Mark Westbrook

An actor must invest a great deal of trust in their teachers. The responsibility of the coach is to share knowledge and experience that is genuinely useful to their students. I approached Mark with caution, uncertain whether I would learn anything of value for my work or future ambitions. I was wary of finding a self-proclaimed guru imparting some sort of mysticism to obfuscate their subject or baffle less knowledgeable. I was delighted to find Mark to be a bullshit-free zone.

After meeting Mark, I feel that I have gained ‘the icing on the cake’ as some may say. By having a solid ‘TASK’ to do on stage, you are never self conscious, always occupied and interesting to the audience. Mark get’s you ACTING not trying to make sense of theories and motivations that have nothing to do with ME, the actor. Knowledge in understanding a script is essential, but without a way of making it personal, you can never ACT with truth. Thanks Mark!

Mark is a clear communicator about what the process is and what it involves, he has a real authenticity about how he passes on his ideas. He’s confident in his approach, but not at all intimidating. This way of working seems to expose a natural route to performing. It’s beguiling why this isn’t common practice. This just makes a lot of sense as an approach.

Mark Westbrook understands actors, he understands acting. He uses very simple techniques to help actors connect to the script, to each other and to the moment.

Mark is a great teacher and the technique is a welcome change to the methods usually taught and practiced in this country. It is good to learn something from the very first stages and progress slowly through the different exercises, putting all the building blocks in place instead of just skimming over things. Mark Westbrook is a valuable resource that I hope to continue learning from for a long time to come

Mark’s teaching is a breath of fresh air. He displays a relaxed informality, providing a perfect platform to experience a truly inspiring acting technique.

Mark has a mind blowing strategy for acting and you have to be prepared to work hard, focus, commit time and energy to studying. This style of working won’t suit everyone and its hard work and the end results have been phenomenal. The performances I have seen have been mind blowing & so natural and that’s how I want to perform. Mark has the passion, drive & enthusiasm to bring out the best in all his students. He cares about you and wants you to succeed, you are not just another random face coming through his door. Mark is not like the other coaches Ive trained with who are in it just for the money. He is genuine and honest and has dedicated most of his life to acting and you can’t get much better than that. Mark is well worth every penny, and in my eyes he’s the best Coach in Scotland. Why would I want to go anywhere else!?

During one of my first classes with ACS, Mark said “I don’t know whether you are here for fun or you want to be a professional working Actor, I will do everything in my power to help you get where you want to be” Initially I was surprised by the confidence in his statement. However, I have learnt that instead of babysitting his students, Mark motivates and inspires us daily to create opportunities for ourselves. He teaches that with hard work, enthusiasm and practice, you can get yourself to wherever you want to be.

Mark gives you everything you need to be the best actor you can. He doesn’t mess around with any fake bullshit, his teaching allows you to be right there in the moment, and bring your most truthful performance. Being the first acting coach i have ever worked with, I feel lucky that I found Mark because of his vast knowledge and passion for acting. Also his constant support makes me feel like the acting world is for the taking.

Mark will help you to become a more focused, disciplined and above all, a more truthful actor.

I learned the 2 most important things are the script and the other actor. The way that Mark teaches pushes you for the truth in every single moment; it gives what you are doing endless possibilities.