McGregor and Staunton among star teachers at Actors Centre

Published Tuesday 27 September 2005 at 12:05 by Nuala Calvi

Ewan McGregor, Imelda Staunton, Patrick Stewart and Brian Cox are some of the screen stars who have been recruited to run classes at the Actors Centre in London.

The stars will give lessons at the subsidised rate of £38 to a pool of actors and directors selected by audition and interview, and will fit the classes around their own filming schedules.

Entitled the Skillset Film Lab, the programme is being supported by government agency Skillset and talent agents PFD.

Matthew Lloyd, the Actors Centre artistic director, said: “In the States a lot of actors ‘take class’ on a regular basis. But the distinguishing feature of the Film Lab is that people will not be selected by who’s able to pay.

“The lab will run over the course of 12 months and we will be able to use dynamic performers when they’re available. We’ll fit in with their diaries.”

The initiative follows on from last year’s Actors Lab, which boasted names such as Corin Redgrave, Nigel Planer and Barbara Jefford. “We had very prestigious figures coming in to look at classical and innovative theatre techniques,” said Lloyd. “It worked so well and created such a lot of excitement we decided to adapt the idea to the medium of film, and were lucky enough to get funding.”

The organisation has been diversifying in recent times and earlier this year launched the Actors Centre In Business, allowing it to target the corporate market for the first time. West End actor Mark Bowden and Faking It coach Jeremy Stockwell are among those teaching presentation skills to business people as part of the enterprise.