Get Up On Stage

Get Up On Stage is our supportive, high-quality and fun acting school for adults. You will work with RABBLE’s professional directors, fight choreographers, voice specialists and actors, learning about the skills needed in theatre.

Mondays – 7pm-9:30pm

@ The Abbey School, Kendrick Rd, Reading

If you haven’t yet experienced Get Up On Stage and would like to try it out, click the button below to book a FREE TRIAL.

If you’ve previously signed up, you can also re-book for the new term. Sign up now to secure your place.

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“Honestly, I was very nervous about joining Get Up On Stage – It was totally out of my comfort zone. But it’s proved to be one of my best decisions. Everyone is so kind, friendly and supportive. It’s a totally safe space to learn and have fun without judgement. It’s helping me rebuild my confidence in so many ways and particularly about speaking in public. I’m loving every minute of it.”

Claire, March 2022

A place of friendship, learning, self-confidence, expression and community.

GUOS is a community of adults who wish to learn about theatre and the associated skills that it offers. It is a safe space where people of all abilities work together to create memorable, life-affirming, cultural projects. Attendees are aged 18 – 81, with backgrounds from across the globe and a range of financial positions.

We aim to create a space for fun learning, where mothers, fathers, grandparents, students and professionals work together on aspects of theatre that they could not otherwise access. Stanislavski’s emotional memory, Laban, Le Coq, Devising, writing, storytelling, directing, stand up, spoken word poetry, audiobook recording, self-taping, movement, devising, stage combat and technical theatre are taught by highly-qualified, professional theatre practitioners, led by a regular core team.

“What RABBLE are doing for the community is so so sick. GUOS is supporting all sorts of people to get involved in the arts here in Reading.”

Caleb Obediah – Bridgerton

The company of adults are a vital part of the development of our professional productions, from seed idea all the way to performance. GUOS research, develop and devise the content of our professional large-scale history plays, working with our professional writers and directors. This work informs the professional work, giving them a real sense of autonomy over the productions. They are then offered the opportunity to get involved in the final professional performances. in 2021 we had a community chorus of 13 monks and nuns, all made up of Get Up On Stage Members.

Get Up On Stage is a welcoming community, but it’s also an integral part of the RABBLE employment pipeline. Students graduate to top UK drama schools and at every production our students are given the opportunity to audition for paid and unpaid acting and backstage RABBLE internships, at which they’re allocated a professional mentor, fully integrated into the professional company and given smaller speaking roles in the production.

George Prove – Former GUOS student

After studying English at Edinburgh University, George found getting into drama school trickier than he’d hoped. He enrolled at GUOS and immediately benefited from our professionally led workshops, focusing on Movement, Acting Technique and Script Work. One year later, George successfully acquired a place at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

“I just wanted to get in touch to let you know I’ve been offered a place on the MA Acting course at RCS in Glasgow and wanted to thank you for all your support over the last few years!

GUOS has been a real pleasure to attend. I’ve absolutely loved getting to know everyone at the weekly sessions and have been very grateful for the creative outlet, so thank you.”

Spring Term at Get up on Stage

At the start of 2024 we’re going to be building the core skills of an actor.

In acting technique, we’ll be working on duologues from famous scenes, enjoying how the writers use subtext, punctuation, pace and so much more to get the most out of an interaction.

We’ll be strengthening our vocal capacity through singing, text work and new techniques.

We’ll be improvising and devising, learning how to create a scene from scratch and having the confidence to always say Yes.

GUOS Spring 2024 is going to be an action-packed term of development and fun.

Anushka Samarasinghe

Anushka had wanted to chase her dream of being a professional actor for many years but had never managed to find the motivation or the guidance of how to go about it. She came to GUOS full of raw talent and, a year later, made the move.

“I was eternally grateful for having GUOS to be a part of whilst I was at home. I loved it and definitely wouldn’t have had the courage to move to London without it.”

Joining Get Up On Stage is easy!

You can take a free trial, or sign straight up. Just click the link below, find GUOS, select “Info and Booking” and follow the steps.

(It’s usually used for children’s classes but we are all just big kids! Simply add your details as both the parent and the ‘child’. You will only need to do this once.)

To get started, simply click the ‘Free trial’ button below.

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Charlie Lloyd – GUOS work experience participant

Charlie had a traditional career and wanted out. He joined GUOS and worked with us to develop his core skills; devising, vocal technique, auditioning and improvising. He also auditioned for our actor-intern programme and was awarded a small role in The Last Abbot of Reading, allocated a mentor and invited into the entire professional production process. Charlie then auditioned for Drama School and acquired a place at East 15 Drama School.

“For me, the most incredible part of it was being given the opportunity to work with a professional theatre company on a live production. It gave me a more holistic sense of what the world of theatre entails. We got to have a go at altering costumes, painting the set and then, once the show opened, helping backstage. It was one of the best experiences of my life and I will treasure it forever.”

Meet The Team

Marcus Bazley

Marcus is a director, facilitator, and communication skills coach. His productions have been performed in venues across the UK, including Cast in Doncaster, MAST, Lighthouse Poole and Farnham Maltings. As Artistic Director of Cyphers Theatre Company, he has directed Henry V, Great Expectations, The Three Musketeers, Northanger Abbey and Orlando. He is Associate Director at Sheepish Productions and a former Associate Artist at Proteus Theatre Company. Marcus has worked as a Staff Director for West End In Schools, and as an Assistant Director at Wiltshire Creative and Guildford Shakespeare Company. For many years, Marcus worked in artist development for the Barbican Centre, working on projects with Cheek By Jowl, Complicite and the RSC. As a facilitator and coach, he has worked with individuals and groups from some of the world’s leading academic institutions (King’s College London, UCL, Imperial) and with industry leaders in PR and market research (Burson, AxiCom, PSB Insights).

Sabina Netherclift

Sabina is a teacher, director, movement director and actor. She trained with Jacques Lecoq in Paris. She runs Filament Theatre with composer Osnat Schmool, creating work which fuses multi-part vocal performance with devised physical performance. As a director/movement director she has worked with Redcape Theatre, Greenwich Theatre, London Bubble and for Voices Now at the Roundhouse, London amongst others. She teaches mask, mime and movement skills at Guildford School of Acting and has run workshops and lead projects for a wide variety of organisations including Opera North, ENO Baylis, Royal Opera House Education, Turtle Key Arts (particularly leading workshops for children and adults with ASC), Central, Arts Ed, Mountview, Birmingham School of Acting. She is External Examiner for the Acting and Contemporary Theatre Course at East 15.

Toby Davies

Toby Davies is RABBLE’s Artistic Director and has appeared as Thomas Becket in Henry II, Henry I in Henry I of England, Capulet in Romeo and Juliet and Andy in Off the Block 2015.

He trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (Acting) & St Andrews University (English lit.)

Toby’s other theatre credits include Raife Clutch in The Great British Bump Off, Hexagon; Macduff in Macbeth China Plat/Warwick Theatre tour; Giles Ralston in The Mousetrap West End; Alphabetical Order Bath Theatre Royal tour; Balmoral Hampstead Theatre tour, Stepan in The Department of Smelling Pistakes Publick Transport/Tobacco Factory tour; The Guard in Frozen Fresh Glory tour; The Draper in Moll Flanders Southwark Playhouse.

Toby’s Film and TV credits include The Firm Nick Love; The Bent Penny Darrel J. Butlin; Return as Faulty Leftheris Eleftheriou; King to Castle Rahdy Elwan; Lab Rats Sam Washington. Le Creuset & Sky TV commercials.

Jack Norris

Jack trained as an actor at Drama St Mary’s on the Physical Theatre BA course. Since graduating in 2019 he has worked with some of the UK’s leading physical theatre companies; as both a performer and movement director.

Jack’s professional credits include: Waiting for Godot by David Glass Ensemble (UK Tour), Memories of The Marshland by ZooCo (Jacksons Lane), From Here On by Gecko (European Tour) Requiem by Michelle Brøndum (Channel 4) and Bossy (UK Tour/ Lyric Hammersmith).

Since training, Jack has taught across the UK at many levels of education – ranging from Primary, all the way up to Undergraduate. Jack sees teaching as a privilege; and a way to serve others whilst developing his own craft.

Jack is currently working as a creative associate of both the David Glass Ensemble and Gecko Theatre. Alongside facilitating with RABBLE.

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Prices

£16.50 per class (payable termly).

Performance fee: £30 (only payable by those taking part in the end-of-term show).

For ages 18-80

RABBLE Access Fund

Want to get involved but don't have the funds?

If you are thinking I’d love to experience that, but you need help with some or all of the fees, then why not apply to the RABBLE Access Fund? The aim of the Access Fund is to make sure that everyone can access our work. You may want to send your child to our Saturday School, or you yourself might fancy a term of Get Up On Stage. Perhaps you want your community group or school to come to a production. Whatever it is, you can apply to us and we’ll see if we can help. You can apply for 50% of 100% of the cost of your ticket(s)/fees.

To apply, either send us a video or write us an email, explaining who you are, why you want to attend and a little about your situation. Don’t worry, all your information is completely confidential and the benefactors are never revealed (unless they really want to be).

If you are interested in applying to the fund for all or part of your fees, please state so on your enrolment form. There is no cash equivalent.

“My entire education – school, a year abroad, university and drama school – was funded through bursaries, so it feels pretty amazing to now be involved in a charity that’s enabling others to gain skills and get more involved with the community.” Toby Davies, RABBLE Theatre’s Artistic Director