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Will, Sue, and Elise, are fully trained professional actors, so you will be taught all the tools you need to perform to a high standard! Our emphasis is on teaching the art of acting rather than ‘drama’. So during your time with us you’ll work on improvisation, building a character, approaching a script – from Shakespeare to Eastenders, stage craft, physical theatre, mime, stage combat, voice projection, speech and diction, how to devise your own work, different styles of theatre, acting for film and TV, audition technique… the list goes on.
It’s also worth mentioning that learning the art of acting helps adults and children alike with self discipline, the ability to ‘listen’, social skills, confidence, speech, empathy and an understanding of other people and perhaps (most importantly) confidence soars – as well as making a whole new bunch of friends.
Each term we work towards something different. Projects include our annual drama cups when all our students perform at the end of term for an ‘x factor’ style panel of independant judges made up of professional ‘famous’ actors, BAFTA award nominated film and TV directors, casting directors and theatre producers. Other projects include ‘Acting For TV and Film’ when we film students work and show it on a huge screen at the end of term.
All students take part in at least one show a year, we pride ourselves on the quality of our shows and students and parents agree they get better and better!
Here at ‘a Will & a Way’ we don’t believe in telling you that we’re the best, we believe in going out of our way to prove it to you.
Will has worked extensively in Theatre and TV for the past twenty years. Originally from Leigh, he went on to Salford to study Performing Arts. He finished his training at the Welsh College of Music and Drama and achieved a Licentiate Diploma in Performing Arts.
Since then he has had massive success in TV with a roll of credits including major parts in Where The Heart Is, The Street, Shameless, Holby City, The Second Coming, Between the Sheets, Torchwood, Nurses, This is England and the 4 O’clock Club. He has also featured in Coronation Street, Casualty, The Bill, Downton Abbey, Dalzeil & Pascoe, Emmerdale and several commercials.
Will often works as a voice-over artist and is also highly skilled in accents and stage combat. His theatre credits include – Romeo & Juliet, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Lie, A Midsummer Nights Dream and The Hounds of the Baskerville
Joe's theatre credits comprise of Ian Curtis in New Dawn Fades (UK Tour), Hobson’s Choice (Salford Arts Theatre), It’s a Wonderful Life (The Way Theatre), and An Unnamed Estate (Nana-Kofi Kufour). He also has writing and directing credits for Frozen Peas In An Old Tin Can, which was honored with the award for most innovative use of space and nominated for best newcomer at the 2019 Greater Manchester Fringe Awards. Other writing credits include Like Dad, Like Duck (Oldham Coliseums Off Out competition winner), And The Crowd Goes Wild (53two Theatre), and Hold Me Close (Salford Arts). Furthermore, Joe has recently worked as an assistant director on Blood Harmony by Thickskin Theatre, which premiered at the Lowry Theatre and toured the UK and was published by Methuen Drama. Presently, he is serving as the theatre programmer at The Way Theatre in addition to teaching classes for A Will and A Way.
Ella is an actor, director, writer and producer whose credits include assistant directing a winning National Theatre Connections piece performed on the West End, training with the National Youth Theatre and the Royal Exchange's Youth Collective, and acting in plays such as It's a Wonderful Life, Junior JB Shorts and Frozen Peas in an Old Tin Can. She is associate producer at The Way Theatre and teaches classes for A Will and A Way.
Susan has been acting for TV, Theatre and film for nearly 20 years. Her TV and film credits include: Shameless, Sightseers, Trollied, Scott and Bailey, The Accused, Coronation Street, Early Doors, Medics, Staying alive, Far from the Madding Crowd, Is Harry on the Boat, Band of Gold, Once upon a time in the North… to name but a few.
Her theatre credits include Blood Brothers (National tour and West End), To Kill a Mocking Bird (National tour), Peter Pan (National tour), Be my Baby, Once a Catholic, Up and Under, Tinned up, The Lost Dragon, and Annie and Fanny from Bolton to Rome. She has also appeared in many traditional pantos.
Elise was born and bred into the arts industry as Will Travis’ daughter and has had a direct link with A Will and A Way, since the day it began. Elise has completed a performing arts course at Wigan school for the arts and then went onto working in finance after college.
This is where Elise found the best way to link her skills with finance and the arts: to become the executive producer for Stolen Thread Productions Ltd A Will And A Way’s sister company. Elise started with her first production “The Sketch Men : Attempted Comedy” which was awarded a four-star review by Upstaged, this was performed at the Fringe Festival in July 2016.
Elise has also been in involved in the Holyshorts Film Festival Los Angeles in August, before returning home to work on “Monopoleyes” which was shown throughout November/December in Manchester theatres after being granted Arts Council funding. She has taught classes at the school for over 7 years and also teaches the LAMDA classes.