Screen Academy
We believe our Screen Academy is one of the very few groups across the country that focuses solely on screen acting.
The Screen Academy meets on Sundays and is broken into the following groups:
Juniors Group 1 (9:30am until 12pm)
Juniors Group 2 (12pm until 2:30pm)
Uppers (9:30am until 12pm)
Seniors Group 1 (12pm until 2:30pm)
Seniors Group 2 (3pm until 5:30pm)
The Screen Academy undertakes many projects every year, both in-front and behind the camera. These projects include: Showreels, Silent Movies, Trailers, Competition Films and the Long Project – an opportunity for all actors in the Screen Academy to produce a feature film based on their own ideas and work, shot on location. Each year the Screen Academy Actors are invited to our ‘Red Carpet Event’ where they walk the red carpet surrounded by family and friends to watch the premiere of their film on the big screen.
Actors in the Screen Academy company also take part in a wide variety of workshops and masterclasses focussed both on pure acting, acting on camera and behind the scenes.
(Fees per 12 week term: £429)
Company led by:
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Mazy Edmonds
Screen Academy Director
With four years of professional training at drama school and experience both on stage and on screen, Mazy is an enthusiastic and dedicated acting teacher. Her performance credits include Bring It On, Chicago and Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, alongside many years of experience working with YAC.
Passionate about screen acting, Mazy specialises in bringing actors out of their shells, building confidence and developing natural, authentic performances on camera.
Her supportive approach encourages young actors to take risks, embrace their individuality and develop into confident, compelling screen performers.
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Tony Mayer
Screen Academy Director
Tony is a fantastic filmmaker and Director of Photography who has worked with YAC for many years, particularly with our Peterborough academies and across a number of our film projects and summer schools.
This term, Tony will be leading the filmmaking side of our Upper and Senior Screen Academies, helping our young actors explore the creative and technical world behind the camera as well as developing their understanding of how professional screen work is created.
We are incredibly excited to have his knowledge, creativity and filmmaking experience at the heart of our Screen Academy.
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Shannon O'Shea
Screen Academy Director
Shannon is a writer and filmmaker working across screenwriting, directing, acting and producing. She is delighted to return to the Young Actors Company to lead the Junior Screen Academy, having first joined YAC as a student herself many years ago. It is a full-circle moment to return to where her own creative journey began and help inspire the next generation of young performers.
Shannon studied Theatre: Writing, Directing and Performance at the University of York before completing an MSt in Writing for Performance at the University of Cambridge, where she specialised in screenwriting for film and television.
Alongside her work at YAC, she is developing several film, television and radio projects while building her own production company.
Passionate about storytelling and screen performance, Shannon is excited to share her experience with young actors, helping them develop their confidence, creativity and unique voice on screen.
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Kayleigh O'Connor
Screen Academy Assistant Director
Kayleigh is fantastic with young people and will be working closely with Shannon throughout the term to support our young actors, help bring their creative ideas to life and make sure every member of the academy feels encouraged, challenged and part of the team.
Kayleigh trained at YAC as a young actor before going on to study in New York at the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. She holds a First Class BA (Hons) in Drama & Theatre Studies from Royal Holloway, University of London, and an MA in Acting for Screen from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
Her credits include An Inspector Calls, directed by Stephen Daldry and Charlotte Peters for PW Productions, Phoebe in Shakespeare’s As You Like It, Myrtle in The Great Gatsby and Mia in Birthcloud.
Alongside her work as an actor and creative, Kayleigh is an ICF-accredited coach and Integrative Trauma Practitioner. Her training informs a sensitive and supportive approach to working with young actors, with a particular focus on building confidence and helping performers navigate self-consciousness, feel safe to take creative risks, trust their instincts and express themselves fully.
