About us

Inspire Academy exists to be an affordable and accessible drama group for young people in the heart of Nottingham.

The group opened in January 2007 and currently has over 150 members and is gaining a reputation within the industry as an exciting group to be part of. Our dedicated team of staff are committed to the development of each individual.

Luke Gell

Director of Inspire Academy

luke@inspireacademy.co.uk

Luke is head of the academy that sees young people put through over 2 hours of drama every week. Luke trained at the ITV/BBC Junior Television from the age of 11, working on shows like Casualty, Peak Practice and Scallywagga. He is most notable for his role as 'Tim' - the barman in 'Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps'.

Luke has taught drama in various different settings, including at 'The Kings School' in the Meadows. He is convinced that Inspire will prove to be an important time and experience for every young person that passes through it over the coming years.

Nic Harvey

Assistant Director & Director of 'Go:Inspire'

nic@inspireacademy.co.uk

Nic has been with The Television Workshop for over 14 years, working on a range of TV, film and theatre projects across the country. As well as professional experience including work with the RSC and acclaimed film director Shane Meadows, he has also contributed to the local arts scene, appearing at the Royal Concert Hall, Lace Market Theatre, Newark Palace and Nottingham Playhouse.

Nic was an assistant director with the Nottingham Playhouse youth workshops and the Young Critic's Circle group. He runs a filmmaking academy at Toot Hill School in Bingham and teaches at Stagecoach Youth Theatre in Radcliffe. Nic is now running the West Bridgford branch of Inspire Academy. Nic is proud to be a part of Inspire and its promising future.

Melissa Simpson

Director of Urban Young Actors
and Inspire Academy Guest Tutor

admin@inspireacademy.co.uk

Melissa is founder and Director of our Sister group in Leicester. The success of the group has helped Melissa to gain a reputation as an outstanding teacher and mentor to young talent in Leicester.

Melissa is very much part of the team at Inspire and helps make important decisions for the future of the group. She also comes on board during performance projects as a supporting director.

• A group where young people can learn more about the art of drama and practice different techniques.

• A group which encourages an atmosphere of creativity and an attitude of support for one another.

• A group that gives young people the opportunity to show their work to an audience including friends and family.

• A group where the young are encouraged to grow up to be confident people with good character.

• A group that is low priced so that it is accessible to a wide range of people.

“Luke has been an amazing influence on the year ten pupils at Big Wood School. He came in and did a two hour workshop on acting skills and the theme of fear which they were studying. His passion for drama is contagious and this spread throughout the room because the pupils were on cloud nine when he left. They felt he had given them the confidence and courage to perform. They felt they had learnt so much about themselves that they had not known before. It was fantastic to see him share his knowledge and infuse the pupils with his drive and ambition. Luke is a true motivator with a flare for stretching different abilities. He also came into school on another occasion to audition some pupils, which was a delight that he went out of his way to help me and pupils succeed. Not everyone would do that and I am so thankful for his kind and generous attitude. I thoroughly enjoyed working with him and seeing him in action. It was a pleasure and I can’t wait to see him in action again.”

Mrs N Johnson

Head of Drama

Big Wood School

"Our Son, Kurtis, joined Inspire in 2007. It has prooved to be a great move for him. He enjoys all the sessions and tells us how focused the group are on different projects and yet how much fun they have in doing them. His confidence has gone from strength to strength with all credit to Luke Gell for being an excellent teacher. Kurtis respects Luke and his team. He finds him an approachable and inspirational teacher."

(Parent)

Urban Young Actors

Website: www.urbanyoungactors.com

Inspire Academy's sister group in Leicester. The group has a very similar ethos to Inspire. Melissa Simpson is head of the group that ranges from the ages of 8-21.

Inspire and Urban work closely together on projects for the East Midlands.

Jack Curtis
Website: www.jackcurtis.co.uk

Info: An exciting young magician from the Nottingham area.

The Nottingham Playhouse

Website: www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk

Info: Award winning theatre in the centre of Nottingham, attracting some of the biggest names of stage and screen.

Rusty Oscar

Website: http://rustyoscar.wordpress.com/

Info: Witty and trustworthy reviews of some of the latest cinema releases.

Fourmost Films

Website: www.fourmostfilms.com

Info: Providing high definition video production and training nationwide.

Freddie Kofi:

Website: www.freddiekofi.com

Info: Award winning singer and songwriter from Nottingham.