Feedback from workshops for actors, directors and writers 

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The practical work was extreme, visceral and obviously (speedily) effective. Useful to see how emotion can be tapped into - and to see it experientially happen in front of you.

Ben  Webb director

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His techniques are beautifully simple and yet very, very clever. Whilst he makes the actor sweat and swear, the work becomes deliciously effortless, freeing and a joy to endure;

I felt utterly in my skin. I find it hard to articulate the experience of working with Brian and I put this down to being in my right brain for the majority of the experience.

Ann Marcuson Actor

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The workshop was one of the most practically useful I have been on, as he made sure he gave us actual practical exercises that we can use with actors. Witnessing other directors undertake these exercises made it easy to see the results, which were very moving, sometimes uncomfortable, but in my opinion this was a good thing as the electric atmosphere was felt by all

- exactly how theatre should be.

Mel Hillyard Artistic Director for WriteTime with Eyebrow Productions

and Director in Residence for Attic Theatre Company

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After the sessions with Brian I didn't work with the monologue for a year until I needed it for an audition. I prepared it as normal and was worried about my connection to the text after such an extended hiatus. However, on the day of the audition all the emotion was immediately accessible without me having to create or force a connection and the emotional speech came to me organically. I would recommend this method to any actor.

Ed Young  Actor

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...he was clear, funny, candid and fascinating, also very uplifting and inspiring in his dedication to his craft and students, demonstrating how his physical techniques gradually release the actors' spontaneity and make them leave their brains alone and be completely and freely in the moment.

Orla Salinger  Actor

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...the results at the end of the session showed that his methods do exactly what it says on the tin! It was wonderful to watch the freedom and the daring surface through reticence and defence.

Jackie Kane  Writer/director/actor

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I just wanted to thank you for the work we did during the Unlocking Emotions workshop at the BAC last month. I had been struggling to finish my play. I had been rewriting and rewriting the last 10 pages for about 6 weeks. I couldn't get it right. After your workshop, I had the courage of my convictions and listened to the characters. I then wrote what was true to them. I finished those last 10 pages in three days! I'm now working up a couple of other ideas and I hope I can use the same principle and

listen to my characters without interference from me

and all my worries about getting it right.

Nicola Albon  Playwright The London Playwrights Collective

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Brian's technique is focused, ferocious and fearless. Like anything that demands stepping out of your comfort zone, when you give in to it, the results are exhilarating and enlightening. The exercises immediately propel you into extremely heightened emotional states, stripping away the barrier of logic, leaving you connected to the words and the character in a way that feels as though the words, emotions and sensations are totally your own. You lay yourself bare, but with that you open yourself up totally to all possibilities and, in the chaos and confusion,

there is true acceptance of the moment.

Silvana Maimone  Actor

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Brian freed more of my potential in three hours than I had previously managed on my own in twenty-six years. From the theoretical discussion on narrative structure to the more practical writing exercises, I came away feeling for the first time like I had something worth saying and the ability to say it. More than anything Brian instilled a belief in myself which I now realise is more important for a writing career than anything else.

Andrew Johnson

Oxford University Writing workshop

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There's nothing safe about a piece of good theatre whilst you're watching it - thankfully. Brian Astbury knows this and so his actor training and theatre-making methods have an element of risk to them (or certainly can feel as if they do) - again, thankfully. If you care about performing honestly and openly - without a host of bullshit mannerisms - and crafting performances that are based around following your true instincts, you might want to get to know his book and methods intimately. He understands what theatre is innately and in the truest sense; again, my advice is to pay constant and close attention. He's also warm, funny and in love with actors, so you're in considerably good hands.

Jordan Seavey

co-founder CollaborationTown Theatre, New York

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His techniques allow emotional exploration of the text without over analysis or conjuring of personal memories. I found them liberating in the sense that I could let go of getting it right and pumping emotions, which allowed space for authentic connections to emerge. The results were sincere, resonant and engaging performances - essential for good theatre.

Fiona Geddes Actor

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In one workshop, Brian was able to help me access emotions on stage that I'd never seen come out of me before. He provides fantastic instruction for everybody from seasoned actors looking to hone their skills to beginners who are just taking their first steps into the acting world.

Reed Doucette

Oxford University Acting Workshop

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I felt deeply liberated. It was a very inspiring experience to see actors explore different levels of emotions and energy. Afterwards I really wanted to take it into practice and take it further. I wanted to be emotionally spontanous and creative enough to enter this unknown territory. Brian Astbury's workshop was a very intuitive and inspirational experience!

Joana Duyster-Borreda

Oxford University Acting Workshop

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Thanks for the excellent workshop. I feel I have become a different director already after that day. It's given me a completely different perspective about directing and more importantly, what journey an actor is going through. I have always been appreciative of actors and admire what they do, but I feel I respect them even more now

Shan Ng  Theatre and film director

(May Wong, 2010)

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In our theatre-writing workshop Brian created a

non-judgemental, comfortable environment in which we felt free to experiment with our writing. Through a series of guided exercises Brian helped to me tap in to the character's voice in my subconscious and I left the workshop feeling invigorated and full of ideas that without the workshop,

would never have come to me.

Fortuna Burke   aspiring screenwriter,

studying an MST in Creative Writing,

Oxford University Writing Workshop

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Brian's workshop Unlocking Emotions was a fantastic experience. Being put on a stage with your text when you are a writer is a refreshing and illuminating experience. The text comes alive in your head and in your body. When he worked my extract with an actress, I was so thrilled with it, I was in tears by the end of the session. Very effective stuff.

Carolina Ortega  Playwright

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What a privilege it was to witness the wealth of experience Brian Astbury brings to bear in rehearsals with actors for a special workshop Unlocking Emotions. Having sent in short extracts from scripts, writers had the opportunity of seeing actors interpret their work utilising a variety of demanding physical exercises developed by Brian to engage and fully explore the emotional content of each writer's dialogue. It was revelatory to witness the dramatic changes and development of the actors' journey as realised through the scripts as they were challenged by the demands of Brian's techniques and insight. It was perhaps the most perfect illustration of the unique ability of collaborative theatre to transparently marry the disciplines of writer, actor and director in one of the most rewarding workshops the LPC has produced.

David Bottomley  Writer's Group Director

The London Playwrights' Collective