Richard Delaney - Acting Coach

Looking forward to tonight and getting to celebrate the work and achievements of 40 finalists from over 60 drama schools across the UK and Ireland for the 2026 Spotlight Prize — following in the footsteps of past nominees including Dame Judi Dench, Brian Cox, Ben Whishaw, and Rosalind Eleazar. All candidates will be directed by either Paulette Randall MBE or David Mumeni.

It will be great to be cheering on Carmen Fyfe Paulo, a finalist for the Stage Prize and a graduating student of , and Leah Coghlan, a graduating student from and a finalist for the Screen Prize.

Whatever the outcome tonight, it feels like a timely moment to celebrate the achievements of graduating students from right across the sector — particularly at a time that is proving challenging for the industry at large.

It has been a real treat to work with Carmen across three years on BA (Hons) Acting: CDT. The growth has been real, the work has been committed. Tonight it gets to speak for itself.

Rooting for you both of Royal Central London’s candidates, and looking forward to celebrating the work of all.

Fear and Misery of the Third Reich

The final production of the year for ’s class of 2026— and for this cohort, their last time together on stage. Seeing them hold their own on the Embassy Theatre stage was something I won’t forget quickly.

If truth be told, it felt timely when I selected this play for them. By the time we came to perform it, there was a danger it was even a little too on the nose — but in times such as these, there is a need to stare injustices in the face. Otherwise, what is art for?

Performed by , designed by MA/MFA Scenography and BA (Hons) Theatre Practice, and produced by BA (Hons) Theatre Practice and BA (Hons) Production Technologies and Stage Management at .

Images by Cam Harle | Headshots | London.

Director Josh Roche (Josh Roche)
Set Designer Marzieh Dehghan
Associate Set Designer Aryna Dabraliubava
Costume Designer Aija Miranda
Assistant Costume Designer Xristina Dionelli
Lighting Designer Annabella Day
Assistant Lighting Designer Ben Cassels
Sound Designer Jesper Raymond
Composer Alex Sands
Movement Director Zöe Grain
Lead Voice Coach Jenru Wang
Assistant Voice Coach Keri Safran
Projection Vee Nagah
Costume Supervisor Catherine Mclauchlan
Stage Manager Lesha Grundy
Deputy Stage Manager Kel Acreman
Assistant Stage Manager Charli Sweeney & Jemima Stiff
Head LX Isaac Roitt & Oliver Stilwell
Sound Operator Lorna Harnier
Production Sound Engineer Vivi Kosanovich
Assistant Sound Engineer Ivy Parkinson
Head of Construction Harry Mainstone
Set Constructor Anaam Nur & Ben Redman
Head of Scenic Painting Diya Bagha
Scenic Painter Sarah Jane Clifford & Olivia Snoxell
Prop Maker Amelia Persaud
Production Manager Shaz McGee
Head of Flys Lisa Bain
Design Mentor Simon Donger

Cast:

Noma Abifade
William Alexander
Dara Anklesaria
Louise Appleford
Shamailah Elleston Pascall
Harrison Fennell
Carmen Fyfe Paulo
Francesco Granata
Emre Gunes
Ryelie Kaye
Char McIntyre
Ida Marie Nielsen
Jevan Onasanya
Ifunanya Nnaji
Freedom Osagie
Camille Quain
Leon Schoder
Molly Thorne
Sophie Leigh Williams.

Back in June, a piece of my writing was published in Theatre, Dance and Performance Training’s Training Grounds section with Taylor & Francis — Queering Psychophysical Training: Politics of the Body in Actor Pedagogy.

It takes the form of an essai — a format that takes its cue from the French, to test, to trial, to try out. A place to explore an idea that is forming rather than one that has arrived. That feels like exactly the right home for this particular piece of thinking, which sits at the intersection of q***r theory, psychophysical actor training, and the politics of the body in pedagogy.

The beginning of a research journey rather than a destination — early thoughts finding their shape on the page, and part of the broader doctoral work I’m now engaged with.

https://doi.org/10.1080/19443927.2026.2652753

Natural Connections

The second half of this double bill presented alongside Isolate back in Spring 2025 — Natural Connections, devised by the company and directed by .nanyonjo.

It is 2025, and no one can deny climate change is real, though some try to. In an individualist society full of fake news, who gets to have a voice on this subject? Who can participate? As we watch the natural world around us dissipate, a group of Gen-Zs grapple with what this means for their future, and how nature is connected to how we care for our communities, each other, and the body.

What struck me most across this double bill was the sheer range and breadth of performance styles that emerged from a simple provocation. The level of commitment to the ensemble across these students, and their resilience deserves real celebration. Great to see them flexing their movement skills, too!

Performed by and designed and produced by BA (Hons) Theatre Practice.

Images by Cam Harle | Headshots | London.

Director Rachael Nanyonjo
Set & Costume Designer Dec Santiago
Lighting Designer Harry Macdonald-Preston
Sound Designer Andree Yin
Assistant Movement Director Yasmine Irian-Angeni
Voice Coach Emma James
Assistant Voice Coach Alexander McQueen
Costume Supervisor Alex Gunnarsson
Assistant Costume Supervisor Hannah McMahon-Major & Anni Sildvee
Stage Manager Lisa Bain
Deputy Stage Manager Corvus Le Marchant Dane
Assistant Stage Manager Harry Maltby & Immy Glover
Head LX Aimie Partridge
Deputy LX & Programmer Lewis Ashton
LX Fit Up Crew Liam Tonner & Millicent Randall
Captioner Maddy Malloy
Dramaturg Rob Awosusi
Production Manager Victoria Philips & Shaz McGee

Cast:
Noma Abifade (Daniel, various)
William Alexander (Member of Parliament, Chevron Boss, various)
Shamailah Elleston Pascall (Zuri, various)
Carmen Fyfe Paulo (Jaz, various)
Ryelie Kaye (Mother, Helen, various)
Char McIntyre (First Responder, various)
Ida Marie Nielsen (Water Carrier, various)
Freedom Osagie (Ken Saro-Wiwa, Teacher, Ogoni Chief, various)

A huge congratulations to Stephen Hudson and all the team involved in the production of Stephen Sondheim’s Company, which I had the great pleasure of seeing last night in the Embassy Theatre at .

One of the genuine privileges of working here is the opportunity to see such a diverse collection of work across the building — and I’ve been particularly lucky this year to find time to take in productions from across a range of programmes and disciplines. Each one a reminder of the extraordinary breadth of practice happening under one roof.

Wishing the whole company the very best for the rest of the run.

Isolate

Continuing this look back across the year — Isolate, devised by the company and directed by Ola Ince, played as part of a double bill alongside Natural Connections in the Royal Central London’s Courtyard Theatre.

When a generation is silenced, a band of ostracised young rebels risk everything to expose a political conspiracy — armed with nothing but an illegal radio station and a song powerful enough to ignite a revolution.

What struck me most across this double bill was how distinct the performance styles that emerged from a simple shared provocation were. This was a demanding term for a lot of these students, asking a lot of them in many different ways, and their resilience deserves real celebration — the growth across this work, and out of these projects, was clear to see.

It was also fantastic to have MA Movement and MA Voice studies placements across the project — as well as formally employing graduates of both courses who had been on placement with us in years gone by.

Performed by and designed and produced by BA (Hons) Theatre Practice.

Images by Cam Harle | Headshots | London.

Director Ola Ince
Set & Costume Designer Dec Santiago
Lighting Designer Mika Herring-Myrholt
Sound Designer Zoe Olajide
Movement Director Laure Bachelot
Voice Coach Emma James
Assistant Voice Coach Alexander McQueen
Intimacy Coordinator Patrice Bowler
Fight Director Jonathan Leverett
Assistant Lighting Designer & Programmer Deejay Clayton
Costume Supervisor Alex Gunnarsson
Assistant Costume Supervisor Hannah McMahon-Major & Anni Sildvee
Stage Manager Lisa Bain
Deputy Stage Manager Alex Webster
Assistant Stage Manager Harry Maltby & Immy Glover
Head LX Aimie Partridge
Deputy LX & Programmer Lewis Ashton LX Fit Up Crew Liam Tonner & Millicent Randall
Captioner Maddy Malloy
Production Manager Victoria Philips & Shaz McGee

Cast:
Dara Anklesaria (Cole Van Bastern)
Harrison Fennell (Peter)
Francesco Granata (Jason Creel)
Emre Gunes (AV)
Ifunanya Nnaji (Janet)
Jevan Onasanya (Jayce Young)
Camille Quain (Carlisle Marquise)
Leon Schoder (Maximilian Himmel)
Sophie Leigh Williams (Lisa Davies).

Mentoring opportunity for alumni.

If you’re 3+ years out from CDT this September, we’d love to hear from you.

This has happened informally before, and we want to build it into something more structured: a small network of alumni mentoring our incoming third years.

Voluntary, boundaried, and rewarding — a chance to give something back and help build a lasting community within CDT.

Drop us a message, comment below, or share with anyone who might be interested

(Still from GRIMM TALES, photographed by Cam Harle)

Grimm Tales

As the academic year at draws to a close, I want to start looking back across the public work this third year cohort engaged with — beginning with where their final year began: Grimm Tales, directed by in November.
What stayed with me most was the ownership and agency the company had within the process — a live, dynamic, and genuinely chaotic energy that ran right through the production. Taking five classic tales and filtering them through the lens of our time, the company built a glorious mayhem of princesses, witches, and wolves — spinning storytelling itself on its head, and asking real questions of how narrative shapes culture and identity, and vice versa.

It was performed by and designed and produced by BA (Hons) Theatre Practice.

Images by Cam Harle | Headshots | London.

Director Rachel Valentine Smith
Set Designer Noga Gilboa
Costume Designer Matilda Wheeler
Assistant Costume Designer Sophie Uno
Lighting Designer Adrien Mathieu
Assistant Lighting Designer & LX Programmer Jack O’Neill
Consultant Video Designer Ryan Watson
Video Production Gregory Essex
Sound Designer Zoe Olajide
Sound Associate & Sound Operator Jesper Raymond
Voice Coach Megan Burns
Costume Supervisor Alison Cartledge
Assistant Costume Supervisor Ashleigh Ridding
Dramaturg & Co-Creator Lara May
Movement Advisor Laure Bachelot
Stage Manager Wang Shao Kai
Deputy Stage Manager Seraphina Denton
ASM Book Cover Finn Meader
Assistant Stage Manager Orr Hacohen
Head LX Lewis Ashton Deputy
LX Mika Herring Myrholt
Fit Up LX Crew Deejay Clayton & Vinay Nagah
Production Sound Engineer Steven Tovell
Stage Crew Harry Maltby, Alex Webster & Brooklyn C. Eri
Dresser Micky Jordan & Storm Williams
Production Manager James Thompson

Cast:
Noma Abifade
William Alexander
Dara Anklesaria
Louise Appleford
Shamailah Elleston Pascall
Harrison Fennell
Carmen Fyfe Paulo
Francesco Granata
Emre Gunes
Ryelie Kaye
Char McIntyre
Ida Marie Nielsen
Jevan Onasanya
Ifunanya Nnaji
Freedom Osagie
Camille Quain
Leon Schoder
Molly Thorne
Sophie Leigh Williams.

I might be wilting in the heat, but these roses are just going from strength to strength. They seem to be loving it.

I love having flowers in the flat and always mean to pick some up, but always somehow forget to do so. So these were an extra special treat from the outgoing second year upon completion of their Bridge Project. Not only was it an absolute joy working with them on Julius Caesar, but this splash of colour in my living room keeps that joy going a little bit longer.

(Note to self: buy more flowers!)

One of the things that gives a conservatoire its life is when the relationships formed inside the building extend beyond it — and that’s exactly what happened recently when a number of third year students from at were invited by director to join an early exploratory session for her new company, Verve, as they begin to feel out the shape of their inaugural project.

These were students Rachel had worked with on Grimm Tales — the first public production of third year — and it was that experience of working together that brought them back into the room at this very early stage.

There’s a proper R&D and a production journey still ahead for this project, and we can’t say much about it yet — but watch this space.

What matters here is the continuum: a practitioner who works with students, believes in what they bring, and then opens a door into her professional world. Huge thanks to Rachel for bringing this work into the building, and to the students who showed up with creativity, enthusiasm, and real professionalism.