From First Rehearsal to Opening Night in Five Days – Young People’s Acting Course in Brighton | Play-in-a-Week Intensive

Play-in-a-Week Intensive Acting Course | Twelve Angry Men | Ages 16–25

Monday 17 – Friday 21 August 2026 | 10:30am–6pm Hanover Community Centre, Brighton BN2 9UD


Twelve Parts. Five Days. One Classic Play. One Week Acting Course.

This August, ThirdSpace Theatre is doing something different. Known for large-scale, epic ensemble productions, we’re stripping things back — and going deep.

Twelve Angry Men is one of the most celebrated and perfectly constructed plays ever written: twelve characters, one room, and an argument that crackles with tension from start to finish. Over five intensive days, twelve young performers aged 16–25 will take this extraordinary text from a first read-through all the way to a live performance in front of an invited audience.

There are exactly 12 performer places — one for each juror. Book soon.


What This Acting Course Is About

Most drama training covers a broad range of skills. This week does the opposite: it goes narrow and deep. Working closely with director Dave Barnstorm, you’ll spend the week drilling into one of the great texts of 20th-century drama, developing:

  • Character work — building a fully realised, specific human being from the script
  • Naturalistic acting technique — truth, restraint, and emotional immediacy on stage
  • Text analysis — understanding how language, rhythm, and subtext drive character and scene
  • Emotional beats and responsiveness — listening, reacting, and staying present in the moment
  • Performance under pressure — the discipline and focus of a real rehearsal process, culminating in a public performance

This is not a workshop. It’s a rehearsal process — and by Friday evening, you’ll perform the result.


Gender-Blind Casting

All 12 roles are open to performers of any gender. You’ll be contacted before the course to arrange a short audition process so Dave can assign roles thoughtfully ahead of the first day.


Your Acting Course Director: Dave Barnstorm

Dave Barnstorm is an award-winning theatre and opera director with a career spanning Edinburgh, London, and beyond. His 2017 remount of La Bohème from King’s Head Theatre at Trafalgar Studios received an Olivier Award nomination for Best New Opera.

As co-producer and associate director of The So & So Arts Club and artistic director of Another Soup, Dave has worked with some of Britain’s finest actors, including Michael Brandon, Rula Lenska, Miriam Margolyes, and Dame Harriet Walter. He now serves as Producer and Associate Director at ThirdSpace Theatre.

Expect a week of rigorous, joyful, professional-standard direction from someone who has done it at the highest level.


Course Details

DatesMonday 17 – Friday 21 August 2026
Hours10:30am – 6pm daily
LocationHanover Community Centre, Brighton BN2 9UD
Ages16–25
Places12 performer places only
PerformanceFriday evening, invited audience

Pricing & Access

  • Monthly instalments available — can’t pay in full upfront? We can spread the cost across monthly payments until August. Email us: info@thirdspacetheatre.co.uk
  • Observer places — a small number of discounted observer spots are available for those who want to watch and learn from the rehearsal process without performing
  • All net proceeds go directly towards ThirdSpace’s free and subsidised clubs for young people who couldn’t otherwise access the arts

Is This Course Right for You?

✅ You’re aged 16–25 and want an intensive, professional rehearsal experience ✅ You’re interested in naturalistic acting and text-based work ✅ You want to perform a full play in front of an audience, not just workshop scenes ✅ You’re applying to drama school and want strong classical text experience ✅ You want to be directed by someone with serious professional credentials


Only 12 places exist — and this is the first time we’re running this course.

[Secure Your Place →]

Questions? Email info@thirdspacetheatre.co.uk

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