Character Showcase Intensive
Sept. 23rd - Nov. 12th
Wednesdays 6:30-9:30pm
8-Week Development & Performance Lab
Develop the skills to take your character work to the next level in our 8 week performance lab.
Instead of cobbling together short scenes for a traditional drama school showcase, you'll inhabit a character across an entire world premiere one-act play, staying truthful, connected, and compelling from your first entrance to the curtain call.
As established educators and playwrights, we're creating new work specifically designed to spotlight actors. You'll perform a piece where every character matters, not just the leads. And because we cap admission at 12 people (6 actors per play), you'll genuinely get meaningful one-on-one feedback throughout the process.
Over the 8 weeks, we'll dig into character building strategies, audition technique, performance stamina, taking direction with confidence, and squeezing every bit of possibility out of a rehearsal. The goal? To expand your range and sharpen the skills that make you a stronger, more versatile actor.
The intensive culminates in a public performance at the Hen & Chickens Theatre, on November 12th, 2026, which will be an opportunity to genuinely be seen, demonstrate your growth, and celebrate your work as part of bold new writing.
This class is for actors with prior training and/or professional experience. You don't need a BAFTA on your CV, but we just want to be upfront that our focus is on honing craft, not teaching foundational technique.
The cost of the 8 week course is £375 and sessions will be on Wednesday evenings from 6:30pm-9:30pm. Sept 23rd-Nov. 12th at Old Diorama Arts Centre.
The Writer/Directors
Jane Hancock is an award-winning writer and director working across theatre and film. Her screenwriting has been recognised through multiple awards and international festival selections, with her plays and development projects performed and produced in both Canada and the UK.
As a director, she is drawn to actor-led storytelling, developing new writing, and creating work that explores emotional truth.
As an actor, Jane has performed across stage and screen for over 15 years, with credits including Netflix’s Altered Carbon and BBC’s Doctor Who.
Jane is the founder of Driving Force Acting School, where she works with actors at all stages of their careers.
Colin Waitt is an actor, writer, and educator with over a decade of professional experience in the entertainment industry. Acting highlights include Time's Up, I'm Afraid (Splonk - LOCO Film Fest), The (Token) Woman in Black (Soho Theatre), and the Drama-Desk winning production of The Mysteries (The Flea, NYC).
His play anthology, Let's Get Weird, debuted as the #1 New Release in Theatre on Amazon, and he's been Longlisted for Theatre 503's International Playwriting Award, the Ilfeld Prize, and the National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center.
Colin produced the hit comedy Puffs, which continues to be one of the most licensed playscripts in the United States.