If your child has an interest in acting, drama or performing, you may be wondering where to start. With so many children's acting classes, drama schools and performing arts groups available, choosing the right option can feel overwhelming.

For parents in Leeds and the surrounding areas, children's acting classes can provide much more than an opportunity to perform. The right training can help children develop their confidence, creativity, communication skills and ability to work as part of a team, while also introducing them to the skills involved in acting for television and film.
But what should parents actually look for when choosing acting classes for their child?
What Are Children's Acting Classes?Children's acting classes are designed to introduce young people to acting in an age-appropriate and supportive environment.

Depending on the academy or class, sessions may include:

• Acting exercises and improvisation
• Character development
• Script work
• Scene work
• Voice and movement
• Confidence-building exercises
• Acting for camera
• Audition preparation
• Self-tape training
• Working as part of an ensemble
• Filming scenes and reviewing performances

Some classes focus primarily on theatre and live performance, while others specialise in acting for screen.
If your child is interested in television or film, it is worth looking for training that includes regular on-camera work such as IPM Acting Academy. Acting for a camera requires a different approach to performing on stage, so having the opportunity to practise this skill can be particularly valuable.

What Age Can Children Start Acting Classes?
There is no single age at which a child should start acting.
Younger children can benefit from imaginative play, drama games and simple performance exercises, while older children and teenagers can begin developing more advanced skills such as character work, script analysis, audition technique and screen acting.
The most important thing is that the class is appropriate for the child's age and experience.
A good children's acting class should allow young people to develop at their own pace rather than expecting every child to have the same level of confidence or experience when they first join.

What Are the Benefits of Acting Classes for Children?
Acting is obviously a creative activity, but the benefits can extend beyond performance.

• Confidence

Performing in front of other people can help children become more comfortable expressing themselves. This can be particularly useful for children who are naturally shy or hesitant to speak in front of a group.
Confidence develops gradually, so children should not be expected to become comfortable performing immediately. A supportive environment can give them the opportunity to build confidence over time.

• Communication Skills

Acting involves listening, speaking clearly, responding to other people and communicating emotion and intention.
These are useful skills both inside and outside the classroom.

• Creativity and Imagination

Drama encourages children to create characters, explore different situations and think creatively. Improvisation and imaginative exercises can give children the freedom to experiment without worrying about getting everything "right".

• Teamwork

Most acting involves working with other people. Children learn to listen to their scene partners, take turns, respond to direction and contribute to a group performance.
Discipline and ConcentrationLearning lines, rehearsing scenes and taking direction all require concentration. Children also learn that improvement often comes through practising something more than once.

What Is the Difference Between Acting Classes and Drama Clubs?
Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, there can be a difference between a drama club and professional acting training.
A drama club may primarily focus on having fun, playing games and putting on performances. This can be a fantastic introduction to performing.
An acting academy may take a more structured approach to developing acting skills, with regular training in areas such as characterisation, script work, audition technique and screen acting.
Neither approach is necessarily right or wrong. It depends on what your child wants to get from the experience.
If they simply want a fun creative activity, a drama club may be ideal.
If they are particularly interested in acting for television and film, you may want to consider an academy that provides dedicated screen acting training.

What Should Parents Look for in Children's Acting Classes in Leeds?
When researching acting classes in Leeds, there are several things worth considering.
1. Is the Training Age Appropriate?
Children, younger teenagers and older teenagers have very different needs.
Ask how the academy divides its classes and whether the training is adapted to different ages and levels of experience.
2. Does the Class Include Screen Acting?
If your child is interested in television or film, find out whether they will actually work in front of a camera.
Screen acting involves understanding camera position, eyelines, continuity, naturalistic performance and taking direction. These are skills that can be developed through practical experience.
3. Who Teaches the Classes?
Look at the experience of the tutors and their background in acting, casting, television, film or professional training.
It is also worth asking whether children receive individual feedback and direction during sessions.
4. Is There a Safe and Supportive Environment?
This should be one of the most important considerations for any parent.
Children should feel comfortable asking questions, making mistakes and trying something new. Acting classes should encourage young people rather than making them feel pressured to perform.
Parents should also be able to find clear information about safeguarding, class arrangements and who is responsible for the children during sessions.
5. Are There Opportunities to Perform?
Regular performance opportunities can help children put their training into practice.
For screen acting, this could include filming scenes, practising self-tapes or working on filmed projects.
6. Is the Academy Connected to the Professional Industry?
If your child has ambitions to work professionally, it may be useful to understand whether the academy has links with casting professionals, agents or production opportunities.
However, parents should always look beyond promises of representation or professional work and consider the quality of the actual training being provided.
Does My Child Need Acting Experience Before Joining?
No.
Children's acting classes should be suitable for beginners as well as young people who already have experience.
A child does not need to know how to act, memorise scripts or perform confidently before attending their first class. In fact, learning these skills is one of the reasons to attend.
Some children will arrive with lots of confidence, while others may initially prefer to observe. Both are completely normal.
What If My Child Wants to Become a Professional Actor?
If your child is interested in pursuing acting professionally, training can be a useful starting point.
Professional acting involves considerably more than simply being confident or enjoying performing. Young actors may eventually need to develop skills in:

• Audition technique
• Self-taping
• Screen acting
• Learning scripts
• Taking direction
• Character development
• Working professionally on set
• Understanding casting processes

It is also important for parents to have realistic expectations. There is no guaranteed route into television or film, and professional casting is competitive.
The priority should be helping your child develop their skills while making sure they enjoy the process.
Why Screen Acting Experience MattersTelevision and film acting can feel very different from performing on a stage.
On camera, small expressions and natural reactions can be extremely important. Actors may also need to repeat the same scene several times while maintaining continuity.
Children who are interested in screen work can therefore benefit from having practical experience with cameras rather than only performing live.
At IPM Acting Academy in Leeds, screen acting is an important part of our approach. Our students work on camera, develop audition skills and learn how to approach acting for television and film in a practical environment.
How Much Do Children's Acting Classes Cost in Leeds?
The cost of children's acting classes in Leeds varies depending on the academy, class length, frequency and what is included.
When comparing prices, it is worth looking at the whole package rather than simply choosing the cheapest class.
Consider:

• How long each session lasts
• How frequently classes take place
• Class sizes
• Tutor experience
• Whether screen acting is included
• Whether filming opportunities are provided
• Whether there are additional registration or membership fees
• What is included within the advertised price

A clear fee structure should always be provided before your child joins.

Are Acting Classes Worth It for Children?
For a child who enjoys performing, acting classes can be a rewarding activity and an opportunity to develop a wide range of skills.
The benefits are not limited to children who want to become professional actors. Confidence, communication, creativity, teamwork and the ability to take direction can all be useful skills as children grow.
For children who are specifically interested in television and film, finding training that includes practical screen acting can also help them understand what working on camera involves.
Choosing Acting Classes in LeedsThere are many different options available to families looking for children's acting classes in Leeds. The right choice will depend on your child's age, personality, interests and goals.
Before enrolling, consider attending a trial or assessment where possible and speak to the academy about what your child will actually be doing during sessions.
Most importantly, your child should enjoy the experience.
Acting should give young people the opportunity to be creative, develop their confidence and learn new skills in an environment where they feel supported.
Looking for Children's Acting Classes in Leeds?
IPM Acting Academy provides acting and screen acting training for children and young people in Leeds, with classes designed to develop performance skills, confidence and practical on-camera experience.
Our training covers acting for television and film alongside core acting techniques, helping young performers develop their skills in a structured and supportive environment.
If your child is interested in acting, you can find out more about our children's acting classes in Leeds and the different classes available through IPM Acting Academy.

Studying the performances of accomplished actors can provide an opportunity to learn an actor's process, technique and choices. The beauty of studying acting is that (I hope) it’s enjoyable and inspiring. If you really take the time to analyse the performance of your favourite actor, it may reveal more about yourself and your own style.
Below, I will gift you my cauldron of brilliant films that I believe an actor should watch and study. The following five films - Aftersun, No Country for Old Men, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Marriage Story and There Will Be Blood - offer five distinctly different approaches to screen acting. These films are broad in genre and performance; however, each provides a unique lesson in the craft of acting that may offer a brilliant upcoming actor like yourself an opportunity to study how different performers use their voice, body, silence, expression, listening and emotional truth to create compelling characters on screen.
Don’t worry, I won’t ruin the films for you. What I will cover are the reasons why these films are 11/10.
Aftersun
Aftersun is such a roller coaster of emotion. That's what makes it brilliant. Paul Mescal's performance as Cal has so much nuance and so many layers that, at first, you aren’t aware of the performance underneath. What makes Cal such an interesting character to study is the contrast between what he presents to his daughter Sophie and what appears to be happening beneath the surface. It’s a masterclass in subtext, restraint and suppressed emotion.
For an actor, Aftersun demonstrates the importance of playing the character's objective rather than simply playing an emotion. Mescal is not constantly playing sadness; he is playing a father trying to enjoy a holiday with his daughter while managing something he cannot fully express.
When watching the film, it is easy to notice the big reactions, the smiles and laughs. Bring your attention to the small reactions. Read between the lines.
No Country for Old Men
This film is so brutal and uncomfortable in all the right ways. You have most likely seen clips online of the famous scene focused around a flip of a coin. If not, prepare yourself.
It’s interesting how one of the most formidable villains feels blank and emotionally inept. What this film demonstrates is how Javier Bardem portrays this character as almost unearthly and unstoppable. I feel what made me love this performance is that the performance isn’t the typical cliché of an over-expressive or aggressive villainous archetype.
This restraint makes him difficult to read, which in turn makes him unpredictable. As an audience, we are left constantly questioning what he is thinking and what he might do next. Bardem demonstrates that an actor does not always need to show the audience an emotion for the audience to feel it.
This creates a powerful lesson in screen presence: sometimes the most compelling choice an actor can make is to do less. Studying Bardem's performance can help an actor develop confidence in stillness, improve their physical awareness and understand how silence, restraint and controlled behaviour can communicate far more than exaggerated emotion.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Unlike the restrained performances of Paul Mescal or Javier Bardem, Fiennes embraces a highly theatrical approach, creating a character whose voice, posture and rhythm are all carefully constructed. Gustave speaks with extraordinary precision and speed, moves with an almost choreographed elegance and maintains an unwavering sense of etiquette, even when surrounded by complete chaos. Yet beneath this exaggerated exterior is a character with genuine compassion.
The role is also a brilliant study in comedic timing. Fiennes rarely appears to be trying to make the audience laugh; instead, he treats Gustave's behaviour with complete sincerity.
It’s extremely entertaining and technical. The humour often comes from the contrast between his extreme politeness and the absurd situations around him. His delivery is extremely precise, with carefully controlled pauses, changes in pace, emphasis and reaction shots. That’s why performing comedy, in my opinion, is so difficult, because the actor has to understand exactly when to hold back, when to react and when to allow a moment to breathe - and make that feel funny.
In my eyes, I believe many of my favourite movies include moments of comedy. Contemporary films often have the ability to use humour as a tonal tool. So, understanding how to deliver a comedic moment is a useful tool. The Grand Budapest Hotel is a great film to study as it has such a broad set of comedic ingredients, from slapstick to deadpan.
There Will Be Blood
There Will Be Blood is one of my favourite western/drama/epic journeys. It’s raw, unforgiving and Daniel Day-Lewis’ performance is one of the most valuable performances for an actor to study because of the sheer level of physical commitment and character embodiment behind it.
We are not watching Daniel Day-Lewis; we are watching Daniel Plainview. His approach to acting is to construct a distinctive voice, a rhythm of speech, a walk, practically re-create himself and emerge into the role. It’s quite scary.
If method interests you, Daniel Day-Lewis is a quintessential method actor. That is a strong opinion, but I stick by it. The greatest benefit is learning how to build a character from both the inside and outside. As Plainview changes throughout the film, Day-Lewis subtly alters his physicality, voice and behaviour. Understanding his arc within the story and realising how his performance alters is such an important reason to understand how a story unfolds past the page and becomes a cohesive journey that is as believable as There Will Be Blood.
Marriage Story
It's weird; some movies you won’t forget watching. I think it can be personal to so many people because of how instinctive the performances are in this film. What makes Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson's performances in Marriage Story an excellent study is that their performances consist of naturalistic conversation, listening and emotional escalation. They hit the bullseye on every beat within a scene. You can see immediately when one attacks - the other is instinctually conjuring up their defence.
This is particularly evident in the film's famous argument scene, where the tension builds naturally rather than immediately reaching its emotional peak. It starts as a normal, constructive conversation and develops into something extremely human - a huge fight!
The performances also demonstrate how actors can control the progression of a scene. As the argument develops, the characters move through frustration, defensiveness, anger and vulnerability. Their voices become louder, their movements become more aggressive and their physical distance changes.
Why this is such a great film, and specifically why that scene is so great to study, is because the argument doesn't feel like two actors performing a dramatic scene; it feels like two people who have years of history, resentment and love suddenly losing control. This is what makes the scene such a valuable study for actors: it demonstrates how a well-rehearsed and carefully constructed performance can still feel spontaneous, messy and still honour reality.
It is my favourite scene from a romantic drama ever.
That’s a wrap
So, there you have it. Five films, five completely different performances and five very different lessons to take into your own acting. What I love about these films is that none of them are trying to achieve the same thing.
I don’t think the point of studying these performances is to copy the actors. In fact, I think that would defeat the purpose. Instead, take the things that interest you. Notice the choices they make, question why they work and then see how you can apply those ideas to your own process.
At the end of the day, watching films is one of the most enjoyable ways to learn. So grab some popcorn, watch these films, watch them again, and then watch them with an actor's eye. You might find that you naturally connect with one performance more than another, or that something you see completely changes the way you approach a scene.

Platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Youtube and Snapchat are well established social media platforms that are heavily used by influencers. As an influencer it is important to have a niche and stick with it. It can be a hobby that an influencer has a deep interest in such as gaming and dancing, or it can be keeping up with the latest beauty and fashion trends. Either way it is the job of the influencer to create engaging content that will help them build a large following but, how much of their online content involves acting? This blog is going to look at how acting can enhance influencers capabilities and produce better content.
How will an influencer create a video?
It must start with a topic such as, a brand or store that is going to launch for the first time in the UK, or a personal change such as going to secondary school or planning a special birthday occasion. Once an influencer has decided to create content on a topic, they must build an idea of what they’d like to create for their online following. This can be done by viewing social media analytics and finding out the latest trends and recreating similar content.
Topic
Deciding on a topic is an important aspect of creating content. It is essential that you are familiar with the topic and understand it enough to share content about it. Research is very important when planning and creating a script. However, bear in mind you will create a deeper understanding of your niche when you are sharing it with others online. When acting and creating the content for your influencer channel you will be able to hear out loud whether you are making sense or whether you need to do more research to come across more knowledgeable.
Plan and script
Once you have decided on the type of content you would like to create it is time to plan a story line and script it. This step is important because it is the foundation base for the content to be built upon. It is not unusual for content creators to go off script when they are filming, however the story line should remain the same. Edits and changes to a script are sometimes essential, enabling an influencer to tweak their content before it is created.
Rehearsal
Some influencers will rehearse off camera, so they appear exactly as they want to in their content, this step will be repeated until they have made the right adjustments to their script and physical movement. This is a good way to prepare before filming content that will take place in a public location such as a shopping centre. Other influencers will set up their recording equipment and rehearse in front of their camera and adjust their script and movements until they are happy to press record. There is no right or wrong way to rehearse for content creation, each influencer will have their individual way of preparing themselves before pressing record. Remember rehearsals are a good way of building confident acting skills, self confidence and relatability which creates higher quality content that engages a higher volume of viewers.
Voice and body language
An influencer that is telling a story will use voice projection, facial expressions and body language to emphasise emotions, these acting techniques are used to grab the attention of the audience. Having balanced acting and good story telling is important for an influencer who is wanting to create engaging and interesting content rather than distracting and irritating content.
However, an influencer that is demonstrating a product such as skin care or make up, will use more subtle facial expressions and tone of voice to present a natural image. They will use voice projection to control their volume when addressing the audience and demonstrating a product. It is important the tone is not too quiet and soft or too loud and powerful. Believable facial expressions are very important and will be used similarly to voice, not too little but not excessive. Appearing to have a natural reaction on camera, demonstrates credibility to the audience which will create more engagement with the product and the influencer.
On Camera
The rehearsals have been completed and its time to press record. It is important to be authentic, letting your personality shine through on camera creates a natural image, that most viewers will engage with. Authenticity is important when building an audience, some viewers will be interested in the topics that you engaged with however, others will be interested in YOU! having an audience that likes you as a person will give you the confidence boost to create more content and can be a great way of becoming a well known influencer. Although it all sounds too good to be true, there will be times when you can create certain content once and that’s it. A good skill to build on is improvisation, if there is one opportunity to gain content in an open environment then you must be able to think quickly and create high quality content under pressure. Creating GRWM or shopping haul videos require an influencer to speak to a camera this can feel overwhelming at times, and it will take practice. However, working on your acting skills will ease any tension and hopefully it will be an enjoyable experience.
The benefits of acting skills
Having previous experience as a screen actor will boost confidence and benefit your online presence. Screen actors have the ability to tell a story through a screen this transferable skill is very important when creating online content. Each video you want to create has a topic/theme and a story will naturally flow to show this to an audience. Screen actors already have this skill making it easier for them to understand the basic principles of storytelling. Performing for your audience is a key aspect of influencing and authenticity and credibility are the key to keeping viewers engaged, this involves good use of body language, tone of voice and facial expressions. Audiences want to be entertained they do not want to feel like they are being talked at and, having screen acting skills can enhance your ability to adapt your content to make it more engaging. Screen actors use their own personality to fit into character roles, using your personality as part of your online presence is important, but enhancing it with good screen skills will make your online presence much stronger. Using recording equipment can seem overwhelming, unless you have experience in screen acting. Gaining experience from screen acting classes is a good place to gain confidence around cameras, lights and microphones. Script memorisation is a key skill of acting developing script skills will allow influencers to create content easier and quicker. The ability to make high quality content in a short space of time, free’s up space to research and develop more content which will reach a wider audience. Screen acting is a great way to boost your confidence and reduce any anxiety that may occur when filming content or speaking with your audience. Practicing acting as a craft can also help build on editing skills although this is not a direct skill actors have. It is something that is learnt over time spent in an acting career or through acting training
Ready to launch your influencer platform
Research and understand your niche and potential audience.
Gain screen acting skills through an academy or experience.
Rehearse your content – script, body language, speech and tone, facial expressions.
Set up your equipment – Camera, lighting, microphone.
Be authentic and let your personality shine through on your videos.
Edit – cut clips, add music, add voice over.
POST on your platforms.

The growth of social media has enabled more platform users to build on their individual acting skills. Pressing record immediately demands a level of preparation and acting skills to establish the story an influencer is trying to tell through a lens. Being authentic is very important however it is equally as important to create quality content for the audience this is why research, preparation and rehearsing is just as important as the equipment that will be used. For some influencers this comes naturally
however for those with less confidence and understanding of the industry acting classes can be beneficial. To answer the question ‘how much do influencers act?’ depends on the type of content and how much content they are creating however, do influencers act? Yes, of course they do. If it is your passion to become an influencer follow the steps above to become the best online version of yourself, drawing in audiences that find your relatable. ​