RE:act Residential Acting Workshop

“that was like witchcraft” (Che, previous student)
“I feel like I’ve lived five lives” (Robin, previous student)

Richard Elson

RE:act is a highly experiential, somatic, residential series of workshops that develops emotional performance, connection to character, and self-regulation under pressure. Participants consistently describe it as “exceptional … both engaging and empowering” (Sarah, previous student) and a rare opportunity to release and reconnect with the emotional state of a character. “I’ve been working on trying to access sadness for a year now and this class was a real breakthrough moment where I found it” (Ben, previous student). The effects are often immediate and can be profound. Run by director Richard Elson, RE:act is grounded in over twenty years of directing actors for stage and screen, and informed by post-graduate research in psychology and anthropology, the work combines analysis, sensory engagement, and movement-based exercises to access and regulate core emotional states. The approach is rigorous, accessible, and practical, equipping individuals and groups with embodied tools they can take forward into demanding professional environments and character work.

The Weekend

The inaugural RE:act weekend will be on 13-15 March, 2026, at Voewood in Norfolk. Cost: £492.

  • This includes:
  • 9 workshops based around the core emotions
  • 6 meals, nutritionally balanced to provide healthy, sustainable energy
  • 2 nights accommodation in the stunning Voewood house
  • 1 headshot and photos of the experience

Registration

To apply for a place and find out more please email richard@elsonmedia.com with a copy of your acting CV and link to any showreel. Places are limited, anyone unable to be included on the first weekend will be given priority on future RE:act workshops.

About Richard

Richard’s interdisciplinary directing career spans features, TV drama, documentaries and commercials. Features include ‘A Christmas Star’ (with Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnan), and the ‘Horror Scopes’ series of anthologies. He is known for the award-winning BBC show ‘M.I.High’ and the Netflix documentary ‘Shadow Trade’, an undercover investigation into Thailand’s illegal dog meat trade that resulted in a change to the country’s laws. He took over from Shane Meadows to direct the Co-op campaign ‘Good Causes’, and his documentary short ’78 Breaths’, won at Sheffield Doc/Fest. He has worked worldwide for numerous NGOs such as Oxfam and Save the Children on TVCs and documentaries. His online sketch series for Movember, ‘Paul Mal Barbara’, transferred the West End fringe and he garnered critical acclaim and awards for his series of plays about abuse in the UK prison system, ‘Held’, ‘Walking’ and ‘Dog City’.