School Ethos

School Ethos

Trust, Authenticity and Connection underpin our school ethos.

As humans we frequently concentrate on the do of our lives and there’s a place for that; but we also need to concentrate on the being and connection between you, your scene partners and the text, if there is one. The breakthroughs come when we step into the parts of ourselves that trust more, that inherently know there’s a freedom in letting go and surrendering to what comes up for you in the present moment.

Truth and believability within yourself and your work is what enables you to honestly tell the stories which you are being employed to tell. If you don’t believe what you’re saying, then how can the viewer? Also, if you don’t bring your individual self to your roles then how will you stand out from the crowd? It is you that employers are looking for. It is you that is telling the story. It is you that is making a difference. This truth brings freedom, strength and individual creative expression.

At ACI, everyone has a voice, everyone will be seen and heard.

Daniel Dresner

I am an acting coach and teacher having taught at drama schools around the world. My private coaching clients range from novice actors to Hollywood stars.

I have developed my approach over more than 25 years as a coach, director, teacher, life coach, actor, comedian and improviser in London, New York and Tokyo.

I studied The Method at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York and am a certified Co-Active Training Institute professional life coach.

I’m also very proud to have written A Life-Coaching Approach to Screen Acting, published by Bloomsbury/Methuen.

Prior to my career in the entertainment industry, I earned an honours degree in business studies at Middlesex University and worked as an executive with a major multinational company.

As an actor, I have appeared in hundreds of films, commercials and live performances.

My long-standing favourite saying is by Oscar Wilde; “Be yourself; everyone else is taken”.

Danny Clifton

I’ve been a casting assistant, agent and actor. I run the Union Management agency and have 4 agents working for 85 partners. We work across the board in Film, TV, Commercials, Stage and Corporates.

I also run the Online Actors Retreat where we connect actors worldwide with casting directors, agents, managers and other industry professionals.

I connect with actors worldwide in workshops about the Business of Acting (it is a business, like any other) and Life from the Agent’s Perspective which involves what a good agent does, how they work, expectations, what to bring to the relationship and how to work when you don’t have an agent.

I hold weekly meditation, creativity and connection workshops.

My teaching work is based in simplicity. To get out of your head and into your body more. This being a visual medium, we pay attention more when something isn’t being said than when something is.

Learning to let go of control and stepping into a power greater than you is both a scary and more effective way of being -we have to trust ourselves a lot more than before.

Georgie Montgomery

I am an actor, writer and voice over artist, and have been extremely fortunate that this has taken me across the globe.

I originally trained in Musical Theatre at The MTA in London and continued to enhance my acting training right here at ACI!

At present, five of my plays are featured in the anthology radio series ‘On Another Wavelength’, where one was nominated for a One Voice Award.

Alongside acting and writing, I also teach singing to an esteemed group of young actors – where I have used my skills to write, direct and produce a number of their shows.

I am a passionate advocate of creating stories and characters enriched in diversity, which not only widens the viewers perspective, but has a deep connection with those that need them the most.

I’m incredibly excited to be a part of the Actors Coaching International team and to grow in abundance with my fellow actors.

OUR TEACHERS

Lorna Dempsey

I am an actor, acting coach and reiki practitioner, originally from Ireland. I love to weave my skills into my craft and business.

I have trained in Musical Theatre at The Royal Academy of Music & The College of Dance Dublin, Ireland before completed 2 years of Meisner Technique at The Actors Temple London. I am no stranger to theatre having performed internationally.

Teaching, producing, writing and directing for my performing arts school Dance LA , has been one of my proudest achievements. I have been a holistic practitioner for over 8 years. Qualified and attuned with the Tera Mai linage under the Reiki Master Pauline Cooley.

I am currently training in (NLP) Neuro Linguistic Practice and I have a fascination with human design, and transforming and evolving physically mentally and energetically.

My skills transfer between both industries with wellbeing , alignment and authenticity at the forefront of both. I believe that love joy and abundance is our birthright and I am honoured to be part of the Actors Coaching International journey.

Richard Kwietniowski

Richard Kwietniowski has made the internationally distributed feature films Love and Death on Long Island (starring John Hurt and Jason Priestley) and Owning Mahowny (starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, John Hurt and Minnie Driver), in addition to work for British TV and a number of acclaimed short films, including Alfalfa and Flames of Passion.

His work has received awards from the Cannes Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival, New York Film Critics Circle, US National Board of Review, Royal Television Society, D&AD (Gold and Best of Year), and BAFTA.

He teaches directing, screenwriting and acting-to-camera at a range of institutions in the UK and beyond and has contributed to many European initiatives in feature-film development. He is a Senior Lecturer at London Film School, where he co-supervises all graduation films.

His name is easier to pronounce than it looks: Kfee-et-nee-ov-skee.

Tom Sawyer

Tom Sawyer is an award-winning actor and coach with over 20 years of experience on stage and screen.

As a coach, Tom has been working with Actors from all over the world, focusing on Screen acting and the “Meisner” Technique at leading institutions such as Mountview Academy, East 15, Fourth Monkey, Actors Temple, International School of Screen Acting, Actors Academy Finland and privately both online and in person.

Tom has also worked with London Film Academy, London Film School, Central Film School and NFTS.