Act Out was formed in May 2007, initially to continue theatre practises with colleagues who had completed the Access to Industry Drama Course, Edinburgh's Telford College. During this time I noticed there were no 'drop-in' style drama workshops available in Edinburgh. I created a structure for the workshops and advertised heavily on various websites.
By summer 2007, there were 27 people attending the workshops on a regular basis two nights a week.

The workshops operate on an 'open door' policy and have attracted people from ages 16 years and upwards, from all walks of life and many nationalities.
The aim of the Act Out workshops is to provide basic acting skills in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

The main ingredients of the workshops are:
Vocal and physical warm ups
Theatre games
Creating scenes through improvisation
Working from short scripted scenes

All exercises are group based, so no one ever has to worry about being singled out and made to perform before the rest of the group - I know how daunting this can be for someone new to this environment. A lot of emphasis is placed on group based activities.

The workshops run for a period of up to three months and culminate in a public theatrical performance. Our first theatrical production (Road by Jim Cartwright) was performed at Bonnington Resource Centre, June 16 - 19th, 2008.

The workshops serve different purposes to those who attend:
A stepping stone to further education
Building self-confidence
Personal achievement
A passion for acting

Act Out has also ran workshops for Edinburgh University Halls of residence staff members and The Citadel Youth Club.