Theatre / Reviews
Review: The Actors’ Workshop Showcase, The Mount Without – ‘An impressive incubator of young acting talent’
The Actors’ Workshop is a Bristol-based charity that runs courses aiming to deliver talented actors into top drama schools like RADA and LAMDA.
In the stunningly atmospheric space of The Mount Without, their 2025 cohort demonstrated an impressive depth of talent and skill in their Foundation Course Showcase.
With a packed programme, from Shakespearean scenes to musical numbers, it is clear after the first few performances that this is a body that incubates genuine acting flair.
is needed now More than ever
Kicking off with an opening choral rendition of Seasons of Love from the musical Rent, the evening jumps straight into a modernised version of Romeo and Juliet, with the totality of the play performed in a thumb-burning three minutes, via the medium of text messages. While modernisations can sometimes feel trite, here the humorous dialogue and staging work in its favour, as well as the exasperated narrator having to announce the next act every 30 seconds.
Further into Act One of the night and we are treated to a definitively witty extract from The Importance of Being Earnest. With posh voices and a 19th century countenance, the actors deliver a stellar performance, resplendent in their incredible costumes. This offering features Saffron Hibbitt and Lily Buchan, who bring the piece to life. Buchan also shines in another highlight of the show, in an extract from Clean by Sabrina Mahfouz.
Other highlights of the evening include The Last Sambuca by Elysia Knight, which follows two drunk girls after a night out eating kebabs. Bristolians might be particularly tickled when one quips, after realising they weren’t given mayo: “Is this Jason Donervan’s way of telling me I’m fat?”, referencing the city’s famous kebab vendor on the Triangle. Edie Herbert and Tabitha Weatherburn make a hilarious duo.
While The Actors’ Workshop usually hold their performances at the Loco Klub, the gothic splendour of newly transformed The Mount Without is the ideal setting for this showcase. The pillars that lead up to the stage and the giant stained-glass windows add a grandeur to the performance that might otherwise been lost.
Variety keeps the night refreshing and engaging and the transitions are slick. While some of the performances as a company are a bit heavy-handed and clumsy, even they have an authentic, home-grown charm to them. But if that kind of thing bothers you, the dramatic entrances and exits through the audience make up for it.
From stern and moving renditions addressing serious topics to light-hearted ones addressing the complexities of marriage through post-it notes, the evening really delivers on its promise to showcase the variety of talent produced at The Actors’ Workshop.
The organisation’s mission is to deliver world-class acting training for a fraction of the price of courses at universities. Nevertheless, it’s a cut-throat competitive landscape out there for aspiring actors.
“Oxbridge admits 24 per cent of applicants; drama schools take less than 1 per cent”, points out Clara Marullo, co-director of the charity.
Referring to the more even playing field The Actors’ Workshop offers aspiring actors, she is clearly proud of their charitable status, as well their ability to offer bursary places to a number of students who are not in a position to pay.
And judging by tonight’s evidence, in their 18th year of operating, it’s no surprise that the organisation has been able to get 80-90 per cent of its young talent into UK drama conservatoires for every year of its nearly two decades in operation.
To find out more about The Actor’s Workshop, visit www.theactorsworkshop.co.uk or follow @the_actors_workshop.
All photos: Katie Toon
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