Anna McLean
Key details:
- Department:
- Drama
- Role:
- Voice Tutor (Acting Studies Programme)
Biography
Anna-Helena read Drama and Music at Royal Holloway University of London with a specialism in solo cello and performance. She is an established music theatre and ensemble coach and director, running her unique approach to acting and voice training called the ‘Actor-Chorus-Text’ (ACT) Ensemble Practice in conjunction with her company Moon Fool - a host organisation for international theatre and music exchange.
Formerly a principal of the Gardzienice Theatre Association in Poland (2000-2007), Anna-Helena played the lead in Metamorphoses & Electra and toured worldwide (LaMama ETC; Meyerhold Centre; Getty Centre; Barbican) as well as leading an Ancient Greek Orchestra and the Academy for Theatre Practices in Gardzienice.
As composer & ensemble coach, productions include Yerma, with Kathryn Hunter; Arquiem, Periplum (RNT); Nothing Left To Lose, Company Collisions (LIMF); Glasgow Girls (NTS); It's a Wonderful Life, Theatre Ad Infinitum (Bush); Bangarang (Dundee Rep). Former principal of Awake Projects, Awake Love Orchestra and Awake Youth (AWAKE Jackson's Lane). Previously guest director at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland; National School of Drama, Delhi; Volda College, Norway; Yale School of Drama, New Haven NYC. Former lecturer in extended voice and Vocal and Choral Studies as well as module coordinator at the Uni of Winchester. As a director, productions include The Lear; Richard III (Aegis Productions); Romeo and Juliet; STORM for Libraries (Shakespeare Week) and Mme Butterfly (IJ Productions). As actor-producer/musician-composer, productions include ill Met by Moonlight, Trestle; Titania - A Solo Cabaret. As an actor-musician productions include King Charles III by Mike Bartlett West End and Broadway (Sonia Friedman Productions) and How To Be Immortal, Penny Dreadful Productions. Devising artist on The Wig Show & Resonant Tails with Tract and Touch bringing extended voicework to children with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD).
Anna-Helena is currently engaged as a Doctoral Candidate in Performance Practice at Guildhall School of Music & Drama while engaged as a Voice Tutor on the Acting Studies BA Hons course also at Guildhall. She is also a supervisor for MA students in Classical Acting at Central School of Speech and Drama and guest lectures at Rose Bruford College since 2020.