Teaching Team

Amy Russell

Amy is the Deputy Director of Pedagogy at LISPA.

She studied at the Ecole Jacques Lecoq from 1990 to 1992, and completed her pedagogical training with M. Lecoq in 1997-1998, as well as the course in scenography (Laboratoire d'Etude de Mouvement). She also holds an MFA from the University of Tennessee, and a certificate from the London Academy of Music and the Dramatic Arts(LAMDA). She has worked as an ensemble member with the Lecoq based Touchstone Theatre, and has toured the United States and Europe with several collaboratively devised shows.

As a playwright her credits include five professionally produced plays. For Company Ajar, which she co-founded, she wrote Je t'embrasse, Elvis, which toured to Avignon in 2000, and her award-winning show, Killing Lincoln, continues to tour in the U.S. Amy has taught Lecoq based theater in the U.S. and abroad, and is also inspired by her study of Topeng with I Made Djimat in Bali. She has studied mask creation with Donato Sartori in Italy, and I Made Muji in Bali.

Amy teaches movement analysis and improvisation in the Initiation Course, and applied techniques and dramatic styles in the Advanced Course at LISPA.

Aurelian Koch

Aurelian trained for two years at the Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris, where he also studied for two years at the LEM (Laboratory for the Study of Movement), a course relating movement to architecture. In 1993 he co-founded Bouge-de-là Theatre in Oxford. He was joint artistic director of the company for ten years and produced, designedand toured 7 professional shows and worked with young people on over 80 projects,of which over 15 were devised shows.

Aurelian has also designed for other companies, among them Foursight Theatre and Pop-up Theatre. In 2002, Aurelian completed a three month animation course in Bristol and has since worked with Aardman Animations. In 2005, he was appointed as the lead artist in the development of the new Pegasus Theatre building, working in collaboration with the design team to implement the public art aspect of the project. Aurelian lives with his family in Oxford, where he works as a freelance designer and design teacher.

Aurelian teaches spacelab in the Initiation Course and Advanced Course at LISPA.

Darren Goad

Darren holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Abilene Christian University. As an actor he has performed extensively with, among others, Phoenix Theatre, Childsplay, Southwest Shakespeare (Arizona), Prometheus (Denver) and Bailiwick Theatre (Chicago) where he was among the Jeff Citation winners of Outstanding Ensemble for Corpus Christi. In London, he was puppet designer and among the devisers/performers of Mile End with Analogue Theatre Company. In 2005 he received an MFA in Actor-Created Physical Theatre from Naropa University in conjunction with LISPA.

Darren spent eight years as an award winning freelancer, designing for street parades and for the stage with the aforementioned companies. His true test of theatrical strength was six seasons as a display designer for Mattel Toys and the New York Toy Fair.

He has also taught theatre studies and technical theatre for Red Rocks College in Denver Colorado.

Darren teaches spacelab in the Advanced Course and the Professional Development Programme.

Debra Stych

Debra has worked as a teacher, director and performer in Singapore and the United Kingdom. She graduated from Dartington College of Arts with a BA in Devised Theatre and Bretton Hall University with a PGCE in Drama Education.

Whilst in Singapore Debra taught the Drama Diploma at LaSalle-SIA. She also directed and performed with Singapore Repertory Theatre’s The Little Company, The Young Company and Luna–id Theatre Company. Upon returning to the Uk, she trained for three years at LISPA.

Debra teaches movement analysis and improvisation in the Initiation Course. She also teaches on the Professional Development Programme.

Heriberto Montalban

Heriberto trained at LISPA and graduated with an MFA in Actor Created Physical Theatre from Naropa University, as well as subsequently completing the pedagogical training program at LISPA. He also holds a BA in Education and Theatre from the University of Puerto Rico.

He has worked as a teacher with disadvantaged communities in his native Puerto Rico, and as a freelance performer and collaborator with Les Mondes Contraires, Infectious Theatre, Cia Huma and The Gate Theatre.

Heriberto teaches on the Professional Development Programme at LISPA.

Ilan Reichel

Born in Israel, Ilan trained at Israel’s National Theatre Drama School, and worked there as an actor and dancer. He then specialised as a remedial gymnast at the Institute of Movement Reeducation. He has worked extensively with Dr Moshe Feldenkrais and his 'Awareness through Movement' method, and is also a qualified teacher of the Alexander Technique and a member of STAT (Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique).

Ilan holds an honorary BA in Education and Theatre Arts, and was a senior movement tutor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) from 1985 to 2006. His work as a director/choreographer includes works by Sam Shepard, Samuel Beckett, Yukio Mishima, Kafka, Sophocles, W.B. Yeats, Zeami, Chung-Tsu, Howard Barker and Sarah Kane. Amongst others, he has given workshops at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts, the Israel National Theatre and together with director Peter Brook at England's National Theatre Studio. Since 1994 he has been part of RADA's annual teaching team at Tokyo's Subaru Theatre Company.

His teaching at LISPA explores the links between Feldenkrais and Alexander Technique and the school's specialised pedagogy.

Ilan teaches Feldenkrais and Alexander Technique in both the Initiation Course, Advanced Course and Professional Development Programme at LISPA.

Kelley Soul

Kelley has worked professionally as an actor, director, stage manager and arts administrator, and is responsible for the oversight of LISPA’s student admissions and administrative operations.

She spent several years with The Denver Center for the Performing Arts, working as an arts manager, event planner, fundraiser,and arts-education lobbyist for the Office of Public Affairs. Whilst at the DCPA, she developed the Future Artists’ Forum, a monthly career-education workshop for young people interested in careers the arts. She also assisted several small theatre companies as a business mentor and board member.

Kelley received her MFA in Actor-Created Physical Theatre fromNaropa University in 2004, and her Pedagogical Certificate from LISPA in July 2005. She also holds a BA in Theatre from the University of Northern Colorado (1994).

As a performer, she is a core company member of the award-winning US-based theatre collective LIDAProject, with whom she has devised and performed several original works. Kelley has also performed with Tir Ná nÓg an Irish Theatre, Hunger Artists and Whole Can 'O' Whup Ass (USA) and at the Brockley Jack Theatre in London. Her latest creative projects are her two daughters Josie and Charlotte, born in 2008 and 2011.

Kelley teaches Company Development in the Advanced Course, and improvisation in the Professional Development Programme.

Ken Lewis

Ken is a highly qualified physical training specialist with over 20 years of experience in the teaching of acrobatics, gymnastics, body conditioning, martial arts and sports massage. He holds among others a Gymnastics Coaching Award, a British amateur Gymnastics Award, a British Trampolining Award, a Pilates Based Matwork Certificate and a Sports Massage Therapist Diploma.

He trained in Shaolin Kungfu, in Phor Kune Kungfu and in Hapkido. He performed as an acrobat in Circus Senso and in the Zig Zag Dance Company. As an acrobatics teacher he also works at The Circus Space, Performers Dance College and with various theatrical/dance companies based in London.

Ken teaches acrobatics and martial arts in both the Initiation Course and the Advanced Course at LISPA.

Michael Brown

Michael has worked as an actor, director and producer throughout the central United States and internationally. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the Professional Theatre Training Program at the University of Wisconsin, and was a member of the first graduating class at LISPA.

In addition to his work at a number of major regional theatres in the US, Michael is the co-founder of Shadowape Theatre, a critically-acclaimed experimental theatre company, with whom he devised, produced and performed over eight seasons. In London, Michael’s performance credits include National Alien Office at the Riverside Studios, the dance theatre project Chimaera, and an adaptation of Vladimir Nabakov’s Invitation to an Execution.Directing credits include Reminiscence at Jackson’s Lane Theatre and Up the Cafe de Paris. For the Royal National Theatre, he has recently served as movement coach for Every Good Boy Deserves Favour and both the National Theatre production and the West End transfer of War Horse. Besides his theatre and commercial work, Michael has produced and directed a series of 24 award-winning documentary films. He has also taught workshops at several universities and theatres in the US.

Michael teaches improvisation, theatre games, and devising skills in the Initiation Course and applied techniques and dramatic styles in the Advanced Course at LISPA. He also teaches in the Professional Development Programme.

Patrick Soul

Patrick graduated from Cambridge University in 1991, following this with PGCE training. In the mid-90s he founded and ran a music school in Bristol before joining the LISPA team in January 2005.

In 2006 Patrick completed an MMus in Jazz Performance from the the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and he is a keen jazz musician and composer with over 20 years of experience both performing and writing in many different styles of music. He is a singer with the London Vocal Project, a group establishing itself as one of the top jazz gospel groove music groups in the country, having performed at London's best jazz clubs as well as at the Royal Festival Hall and the Barbican.

Patrick teaches Ensemble Singing in both the Initiation and Advanced Course, in which students learn songs from all around the world, by ear and in multi-part harmony. In his administrative role at the school he helps students organise their tuition fees and payment plans.

Roger Ribo

Roger Ribo has worked as an actor and teacher in Spain and the United Kingdom. Originally from Barcelona, he trained in method acting at the Estudi Nancy Tunon. He then came to London to train at the London International School of Performing Arts (LISPA) where he also completed his pedagogical training.

Whilst in Barcelona, he worked as a deviser, manager and producer in Theatre in Education, and co-founded LaFabrica Theatre. After completing his training at LISPA, he became a core member of You Need Me, a critically-acclaimed international theatre company nominated for multiple awards and with whom he has toured in the UK. He has also worked as a freelance performer and collaborator with The Gate Theatre and Infectious Theatre, and is currently Artist in Residence at the Mulberry School for Girls in London, where he teaches devising.

Roger teaches on the Professional Development Programme at LISPA.

Stephanie Kehoe

Steph has worked as a performer, teacher and director in Australia, the UK and throughout Europe. After graduating from the University of Queensland, Steph trained extensively in the Suzuki Method of Actor Training whilst working with Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre in Australia. She then studied at the Ecole Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris (1998-2000). She completed her Pedagogical Training at the London International School of Performing Arts.

Steph is a founder member of Le Collectif des Mondes Contraires, an international ensemble created in 2001 and based in Geneva. In addition to works created in Switzerland, Steph has performed in and directed works for the company in Brazil, Mongolia and Nicaragua working alongside local theatre artists and performing for those without conventional access to theatre.

Steph is also an Associate Artist with Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre in Australia, and continues to teach workshops for the company’s International Stomping Ground Workshops. Steph has also worked extensively in the UK with marginalised groups and those excluded from mainstream arts education.

Steph teaches movement analysis and improvisation in the Initiation Course, and applied techniques and dramatic styles in the Advanced Course.

Thomas Prattki

After 12 years at the Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris as a student, teacher and pedagogical director, Thomas moved to London to found LISPA as an independent international school for theatrical creation, artistic individuation and the development of the human Self.

Thomas studied psychology at the Friedrich-Wilhelms University in Bonn/Germany and mimodrama and physical theatre with the Slovakian mime company Milan Sladek at the Kefka Theater in Cologne. He then decided to continue his theatrical training with Jacques Lecoq at his school in Paris, where he also attained the pedagogical training programme diploma as well as following the course in scenography (Laboratoire d'Etude de Mouvement).

As a performer, he worked extensively with the swiss-based performance company Mummenschanz, touring the world with the program Mummenschanz Encore before returning to Paris as a teacher for movement analysis, improvisation, applied techniques and dramatic styles at the Ecole Jacques Lecoq. After the death of Jacques Lecoq, he became the pedagogical director of his school.

His interest in a holistic approach to creative expression lead him to study at the Duerckheim Center/School for Initiatory Therapy in Todtmoos-Ruette, where he continues his personal and professional development to the present day. Based on the analytical psychology of Carl Gustav Jung and Erich Neumann and integrating the insights of gestalt psychology and zen philosophy, the Center stirs his interest in the moving body as a vessel suitable to and prepared for the incorporation and expression of the creative forces within the human Self.

He collaborated with Simon Murray in conceiving and constructing a book about the teachings of Jacques Lecoq (Jacques Lecoq, Routledge 2002) and has given workshops, masterclasses and lectures in theatres, universities and educational institutions in more than 25 countries, pursuing his interest in the dramatic expression of the collective human imagination around the world.

He teaches movement analysis, improvisation and creative process in the Initiation Course and applied techniques, dramatic styles and spacelab in the Advanced Course. Thomas also teaches in the Professional Development Programme.