About Us
Acting Technique is owned and run by Karen Louise Hebden; a director, writer and acting coach with 18 years experience. Karen has directed in the West End – most recently working with the producers of Jersey Boys at The Prince Edward Theatre on the forthcoming West End production of MOONLANDING.
Profile
Karen went to Kings School, Rochester where here passion for theatre was born. She then read English Literature at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and then studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before spending eighteen months as an assistant director at West Yorkshire Playhouse, working for the renown Matthew Warchus and legendary Artistic Director, Jude Kelly.
In the 1990s she founded the JFK Repertory Company specialising in the first plays of new writers. As the company’s Artistic Director Karen directed Dark Tales by Tim Arthur (Edinburgh Festival and West End); The Cub by Stephanie McKnight (Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh); A Pair of Blue Eyes and The Hanuman by Jonathan Pett and Fiorella Ruas (Bridewell Theatre); Fragments of a Dream by Tom Minter (Riverside Studios) and Tess of the d’Urbervilles, which she co-wrote with Stephen Edwards (national tour and West End).
She joined the Derby Playhouse, one of the Country’s leading Repertory Theatre, in 2002-2009 as its Chief Executive and Joint Artistic Director. She has directed many productions at Derby including Treasure Island, Merrily We Roll Along, Into the Woods, Blithe Spirit, Educating Rita, Macbeth, Company, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream - her productions frequently receiving 4 and 5 star national reviews.
“ I opened Acting Technique to pass on my skills and help students and actors bridge the gap between having talent and achieving success. I believe that the bridge is technique – in order to be successful in our profession you need it. Good audition technique will improve your chances of landing a great job or get you into drama school. Good rehearsal and performance technique will make you a more confident performer, which will get you the next job.”
Karen Louise Hebden
Links
Here are some links which students may find useful and informative
The Actors Centre
British Theatre Guide
Derby Playhouse
Dress Circle Showbiz Shop
The conference of Drama Schools
TV and Film extras
West End Star, Glenn Carter
West End Star, Glyn Kerslake
Jersey Boys
Kings School, Rochester
West End Star and voacl coach, Maurice Clarke
The National Theatre
National Council for Drama Training
Nick Hern Books, leading specialist performing arts publishers
National Youth Theatre
The Rose Theatre Kingston
Spotlight Casting Directory
The Stage Newspaper
'Moonlanding by Stephen Edwards' coming to the West End 2010.
Reviews
A Midsummer Night's Dream
The Guardian 5*****
Karen Louise Hebden has delivered not just a respectable Dream, but an outstanding one…If these are the standards a reinvigorated regional theatre can achieve then this has to be the best £25 million that the Arts Council ever spent.
Macbeth
The Times 4****
Proceedings begin with an almighty flash of lightning accompanying a thunderous drum roll from the percussionist just visible in the wings. No gradual dimming of the lights nor jokey reminder about our mobiles... We are hauled into the superstitious world of the play, and the surge continues throughout Karen Louise Hebden's astutely judged and satisfying production.
The Guardian 4****
Hebden's perceptive and thoughtful treatment remains truly illuminating
Treasure Island
Guardian 5*****
Karen Louise Hebden’s adaptation, is a swaggering synthesis of cannon smoke, sea-shanties and three cornered hats, showing that provincial theatre can aspire to musical spectacle on a grand scale…..This is a production too good to miss from a theatre too valuable to lose.
Daily Mail 4****
This is a show that owes its success not to individuals, but to the spirit of the whole company. Nor is it surprising that it’s been selling out. So be sure to get your hands on a ticket and help stop the asset strippers looting Derby’s theatrical treasure chest.
Independent 4****
Derby Playhouse’s boisterous production of Stevenson’s tale of buccaneers and buried gold deserves – a West End airing….Extra performances have been added to the run...that gives London producers as well as audiences from surprisingly far afield more opportunity to catch this splendid production and discover what a hidden treasure the Playhouse is.
