FORMER Hollyoaks star Darren Jeffries is bringing his very own Ludovico Studio – an eight-week adult acting course – to his hometown of Warrington.
Open days are taking place at Pyramid Warrington on Saturday and Sunday September 15/16, for an eight-week acting class for adults living in Warrington and the surrounding area which runs from October 8 to November 26.
The course is open to adults of any age and background, and will give beginners and professionals the opportunity to learn stagecraft, on-camera techniques, improvisation, and essential industry know-how, as well as career support and advice.
At the tender age of 15, Jeffries starred in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks (between 1997 and 2007, as well as returning in 2017). Jeffries has also guest starred in BBC1’s ‘Doctors’ and appeared on stage in various theatres throughout the North including ‘Where We Are’ at HOME in Manchester, ‘Dear Nomad’ with The Bolton Octagon and in Andrea Dunbar’s play ‘Shirley’ at Square Chapel Arts Centre in Halifax.
He has also continued to pass on his own industry experience during this time, teaching acting professionals and beginners throughout Manchester, Liverpool, Wilmslow, Preston and Bolton.
Jeffries will now be returning to his home soil to deliver the eight-week adult acting course designed to build and empower a brand new acting community in Warrington, with a choice of two-hour classes on Monday or Tuesday evenings in Pyramid Warrington.
There will also be an open day in Warrington Town Centre on the 15th and 16th September for anyone interested in meeting the Ludovico team and discovering what the eight-week course will entail first-hand, with the chance to ask established actor Darren Jeffries any advice about the world of acting.
With a core focus on ‘Stanislavski’s System’, as well as stage craft, on-camera technique, improvisation, and industry know-how, Ludovico students will be taught the necessary skills required to elevate them to industry standard.
Stage and screen actor Jeffries said: ”There’s a known lack of support across the UK for actors young and old who simply don’t have the ways and means to enter established drama schools, so I’m extremely enthusiastic about bringing Ludovico Studio to my hometown of Warrington.
“It was on stage in Warrington’s own Parr Hall where I received my first big break which led to Hollyoaks, so I’m eternally grateful to the place and I can’t wait to pass my experiences on and support others with their own performance skills and careers. I believe there’s a ton of blue-collar acting talent in Warrington that hasn’t yet been given the chance to shine, and my goal is to give something back to the town that gave me my career and to build a thriving, working acting community that Warrington can be proud of.”
The long term plan for Jeffries and Ludovico Studio is to form a ‘creative pathway’ from Warrington to the fast-growing theatre and television industry in Manchester, bolstering actors from Warrington and providing them with the opportunity to enter an industry that some may see as ‘out-of-reach’.
Jeffries is currently in talks with Culture Warrington and Warrington Borough Council, and hopes to showcase the first generation of Ludovico actors during Warrington Contemporary Arts Festival 2019, The Stockton Heath Festival 2019, and various industry showcases in Manchester too.
Alongside Ludovico Studio, Jeffries also runs Ludovico Productions, which specialises in creating short film and theatre. Their first film ‘Note to Self’ is already in the edit suite and will be released later this year, as well as their first theatre production taking place in November of this year. Jeffries hopes to utilise any acting talent discovered through Ludovico Studio for any future projects.
For anyone wanting further information on attending Ludovico Studio at Pyramid Warrington, please visit the Ludovico Website at http://www.helloludovico.co.uk
