Speech & Drama Classes

Saturday 1^st March - Sunday 16^th March 2025

LOUISE MANDERS was born in Westcliff on Sea and first trod the boards when only five days old and has never looked back. Her varied and interesting professional theatrical career began with Haymarket Stage Productions progressing from stage management to acquiring her Equity card as an actress. She enjoyed touring the UK and appearing in all aspects of theatre including repertory and musicals, as well as appearing on television and in films.

Louise is presently not only an adjudicator for the British and International Federation of Festivals and the Guild of Drama Adjudicators, but is also an adjudicator member of the Society of Teachers of Speech and Drama.  Louise’s extensive work as an adjudicator has taken her all over the UK and abroad. She has adjudicated for festivals in Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and Canada.   During the pandemic, Louise also adjudicated online. She runs workshops and master classes, directs plays (including open air productions) and musicals, devises original drama compositions, writes poetry and has written many musical plays for children and students. A Festival is a celebration and enables all entrants to bring their creativity and enthusiasm to fruition. Louise is really looking forward to her first visit to the Watford Festival and sharing in these celebrations.

MARY ANN TEAR is a BIFF adjudicator, an examiner for Trinity College London, choreographer, director and Performing Arts lecturer and practitioner. Her work has taken her to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Canada, Sri Lanka, Dubai, Bermuda, as well as centres in Europe and the United Kingdom.

After spending 13 years in Singapore, where she co-founded the Singapore Performing Arts Festival, she has recently re- located back to the UK but she is still pursuing her adjudicating, examining, lecturing, and theatre direction.

She was a lecturer in Performing Arts working for LaSalle, NAFA, & SOTA in Singapore and the Universities of Hertfordshire and Middlesex in the UK whilst also pursuing her professional theatrical career with performance, choreography, and direction in drama, musical theatre, pantomime, physical theatre, and, most recently, chamber opera.

She always had an interest in teaching and ran her own schools in Hertfordshire working with students of all ages in drama and dance. She led a Youth Theatre and was involved with many community arts projects in the UK. She has created programmes for the teaching of Voice for theatre, public speaking and debate and delivers these both online and face to face.