Our Story
Once upon a time there was a young man who was dreadfully afraid to speak in public. Cotton mouth, shaky voice, trembling hands; he experienced nerves in all their awful glory. He hoped business school would equip him with strong public speaking skills, but after finishing his degree, his fear and anxiety when public speaking remained. Like a stubborn stain.
Despite his fear, he felt a strange (and rather ironic) magnetic draw to the dramatic arts. He tried ignoring this budding interest and tried to reason it away as foolishness, but the tugging at his heart simply wouldn't go away. He then tried to rid himself of this itch by, well, itching it. Surely an acting class would satisfy this silly curiosity. Curiosity won the day however, leading him to take more classes. Next thing he knew, he found himself training at one of the most renowned drama schools in the world: The London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art (LAMDA), in London, England.
Two years of intense, full-time drama training stretched him in some very deep ways. It was life-changing. He fell even deeper in love with language, literature, and performance. He grew a deep respect, admiration, and fondness for several teachers for their generous and encouraging teaching methods. He experienced first-hand the transformational power of the training and its potential to bring great beauty, depth, and richness to life.
Empowered, confident, and skilled from the training, he left determined to make a difference with his new skills. He moved back to Vancouver, BC to pursue new adventures. Shortly afterwards, while jogging along the mighty Fraser River, he had a lightbulb moment. Images of his beloved teachers came flooding to him and he suddenly felt inspired by the idea of teaching these life-changing skills to others.
He began to develop and teach new public speaking classes at a private educational centre to see if teaching was a good fit. It turned out he loved it. His passion for teaching grew stronger with every class he taught. Hoping to make more of an impact in the community by offering more comprehensive speech and drama training he caught a vision to start his own organization.
Spurred on by his budding passion for teaching and the speech and drama art forms, he created The Art of Speech and Drama to help become more confident and compelling communicators and performers We aspire to be a supportive and encouraging haven for great artistic inspiration, exploration, and expression. A place for learning, connecting, and sharing. We are happily mobile, so you can learn in the comfort and convenience of your own home (or office), provided there's an appropriate space to use. We are located in West London, UK, but we also offer online lessons for distance learners.
Whether you’re just learning english as a second language, or terrified to speak in public, or a seasoned professional communicator or performer, we can help you enhance your communication and performance skills. We'll help you explore your creativity, express yourself confidently, connect with, engage, and inspire your listeners. Our speech and drama training is challenging and requires commitment, passion, and perseverance, but it’s worth it. If you’re up for it, we’d love to work with you. You won’t regret it.
