance, professional work and Drama GCSE / A-Level

Find out more about Max

• When did you start practicing? How did this passion find you?

  At GCSE I was fast tracked in Drama & Theatre studies and put a year ahead of my peers. I completed my A-Level a year early as well. This started off a real passion in me. My teacher at the time was an inspiration to me and fired my passion and pushed me to be better, bolder and more daring. I now want to pass that on and ignite the same spark and passion in young people. I then trained for three years at LAMDA, one of the most intensive and prestigious institutions in the world for Actor Training. Here I honed my passion with skills and technique.

• Which artists or works affect you the most?

  Shakespeare is a big one, my training at LAMDA was heavily classical and so we did a lot of work on him; his text, his rhythm and his historical context. I am always amazed by how deeply he understands people and how beautiful his language is.

• What are the qualities and skill required to succeed in this area?

  Openness. Imagination. Discipline. Actors have to be open and available to their scene partner, to the text and to the audience. They need to shift and change as everything around them does. They have to be imaginative, playful and curious. They have to be able to imaginatively empathize with the character they are playing and the situation they're in. This imagination is exactly what I guide my students towards. Every actor needs discipline, the discipline to learn lines, to investigate the scene and the character, to be on time for rehearsals, to play as a team and to keep taking risks.

• What is the most valuable advice you can give to help someone stay focused on creative projects?

  Take the project seriously and connect to why you are doing it. Drama explores areas of human experience that are intrinsically and deeply a part of us but are so often underused and forgotten about. A real creative act reconnects us to the full spectrum of our humanity, and bearing this in mind can reinvigorate a waning focus. Also, find the fun in it. Being an artist and creating is an absolute joy. Remember that, and the focus will come for free and you'll be inherently interested in what you do.

• How would you describe your passion; how does it make you feel?

  It makes me feel totally engaged and present when I'm doing it. I'm thinking mainly of when I'm in rehearsals with my theatre company, or working 1:1 tutoring someone. I am totally engrossed by what I'm doing, not checking my phone, not thinking about my life outside, but absorbed, focused and passionate as I'm helping people realize their full potential an actor or performer.

• What creative achievements are you particularly proud of?

  My recent show Tender Napalm which played at the King's Head Theatre at the end of 2021. It was my second collaboration with prolific writer Philip Ridley and was a success with critics and audiences alike. I am proud of it artistically. It was about grief, a young couple had lost their daughter, and the actors and I managed to create something that was deeply moving, and funny and romantic.

• Have you ever been surprised by a student; by their ability or quick progression?

  Yes, once a student I was tutoring for her GCSE practical exam, would not even read aloud for me on our first and second session, she was shy and reserved. By week four we were performing the scene together and trying all sorts of daring and exciting choices with it, she was such an intelligent and interesting actor! She went on to score very highly in her exam.

• Being a Superprof is an art! What is your secret?

  Definitely to listen to the needs of the student and make the sessions completely bespoke to them. Acting and Drama is not a one size fits all subject. It deals with our humanity and each person is so incredibly different and individual. This is why I make sure a really get to know someone as we start our tutoring journey together so that what I am teaching them is what they need to hear, what they need to grow.