Meet The Creative Director
Hi Everyone!
My name's Jen and I'm a trained actor from Fife, Scotland. Having over 20 years experience of teaching children in a variety of forms, ranging from gymnastics coaching, to teaching drama, dance and singing for various child development & drama school companies, to leading children's birthday parties, I know that it's the most rewarding thing I can be doing with my life. Which is why I set out on an exciting new venture in April 2017. Inspire was born in London and after a year and a half I am extremely excited to be branching out in my home county, Fife, with brand new Drama, Dance, & Singing weekly workshops for 4-17 year olds, all centred around Child Development. For us here at Inspire, it's not about promising to turn your child into the next big A-list star... child development is at the heart of everything we do and our passion for developing our "4 Cs", Concentration, Communication, Coordination, and Confidence, shines through.
My simple aim - to help children realise their full potential.
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"I have done quite a few different classes and groups with my children but this is without a doubt the most professional, well run and organised, by far. Jen is fantastic. She is enthusiastic, professional and my son adores her. She runs the class excellently. My son has had many more mature group leaders at other classes previously who do not command nearly as much respect. The classes are a great balance of discipline and fun and my son comes out completely engaged and enthused. It's a great end to his week and start to the weekend!"
Claudia, parent - Bushey, London
Meet The Team
Tiana Wilson
Since her first performance as Jack in ‘Jack in the Beanstalk’ in primary school, Tiana has always known she wanted to be a performer. She participated in various musical theatre productions back home in Aberdeen before embarking on the journey to obtain her degree in Acting for Stage and Screen at Edinburgh Napier and Queen Margaret Universities. Since graduating in 2019, she has performed in the Edinburgh Fringe, been in a children’s radio drama, and played a prince in Howden Park Centre’s pantomime of ‘Cinderella’. She is looking forward to bringing her experience and abundance of excitement to classes to help children and young people develop as individuals.
"The team are absolutely fantastic & put time and effort into each and every child. I have noticed
a HUGE increase in my daughter's confidence since joining. This also carries into her everyday life, from speaking confidently with new people & having the confidence to hold an opinion strongly. Would highly recommend, she loves going & always has great fun."
Megan, parent - Kirkcaldy, Fife ​
Abbie Faskin
Abbie is a Drama and Performance graduate of Queen Margaret University where she gained valuable experience in theatre facilitation and acting for the stage. She has a range of experience in leading theatre workshops for children and adults with additional support needs. She has assisted children with preparation for LAMDA drama examinations, as well as being qualified to Grade 8 herself. She has also recently taught children in Italy in English immersion summer camps, with a focus on language learning through games, song and activities. Abbie has been involved in theatre for as long as she can remember, being part of a youth theatre group throughout her time at school, performing in a range of theatre productions including Shakespeare comedies and improvised sketch shows. Being part of a youth theatre group had such a positive impact on Abbie growing up, therefore she is so excited to be able to recreate this experience for the children at Inspire.
"Cara absolutely LOVES the classes with you, Abbie. She literally talks about it all the time and can’t wait to get there each week - full of enthusiasm when she comes out. The teachers are fantastic and very engaging. Thank you also for the gorgeous T-shirt - Cara will be wearing this with pride. We feel very lucky she has this opportunity for such great teaching. How lucky we are to find you just down the road from us. Thank you!" Anna, parent - Edinburgh
Jordan Kielty
Jordan graduated in 2022 from Edinburgh Napier’s BA (Hons) Acting and English programme. Jordan’s performance experience ranges most recently from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival all the way back to local pantomimes and school shows. Jordan’s passion for all things performing was ignited as a child within local drama youth groups. These classes helped Jordan to break out of his shell and were easily the highlight of his week. He is excited to provide the same experience for the kids at Inspire and allow them to gain passions, memories, and confidence they’ll carry for life.
"I wanted to say a big thank you to Jordan for the awesome birthday party. Zack had a fab time and so had all the other kids including his three year old sister Chloe. The parents also said you guys were great and complimented what a great idea it was for a birthday party. So a big thank you!"
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Elvy - Parent, Larbert
Kaela Binnie
Kaela is currently finishing her HND in Musical Theatre at Edinburgh College. Primarily having a
background in dance with 8 years of training she has developed a deep love for the artform that has flourished into her passion for musical theatre and performing. Kaela has experience performing in many dance shows, pantomimes and plenty musicals along the way, her favourite being playing Karen in her college’s production of SpongeBob the Musical. She has always had an urge to teach, with her peers encouraging her and parsing her on her positive, energetic teaching style. Kaela is really excited about her new journey here at Inspire and can’t wait to see what the future holds.
"Thank you so much. Penny has absolutely loved the last few weeks since joining the class, she asks most mornings if today is Saturday so she can go to her class!"
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Chloe, parent - Corstorphine, Edinburgh
Caitlin Halliday
I have always enjoyed singing and started musical theatre at age 9 and have been in a few different companies before joining Inspire. I then decided to volunteer at one of the classes and absolutely loved it so was delighted to become a part of the team as a teacher. I just love watching the children’s confidence grow over the term and seeing their smiles makes my day better.
"Caitlin has such a natural, caring personality. She really understands children and how to make them feel safe. She has such a natural gift when it come to caring for children. Caitlin also has a great imagination making school clubs fun with the games she would play with the children."
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Vikki Shepherd Child Care Practitioner
Eilidh MacDougall
As a student and Performer at Inspire for 3 years, Eilidh's confidence and performing skills have grown tremendously and now she is passing on these skills by giving back to the next generation just waiting to bloom. Eilidh has been working with diverse sections of society as an Alpaca handler and trek leader, which includes using the animals as therapy for all, from toddlers to elderly in care settings, as well as those of all ages with additional needs.
"Eilidh is a fantastic human with great potential who achieves every goal she set's out without fail! She is well mannered, polite and works beautifully with people of all ages!"
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Claire - Claireville Alpacas
Sarah Tanner
Sarah is a qualified drama teacher with a PGCE in Secondary Drama, as well as a graduate of ALRA North Drama School. Her varied teaching experience includes secondary school, youth groups and theatres, storytelling, birthday parties and English as a Foreign Language, working with children and adults of various ages, nationalities and additional needs. Sarah has been involved in dance since she was tiny and in drama and singing since she was a teenager. Drama really helped her with anxiety and improved her confidence and communication skills & she is passionate about drama being a vessel for people to develop themselves as well as creatively explore the art form.
"Sarah's calm and soothing nature allows students to feel safe to explore and learn. She is a confident performer and practitioner, enhancing her lessons with storytelling theatre or artefacts that engage and inspire learning. Her patience and understanding make her approachable and her lessons relaxed and her high standards of expectation, including tolerance and respect for each other, makes sure everyone feels safe to learn and be themselves." - Tor, PGCE mentor
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Carley Mackie
After graduating with her BA (hons) in Professional Theatre Practice at Dundee and Angus College, Carley accepted a volunteering position with Dundee Rep which sparked her passion of working with children. She was keen to develop this further and applied for a teaching position at Inspire in October 2022. What she loves about working at Inspire is that the children truly are the centre of the classes. "Every class is full of non-stop fun and educational value. The children in classes make it an absolute joy to go to work and as teachers we get just as much from them as they do from us. I have learnt so much already in the short time I've been with Inspire and it's moulded me into a better all-round facilitator."
"As soon as Carley walked into the Rep I knew she was going to be great, her energy and open friendly manner shone through. She established very quickly a rapport with the children and their grown ups, building trust with happy three year olds following her to the studio. In the studio Carley reads the room well and puts herself wherever she needs to be - a shy child, a spirited child she was there to support and encourage them. I hope that Carley continues her passion with early years as she is a natural."
Dundee Rep colleague
Kim Stronach
Kim graduated in 2022 with a BA in Dance & Drama at Performing Arts Studio Scotland with Kingston University. Since then she has worked with organisations such as Lyra and Strange Town as a facilitator. Alongside facilitating, she's a theatre maker who adores performing and creating discussion and an enthusiastic member of Haus of Gallus, performing in bold cabaret shows. Seeing the arts becoming more accessible for young people brings her so much joy and even more joy seeing these young people flourish into confident beings. She also find the arts can be a way for people to escape reality and find a moment of relief. Kim is excited to be joining the Inspire team to bring the magic of the performing arts to more children and young people.
"Kim is a skilled and energetic facilitator who uses a child centred approach to make every session fun and engaging. She has an excellent & adaptive communication style whether she's addressing the whole room for a dynamic game or working with small groups on focused tasks. She is kind and caring and has become a trusted adult for young people of all ages at Lyra."
Jo Sharp (Lyra)
Isaac Burnett
Isaac wears a lot of different hats, but he tries to keep them all as colourful as possible. He has a bachelor's degree in Filmmaking and a Master's degree in Comics and Graphic Novels, but his favourite form of storytelling is on the stage. As the co-founder of Devon-based theatre collective i.e. Theatre, he absolutely loves introducing young creatives to the world of drama and seeing their imaginations flourish as they grow as performers!
"Isaac has a knack for making everyone feel comfortable - couple this with his huge sense of fun and imagination, and this thrillingly dynamic combination allows groups to create extraordinary work."
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Gill Nathanson - Co-director of Multi Story Theatre Company
Iona Wood
Iona is a trained in actor from both Dundee and Angus College and Cumbria University. She has a love of working with children, children's theatre and entertainment, especially pantomime and being silly. She taught High school aged kids at her hometown's Theatre: Monifieth Amateur Dramatics, for many years and directed the a few pantomimes which had lots of youth group involvement. She finds so much joy in teaching the kids what she knows from doing youth group growing up and finding her confidence through her teachers. As someone who used to never speak, she found her voice through drama.
“Iona is a strong leader who has no problem in engaging and retaining young actors' attention. This has allowed her to get the most fantastic performances from our youth group at Monifieth Amateur Dramatics”
Chairperson, Monifieth Amateur Dramatics
Teach With Us
Do you have a passion for teaching? A keen interest in Child Development? Are you a skilled performer passionate about helping children and young people realise their full potential?
We're always on the hunt for talented Performing Arts teachers to join on our team, so if you're interested in joining one of the fastest growing, well reputed children's drama schools in Scotland...
