Penelope McGhie
Other
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My Contact Number:
Links
Credits
Year | Job Title Project Type |
Project Name Director / Company |
Location |
---|---|---|---|
2022 |
Private Acting Coach
Theatre |
Drama School entry, NYT, Audition Preparation, Script Analysis, Vocal Coaching, Public Speaking/Presentation. Private Tuition |
|
2020 |
Guest Observer/Facilitator
Event |
Living History Project Andrea Brooks / East 15 Acting School, MA Acting |
|
2019 |
Guest Facilitator
Event |
Ordinary Jobs East 15 Acting School MA Acting |
|
2019 |
Guest Tutor
Event |
Viewpoints/Introduction to Stanislavski University of Northampton BA Acting and Creative Practice |
|
2019 |
Guest Tutor/Facilitator
Event |
The Cherry Orchard East 15 Acting School MA Acting |
|
2019 |
Guest Speaker
Event |
2 hour talk on career and resilience. RADA MA Theatre Lab. |
|
2019 |
Guest Tutor
Event |
Mentoring devised projects, Acting Coach, Facilitating scenes from The Cherry Orchard. East 15 MA Acting Course |
|
2018 |
Guest Tutor
Event |
Shakespeare Audition Preparation for RSC/Globe RADA |
|
2014 |
Guest Lecturer for Drama Scholars yr 7 - 13
Theatre |
An Audience With.... Ibstock Place School |
|
2014 |
Guest Tutor
Theatre |
Emotional Memory, Imagination and The World Outside Cygnet Training Theatre |
|
2010 |
Guest Tutor
Theatre |
Theatre Studies UV1 Women of Troy Ibstock Place School |
Education
Year | Qualification | Where |
---|---|---|
2018 | MA Actor Training and Coaching | Royal Central School of Speech and Drama |
1985 | Acting | Cygnet Training Theatre |
Equipment
My Equipment/Kit:
I can use:
About me
I hold an MA (Distinction) in Actor Training & Coaching from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.I am an actor with over 35 yrs experience at National Theatre, West End, TV & Feature Films) DRAMA SCHOOL/NYT / AUDITION PREPARATION/ SCENE ANALYSIS / GCSE & A LEVEL Theatre studies. http://www.spotlight.com/3813-8973-3924
Guest Tutor/Facilitator East 15 MA Acting Course 2018 to present: Acting Skills, Viewpoints, mentoring devised projects, facilitating scenes from The Cherry Orchard 2018 & 2019 and 'Ordinary Jobs' 2019
Guest tutor at RADA
Guest Tutor at University of Northampton BA Acting and Creative Practice.
Stanislavski based work releasing fears/blocks in performers and those who need to speak/present in public and addressing issues of confidence.
Michael Chekhov Approach.
Viewpoints.
Meisner.
Acting Tutor Work: Guest tutor at Ibstock Place School - working with UV1 Drama and Theatre Studies students exploring directorial process in relation to Stanislavski's later work with particular reference to Katie Mitchell's Women of Troy.
Regular workshops at Cygnet Training Theatre, Exeter, Stanislavski based excercises and improvisations in relation to universal primary emotions and the physiological effect on behaviour. Exploration of Immediate Circumstances, Time, Place, Events, Intentions, Relationships, The World Outside and the Actors Imagination, The Business of Acting - Survival, Resilience, Understanding fears, blocks and self judgement.
Mentoring recent graduates, Individual work towards Audition with Script and Character Analysis. Contemporary, Shakespeare, Jacobean, Greek Classical drama.
Referees:
Nancy Brabin-Platt, Mountview MA Acting: I first went to Penny when I was auditioning for Drama School. I’d never done an audition before, let alone an audition for a prestigious School. I turned up to our first session with nothing - I didn’t know how to prep or where to begin. As soon as I sat down with penny I realised working with her was the best decision I could have made. Firstly she was beyond prepared. She had noted down every Drama School application window, optimal date and time for applying and what every specific drama school was looking for. She had also been searching through texts (classical and modern) to see what might suit me. After about 20-30 minutes of working with her I knew exactly what I needed to do. I came back the next week with pieces memorised and ready to work. This is when we were both in our elements. Penny was truly incredible. I could tell instantly that she had extreme expertise. She is clearly an incredible actor and she taught me in a way that was considered, clear and concise. She never made me feel ‘green’ or incapable. She worked with me on everything from breath control to mastering Shakespearean language to accessing emotion and after a dozen sessions with Penny I landed a place in one of the top five drama schools in the country! I definitely owe my Drama School journey to the work Penny and I did together, I would never have been able to do it without her help. I still to this day have one off sessions with Penny when I’m preparing for a big role/audition, as I will always trust her expertise to get me to the place I need to be. If you’re looking for a coach to help with drama school auditions or just trying to keep your skills sharp, you’d be hard pressed to find a better coach than Penny.
Katie Roberts, GSMD Graduate: Penny's directing is fantastic. Her enthusiasm in helping you reach your full potential is neverending. She challenges and inspires you to keep finding new moments as your character and to use your imagination to its full capacity. Her constant support and guidance throughout the workshop allowed me to feel comfortable trying new things and delving a little deeper. I would thoroughly recommend attending one of Penny's workshops.'
Dr Lucia Farinati, Art Curator, Director: Working with you on my audio presentation was great. You helped me to create a score which showed me how to breathe and change my intonation. I really noticed improvement through voice warm ups and sharpening consonants, my text reading gained nuance, colour and mood through voice tone. Thank you!
Giulia Valori, MA Acting Student, East 15: I found working with you very enjoyable and productive, particularly the attention to detail with particular emphasis on the imagination and specificity. For the dress I loved the notes, they were very detailed and prolific. They hugely helped our company bring the show to the next level and most of it was so detailed that I might not have realised - I felt it being a true collaboration. I feel I’ve grown throughout and with your help it brought my process and the work forwards and upwards!
Sam Lane, MA Acting student, East 15: Throughout rehearsals you were an excellent outside eye as well as a facilitator…you would reliably offer suggestions on details that would often slip under our radar. This allowed us to fully flesh out the scene and form a more rounded arc for the piece. Similarly, your feedback was a great help in accessing areas that I found difficult. I struggled physicalising the movement of the piece but your notes were specific enough for me to look at it differently and focus on embodying the transitions. Notes such as these were a refreshing approach, which greatly informed my work in the final performances.
Andrea Brooks, Head of MA Acting East 15: Thanks beyond words for your beautiful and generous work. It is wonderful to see you blossom into the role, your notes are excellent!
Alice B Markey: My session with Penny helped me to revitalise my speeches and to find the tools to stay grounded and focused in the audition room. Penny’s coaching style is fun, supportive, and finely tuned to the individual needs of the actor. Her guidance and expertise gave me the freedom and confidence to take my work to the next level, and to reconnect with my body and with the text.
Gustavo Dias Bellejo, RCSSD MA ATC: To have Pen as my acting coach while I was preparing my ‘work demonstration’ for The Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards was an invaluable experience for me. During the process she not only helped me improve my performance and polish my presentation but also continuously stimulated the research and development of my personal language as an artist.
Kaja Pecnik: I have been working with Penelope for a while and I couldn`t wish for a better tutor. Her personality is so warm you feel like you`re working with your best friend. She is very supportive and has a clear idea how to guide you for you to make the best out of your role. I was working with her on a scene that would then prepare me for the role in the Royal Theatre of Scotland. I would recommend her to anyone who needs a strong tutor and wants to challenge him/herself. She is the one to go to.
Nneka Okoye: I love working with Pen. I always make new discoveries in her sessions and find different ways of approaching a script, which makes me feel so much more comfortable going into an audition. Not only is she great at what she does but I can tell she really enjoys what she does, and so do I!
Tahnee Nordegg: Since working with Pen my whole approach to acting has changed for the better. She enables one to explore and experiment in a safe space which is something priceless. She is truly an inspiring teacher and I am always looking forward to her classes.
Alexandra Harman: Penelope's teaching techniques are a fresh approach to Method acting, she allows you to create a character from within yourself, seeing how a regular person can withstand extreme pressure. Pen opens your eyes to find the depth of the character, so you are able to move, breathe and totally become the character.
Josefine Bergstrom: The fact that Penny is such a warm and approachable person really helped us students to be comfortable in using our emotional memories to the full and be vulnerable and exposed in the exercises, we started to really 'live' on stage. As both a teacher and in person, Penny is very encouraging and generous. She shares her great experience from being an actor herself and sees opportunities and ways to progress, rather than finding faults and negatives. Her strong presence and warmth inspired me and my class-mates and I hope to be working with her more in the future.
License & Passport
Passport: | Yes |
Driver's License: | Yes |
Skills
Secondary Job Title | Drama Facilitator |
---|---|
Job Titles | Director, Voice / Dialect Coach, Teacher |
Years in industry | 6+ years |
Organisations / Memberships | Equity (UK) |
Highlights
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Josefine Bergstrom (Acting Coach)
The fact that Penny is such a warm and approachable person, really helped us students to be comfortable in using our emotional memories to the full and be vulnerable and exposed in the exercises, we started to really 'live' on stage.
As both a teacher and in person, Penny is very encouraging and generous. She shares her great experience from being an actor herself and sees opportunities and ways to progress, rather than finding faults and negatives. Her strong presence and warmth inspired me and my class mates and I hope to be working with her more in the future.
Josefine Bergstrom