“Every actor that’s come out of Workshop keeps their rough edges and their personality and they’re authentic, rather than it being drilled out of you, which you might see from some of the mainstream drama schools,” said Jones, who joined at the youngest possible age, seven, and stayed as long as he could, through to the age of 21.
Ali Rashley, the Television Workshop’s director, said offering free places to those who cannot afford the fees “will remain the most important thing, no matter how tough it’s getting”.
McClure told the Guardian she was “beyond grateful” for the opportunities given to her by the charity, adding: “Without the TV Workshop I can pretty much, hand on heart, say that I wouldn’t have made it this far, because of the style of training and because it was free of charge.”.
Nottingham’s Television Workshop, which boasts alumni such as Vicky McClure, is facing a funding crisis.
Samantha Morton, Vicky McClure, Bella Ramsey, Jack O’Connell and Felicity Jones all learned their trade there, as did Michael Socha and his sister Lauren, Aisling Loftus, Joe Dempsie, Perry Fitzpatrick, Anjli Mohindra and hundreds more recognisable faces.
