Yesterday I did some headshots for two chums of mine, David Thaxton and Nancy Sullivan. They're both fantastic actors, and have performed in some of the most prestigious shows out there, including Les Miserables and Passion, for which David won an Olivier award for Best Actor in a Musical. However it is their work outside of the West End that deserves similar recognition. W1 Workshops run workshops for young actors, whose access to high quality drama training is being checked by the spiralling cost of drama school fees (just to audition at RADA cost £90.) Their week-long intensive courses, feature tutors with a wealth of credits across TV, film and radio, Phillip Ridley is a regular contributor and their panels include agents from Grantham and Hazeldine and Curtis Brown.
The debate rages about class in the arts, and the lack of provision for those without and whilst castigating the likes of Eddie Redmayne and Tom Hiddleston seems a touch myopic, we need to ask, not who's the next Benedict Cumberbatch but rather where's the next Julie Walters coming from? Perhaps here...