About

How I learnt the skills I use…

Matthew Truesmith started his career as a street performer in Cornwall after attending the Hub Theatre School in St Austell.  He then trained on the 3yr-acting course at L.A.M.D.A. After some years working as an actor, he moved to directing – cutting his teeth as an assistant director for Mike Alfreds and then at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Over the years he’s worked with renowned Russian director Kama Ginkas, spent time with legendary acting teacher William Esper in New York. He took classes at The Moscow Arts Theatre with Oleg Gerasimov and Felix Ivanov and workshopped with Philippe Gaulier. He spent a few afternoons at the RSC working alongside Cicely Berry. Amongst other things he performed in a live broadcast of Orson Welles “Heart of Darkness” alongside the actor Brian Cox, directed by Fiona Banner. As a director he has put together a number of acclaimed shows, readings and workshops – working alongside some of best actors in the business. In 1999, Matthew began teaching and coaching  and in the mid noughties he was Head of Acting at GSA. From there he went on to develop and run the very successful and innovative Postgraduate Acting MA course at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. He also creates audition tapes and has years of experience working with audition scripts for TV and film. 

Since 2016 he’s been freelancing and his coaching and teaching methods continue to innovate and inspire. His work remains relevant, responsive and offers tailored strategies to make your acting clearer and enriched. As well as being a renowned acting coach and teacher he is still a freelance director, actor and occasional stand-up comedian.

Do I need Coaching or Teaching or a bit of both?

So, what’s the difference between coaching and teaching?

For a moment, let’s think about acting like diving into a pool and swimming about underwater. The water in the pool is the imaginary world suggested by the script. Before you dive in you might…ask some questions, gather a few facts and maybe decide whether or not to trust the pool attendant. Then, you put on some appropriate swimwear, you dive in and hope to swim around for as long as you’re required to do so. Following on from that…

Teaching

“Teachers predominantly work with non-swimmers or those not fully confident in the water. You need to know how to propel yourself through the water and the correct breathing techniques to use while doing this. These are skills which need to be taught.” – From Swim England, Careers in Aquatics. 

Coaching

“Coaches impart knowledge. They also help their participants to grow and develop themselves. Some of the differences between coaching and teaching are that coaches offer advice and guidance, and provide information that swimmers can decide whether or not to follow themselves” – From Swim England, Careers in Aquatics. 

Acting and working with actors

This much I know

“When I grow up, I want to be an actor”…Well, you can’t do both. 

“A good teacher has empathy with the actors. They can see the truth of your acting see what you’re really up to…”
– Estelle Parsons

“Suit the action to the word, the word to the action, with this special observance, that you o’erstep not the modesty of nature: for any thing so o’erdone is from the purpose of playing, whose end, both at the first and now, was and is, to hold as ’twere the mirror up to nature…”

–  from Hamlet’s advice to the players, Shakespeare,

“There is a road from the eye to the heart that does not go through the intellect.”

 – The Defendant (1901) G. K. Chesterton

Question:  “Which practitioner’s methods do you use most to help your actors?”

Answer:    “The practitioner who I rely on most to guide the work is the actor in front of me at the time – everyone else can wait their turn.” – Matthew Truesmith

“You fix something when it’s not working and you encourage people to go with what’s working. And a lot of that is not an intellectual dialogue – …this is your character and you should do this and that… – it’s not that…it’s just trust”          – Dennis Hopper

“Everything you can imagine is real” – Pablo Picasso

Fees

One to One Coaching & Teaching

This is a bespoke service with hourly rates

  • For all one-to-one work Covid safety measures are in place.

  • Coaching and teaching over Zoom is also available.

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Production Work & Actors Agents

For all production work and agency enquires please contact:

  • sarah.upson@voicecoach.tv

  • TEL: +44 (0)7812 827222

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