Acting Up with Kate Howells

Acting Up with Kate Howells 🎭 Welcome to Acting Up with Kate Howells! 🎭 Join us weekly for an inspiring acting class led by theatre professional Kate Howells. Let's 'Act Up' together!

Our weekly sessions offer a supportive space to grow and shine. I was born in Newtown in 1980 and went to a local primary school. It was
whilst I was at this primary school that I managed to persuade my parents
to let me audition for the prestigious ‘Sylvia Young Theatre School’ in
London. I did this and got accepted and moved away at the tender age of
11. I absolutely loved the school where I did

three days a week of Maths,
English and Science and two days of singing, dancing and acting. I was
very fortunate to work professionally whilst at this school from
performing in live concerts in London’s West End Theatres to performing
in front of the camera in programmes such as Grange Hill and Eastenders. I was also fortunate enough to record in the famous Abbey Road Studios
on two soundtracks for Andrew Lloyd Webber soundtracks. At sixteen I went on to another full-time Theatre School called ‘The Arts
Educational School’ which was also in London to complete my A-levels. This course was extremely intensive as I was not only doing a full-time
course in acting, singing and dancing but also trying to complete two A-
levels at the same time. The final leg of my professional training took place at ‘The Guildford
School of Acting’ in Surrey. It was here that a theatrical agent in London
saw me in a production and signed me onto their books for when I
graduated in 2001. In the time that I spent with this London Agent I
worked professionally in film, television and theatre. After graduating I
worked in a full time stage school called Ravenscourt Theatre School as a
teacher and an Agent to the children who attended this school, it was my
turn to get the children onto the T.V! In 2005 the ‘Big Smoke’ had gotten the better side of me and I decided to
move back to my roots and complete a PGCE at Aberystwyth University
so that I could teach Drama in Secondary schools. Over the last 19 years I
have held Head of Drama posts at Welshpool High School, Newtown
High School and Moreton Hall School.

11/06/2026

🎭🎭 Our focus tonight was spontaneous improvisation, and the creativity in the room was incredible. Your performers built on a range of core acting techniques while embracing the unexpected, developing confidence, quick thinking, listening skills, and character work.

There was plenty of laughter along the way as we met some truly unforgettable characters, including professional unicorn trainers and even the inventors of invisible socks! 🦄🧦

Improvisation is all about saying “yes” to ideas, supporting your fellow actors, and letting your imagination run free—and that’s exactly what happened today. A brilliant session full of energy, teamwork, technique, and fun. Thank you for another wonderful evening 🎭🎭

04/06/2026

🎭🎭 Tonight your performers explored the key acting concepts of objectives and obstacles. Through practical performance exercises and scene work, they learned how every character has a goal they are trying to achieve and how obstacles create the conflict and drama that make a performance engaging.

By focusing on what their character wants and what stands in their way, students developed stronger character choices, improved their stage presence, and gained a better understanding of how to create believable and purposeful performances.

A fantastic session full of creativity, focus, and confident storytelling! 🎭🎭

21/05/2026

🎭🎭 As it was the final acting class before half term, the performers could choose what they wanted to focus on tonight!

Our two younger groups chose drama games — lots of energy, laughter, and creativity all around! In fact, there was so much fun being had that I completely forgot to take photos of the younger classes!

The older class opted for improvisation work, where they explored quick thinking, character development, and spontaneous performance skills.

Such a fun and rewarding way to end the half term. It’s always fantastic to see the actors building confidence, supporting one another, and enjoying the creative process. Looking forward to seeing everyone back after the break! 🎭🎭

14/05/2026

🎭🎭 Tonight’s class focused on sustaining character and resisting the urge to co**se, even when faced with deliberately hilarious and spontaneous improvisation challenges. 🎭😂

From hairdressers terrified of hair to dentists afraid of teeth, every scenario was designed to push actors out of their comfort zones and test their ability to stay committed, present, and truthful in the moment.

It was fantastic to watch everyone apply the acting techniques and skills they’ve been learning to respond instinctively to each task while fully staying in character. Some brilliant commitment, quick thinking, and character work all round tonight! 🎭🎭

06/05/2026

🎭🎭 A reminder that there is no class tomorrow, due to the school being used as a polling station 🎭🎭

30/04/2026

🎭✨ It wasn’t about the lines… it was about the reaction. ✨🎭

Tonights class was all about being present, listening, and responding in the moment. To really focus on authentic reactions, your performers couldn’t speak for the first minute of each exercise—something many found surprisingly challenging! 🤣🤣

Through engaging exercises and scene work, they explored how genuine reactions brought performances to life and made every moment on stage feel real. From subtle expressions to powerful emotional shifts, your performers learned to trust their instincts and connect deeply with their scene partners. Legends 🎭🎭

23/04/2026

🎭 In class this week, our young actors took on a new challenge 🎭

They explored what it means to carry a hidden distraction within a scene — something their character is thinking about but can’t talk about. Whether it was a secret worry, an exciting thought, or a lingering problem, this added a whole new layer to their performances.

By holding onto these unseen thoughts, they discovered how subtle shifts in focus, body language, and reactions can deepen characterisation and make scenes feel more real and dynamic.

It’s been amazing to watch them stretch their skills, stay present, and bring more complexity to their work. Acting isn’t just about what’s said — it’s about everything happening underneath. As always, they absolutely rose to the challenge🎭

16/04/2026

🎭🎭 what a cracker of a first night back!! Tonights focus was acting for TV commercials! How we can adapt our performance skills to the style required. The classes were VERY noisy but we had so much fun and creativity and imagination were showcased to the max!! So much fun and laughter 🎭🎭

26/03/2026

🎭🎭 Laughter, crazy, mental, bizarre, interesting and raucous just about sum up tonights last lesson of the term!! Enjoy eating chocolate and have a wonderful break everyone. Thank you for continuing to support ‘Acting Up’ 🎭🎭

19/03/2026

🎭🎭 After quite a few weeks of perfecting our craft with focus on specific acting techniques, we went back to good old Drama games and improvisation tonight! They had free rein as long as they utilised the skills learnt in their performance. One word for the evening: LAUGHTER! Just one class left of the term! See you all next week for chocolate!! 🎭🎭

Address

Mochdre Old School, Mochdre
Newtown
SY164JS

Opening Hours

6:30pm - 7:40pm

Telephone

+447799794061

Website

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