Our Teachers

GDA's principal, Joanne Copeman, holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree with First Class Honours (Theatre), awarded by the prestigious Guildford School of Acting. Joanne teaches the key elements surrounding drama and acting techniques, along with vocal coaching and vocal health. Joanne has a huge passion for vocal technique and vocal health, and she is working towards an Estill for Singing Teachers Certificate, Estill Levels 1 & 2 - Compulsory Figures & Voice Qualities Certifications, along with the Advanced Estill Certificate. Joanne absolutely loves her job and thrives on seeing the children blossom and shine! Joanne worked as a freelance acting/singing teacher at a private performing arts academy before forming GDA. 

In terms of Joanne’s personal career, she has a wealth of stage/performance experience. Her voice as enabled her to perform globally as a professional singer since 2002. Joanne has performed worldwide, and this has seen her perform in over 30 countries so far. She has graced stages across Europe, The United Arab Emirates and America; from Monte Carlo to Detroit, and her longevity in this field speaks absolute volumes. Joanne has also toured UK theatres with her show, putting the entire production together herself, including live musicians, dancers, and big screen narrative/footage. Joanne’s practical performance experience, combined with her academic/theory knowledge provides students with a well-rounded, unique learning experience. She is focused on passing this experience on to children and young adults, directly helping students enrich their lives through literature, drama, and performing arts.

Lucy is a motivated, adaptable, fully qualified teacher of performing arts. She is enthusiastic about nurturing the talent of students whilst building students’ self-esteem and confidence as individuals. Lucy began dance and drama lessons from 4 years old, taking LAMDA and BTDA examinations in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, lyrical and commercial. She has performed in many shows at the Concordia Theatre including, Fame, The Producers and West Side Story with the Amateur Operatic Society. Lucy then went on to further her training at De Montfort University and studied Performing Arts, focusing heavily on contemporary dance and acting. Lucy is hugely  experienced as both a performer and a teacher. She has  a proactive, passionate approach to work, with the ability to remain calm in stressful situations. Lucy thrives within a team environment and she is highly enthusiastic about education and the arts. Lucy also works as a qualified, part-time, drama teacher at a secondary school. We are so lucky to have her on board our GDA showboat and she will also be running many of our holiday workshops! 

Ollie is a young, vibrant, talented teacher and he’s a big hit with students of all ages; what’s more, he’s as cool as a cucumber! Ollie has already got a great live performance background under his belt and heaps of experience and knowledge to pass on. Having performed lead roles in theatre productions of Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’ and ‘Twelfth Night’ Ollie is no stranger to the works of The Bard. Ollie, coaches acting and singing classes, along with teaching beginner’s guitar. He is an enthusiastic, gifted teacher, and a valuable member of the GDA team.

Pat is GDA’s office administrator, and all-round organiser of all things admin and paperwork related. Pat deals with enrolments, policies and procedures, and invoicing, along with any parent questions/queries. As is often the case, Pat appears to be somewhat in the background, but she is pretty much the backbone of the academy! She is incredibly efficient and we’re lucky to have her on board the GDA showboat.

We would like to welcome Paula to our team! Paula will be running the office & administration side of our business, and she has extensive experience in many areas of our work. Paula has recently completed a teaching assistant course in NCFE CACHE Level 3 Certificate in Understanding Safeguarding and Prevent, NCFE CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Mental Health First Aid and Mental Health Advocacy in the Workplace, and NCFE CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Behaviour that Challenges. We have no doubt that Paula will be a huge asset to our growing team at GDA! 
 

We are delighted to welcome Isaac on board. Isaac is already a professional actor, having recently played the part of 'Ollie Millar' (a regular character in BBC Doctors) for one year. Luckily for GDA, Isaac is taking a year out before embarking on the next chapter of his acting career, and he is joining GDA as one of our Drama teachers. Isaac also plays guitar and he is lead singer in the band 'A Mess for Mad Dogs' Isaac has a passion for creative writing, and self-published a novel in 2022 (He is currently writing a new project). Isaac is excellent when working with young children and he is going to be a huge asset to our GDA team!

*p.s he's been a pro in the industry for many years, filming his first advert for Weetabix when he was 12 (he'll no doubt hate me for sharing that!)

Olivia is an enthusiastic, organised, member of our team. She has been dancing since the age of 2, taking classes in Tap, Ballet, Modern and Musical Theatre. Olivia is at KEG6 college studying History, English Literature and Drama. She is already very experienced in the art of live performance, having played the part of Tam in Miss Saigon at the age of 5, and the lead role of Susan in Miracle on 34th Street, at the Concordia Theatre. Olivia has a big passion for Musical Theatre, and she is currently rehearsing with the Concordia Youth Theatre, playing the part of Elle in Legally Blonde. Olivia has passed exams in freestyle dance, ballet and tap, up to grade 4. She has also passed LAMDA exams; Speaking verse and prose grade 1, Speaking verse and prose grade 2, and Acting grade 3. Olivia would love to appear in Six the Musical along with other favourites such as Bonnie and Clyde and Heathers. She is keen to assist in teaching the younger members of GDA, and she has a calming influence on the lively ones! Olivia is an asset to our GDA team.

Steph is a fabulous drama support assistant and her bubbly personality is a big winner with students! Steph really encourages the children to lose their inhibitions, which in turn fires up their imagination allowing them to freely express themselves. Having worked in schools for many years, Steph is very experienced in working with children and young people. Steph also chaperones and helps to co-ordinate the children during our live GDA public performances. Steph is currently working towards a level 3 qualification in counselling, and as such she is totally aware of the positive effects that drama has on mental health and wellbeing. Steph is an enthusiastic and gifted member of the GDA team! 

GDA would like to welcome guitar teacher, Chris, to our team! Chris is a professional guitar teacher with around 20 years of experience. Chris studied at BIMM London where he acquired a bachelor’s degree in Popular Music Performance. Chris has played in the pit bands of various musicals, notably Shrek the Musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Beautiful: The Carole King musical, the Nuneaton Gang Show and Legally Blonde. He has also performed in other live band settings. We're excited to have Chris on board! Chris is fully qualified in teaching both acoustic and electric guitar.