Testimonials

I have a proven track record of helping actors land the leading roles they dream of. Read what they have to say.

Michelle Fahrenheim

I was feeling pretty stuck before I started my sessions with Tom. I’m so glad that he was recommended to me. Working on mindset with him has been such an eye opening experience and I‘ve already seen some big shifts.

His insight and guidance has helped me establish where I might be coming up against barriers and, most importantly, which of those I’m putting up myself. I feel like I’m back in the driving seat.

– Actor (London, UK)

Holly Fry

Tom has brought a lot of passion back to my craft, and I always look forward to working with him. My results have yielded more confidence and far more pleasure in my work. Before working with Tom, auditions were stressful; I was feeling the need to perfect it and get the lines down, which left little time for my character prep, which is crucial. My mindset is a lot calmer now to approaching a casting, I know I have a toolkit and a process to go back to time and time again.

– Actor (Cardiff, UK)

Casualty (BBC Wales), LIKE/UNLIKE (BBC Wales), Best Secret Santa Ever (BBC Wales/BBC Sesh) and How Not to Date a Black Girl (BBC Quickies)

Kit Kindell

I cannot understate how fulfilling my experience has been. Tom tailored and refined his approach quickly in our time to match me, creating an easy but strong connection. The supportive, nonjudgmental space he crafted really allowed our ideas and inspirations flow freely.

I’ve never felt so confident submitting an audition. And more than that, in the time since, I’ve been able to apply the techniques he taught me as well as the work we cultivated together.

– Actor (NYC)

Ellen Wyoming DeLoy

Tom worked with me over the course of a few months to get really clear on my voice, my brand strategy, my messaging, and really ‘The Germ’ as he calls it of like, what it is that I do.

The opportunity to work with someone so deeply on my actual journey, and my story, that got me to where I am today, and then figure out how to convey it to other people, was powerful.

– Coach (Portland, USA)

Danny Mahoney

Tom is a fantastic director and coach. He has a wealth of experience and knows how to work with his actors in a comfortable and motivating way to bring out the best performance in each individual. I cannot recommend him enough.

– Actor

Afterglow (Southwark Playhouse), Florence Foster Jenkins (20th Century Fox), The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Amy Louise Pemberton

He was incredibly open and I really enjoyed being part of that process and journey. I felt very supported by Tom and in turn very clear on what we were setting out to achieve with this particular character. I would work with him again in a heartbeat!

– Actor (Los Angeles, USA)

Gideon – Legends of Tomorrow (Warner Bros), Scorpion (CBS), The Laundromat (Netflix)

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Stephanie Siadatan

He creates such an incredible, safe space for you as the actor to just try out different things and, you know, really play. He really is the most generous director I’ve ever worked with, and he can really get you out of your comfort zone.

I auditioned for a Netflix film, and we had a couple of sessions online. And he really helped me with a sort of character background and hitting certain beats that I hadn’t thought about. I booked the gig.

– Actor (London, UK)

Vanessa, The School for Good & Evil (Netflix), Silent Witness (BBC)

Caitlin Gudaitis

I absolutely loved working with Tom and cannot recommend him enough. He helped me get out of my head, build my confidence and fall back in love with acting. I felt like I always had a block and was lost with where to even begin with a script. I now have the tools and a process I can use to feel completely connected and embodied.

I have felt a huge difference in my performance since my sessions with Tom, I’ve had 2 recalls and amazing feedback from my agents and casting directors which has definitely come from our work together.

– Actor

Eleanor Walsh

Tom works in a truly unique way. Since working with him my confidence has improved tenfold. I’ve just had one ‘eureka’ moment after another, resulting in booking three jobs in the space of two months, after being stuck in a rut of self sabotage.

My approach to auditions has completely changed and I finally have the tools to feel grounded and use nerves to serve me in the audition room. I’d recommend coaching sessions with Tom without hesitation. Honestly – don’t walk, run!

– Actor (London, UK)

Ben Tyler

I feel like I learned a huge amount, not just about my acting process, but also about my mentality and my mindset towards acting and towards the industry and auditioning and all sorts of things. I feel now in a much healthier place in my relationship with the industry, which is really a good place to be.

– Actor

The Book Of Morman (UK tour), The Phantom Of The Opera (West End), Les Miserables (West End)

Jon Reynolds

His process with character development is something I will continue to take forward in all my jobs. And the in depth evaluation on script is something every musical theatre performer can use to their best advantage! I couldn’t recommend Tom enough for any actor looking to improve their audition technique or even prepare a new script / performance!

– Actor

9-5, Kinky Boots, Miss Saigon West End

Maddie Rice

Tom has totally changed the way that I approach self taping and auditioning. He helped me find a route to the kind of playfulness and creativity that I find when I’m on stage so that I am enjoying the process rather than stressing! I’ve booked a job and got a recall (both off tapes) since I started working with Tom and it’s definitely in part due to the work that we have done together. I could not recommend him enough!

– Actor (London)

Fleabag (BBC), Genius (Riverstone Pictures), The Other One (BBC)

Acting and performance coaching

“I came in with quite a negative outlook on things. And now I feel very positive about the way in which I approach things. He’s given me a whole toolbox of new techniques to approach self tapes with, and the opportunity to play and fail, which is something I don’t think we get enough of as actors now.

We’re sort of expected to deliver immediately, and the opportunity to fail with Tom has been brilliant, because then you can have another go and another go and another go and eventually, you get it right.”

Tom Machell, Actor (London, UK)

Mary Anning & The Dinosaur Hunter (Feature Film), The Keeper (Parkland Entertainment)
Acting and performance coaching

“Having recently booked my first TV gig, I owe Tom a huge thanks for giving me the self belief and confidence to say “I can get this role.

Sometimes as an actor, it’s hard to back yourself and have that self belief, and the classic British modesty is sitting on your shoulder, pulling you in. Tom allows you to truly believe in your capabilities and say ‘I deserve this job!’ I couldn’t recommend him enough and feel incredibly fortunate to call myself one of his clients!”

Craig Nash, Actor (London, UK)

Eastenders (BBC)
Acting and performance coaching

“Tom has not only changed the way I work as an actor, he has fundamentally changed the way I feel about being an actor! He gave me the tools to put my heart back into my work and perform in a way that is meaningful to me while grounded in the world of the character.

I have never felt so calm and prepared walking into an audition as I have since working with Tom. He has given me something I didn’t realise I lost long ago: the joy of acting.”

Niko Kaim, Actor (USA, UK)

Jed Schwalm

Public speaking, teaching, and presenting go with my role, something that I have historically avoided due to faint-inducing anxiety that comes with standing in front of an audience.

In one session, Tom walked me through connecting with my own inner resources while practicing standing in the anxiety zone in front of a big audience. Tom’s approach and masterful skills helped me successfully confront a public speaking gig the following week.

– Maine, USA

Abigail Rosser

Having had a break from acting while having kids, I was filled with self doubt and anxiety every time a self tape request came in. Working with Tom has allowed me to re-discover my process, introduce me to new approaches and remind me why I loved being an actor in the first place.

He has helped me switch my mindset from ‘self tape is a nightmare’ to ‘self tape makes this easier’ by giving me tools to let me focus on the work rather than how I look on the tape, taking me out of my head and into the work. The process he has facilitated me to develop, has allowed me to release my self doubt and has reignited my confidence.

– Actor (London, UK)

Alys Daroy

It is a privilege and joy to work with Tom. He has a unique ability to instantly identify moments where the actor might not be fully connected or visualising enough. Through creating a safe space, Tom guides us to fully connect with and express the text’s creative world, transcending former performance levels.

He is brilliant at working with multiple genres- from comedy to drama and even corporate. Tom’s generous, kind and insightful approach makes him the perfect coach for any performer.

– Theatre Producer (Sydney, Australia)

Doctorate in Shakespeare

François Pandolfo

Tom’s session kind of changed my life. He really tailors the sessions around you and what you need. He’s really interested in your process, and how we can complement that process, how we can make it better, how we can find, how you can both find the joy in it again.

– Actor (Cardiff, Wales)

Quintas, Dr Who (BBC), Casualty (BBC), Eastenders (BBC)

Gracia Burns

Working with Tom was such a transformative experience. I was able to find parts of myself, of my personality, of my business, my way of communicating things, that I was not fully aware of. And they were inside, all along, of course, but I was blocking myself. it’s one of the most amazing experiences that I’ve had and I am beyond excited that I had this opportunity, that I was able to work with Tom, to learn from Tom, to grow. And my business is thriving because I can fully be myself.

– Accent Coach (Austin, Texas USA)

Tim Larkfield

I had been feeling slightly in a rut with my acting career, and Tom really helped to energise me and give my confidence a boost.

It’s easy to fall into a path that’s actually been defined by others, when really I know that I am doing acting because I love it, and because it’s what I want to do.

Tom’s Embodied Process has helped me create a better connection between my body and a character, leading to a more grounded and deeper performance.

– Actor (London, UK)

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Coaching Programmes for Actors

“I really needed something to get my energy back, and to get my spark back, because it was gone. And honestly, working with Tom did the trick, the process that you do with Tom isn’t prescriptive, it’s not ABC, and then we do this, it’s really tailored to the individual.

I got an audition literally just after we finished. I sent the self tape, got the part, didn’t need to do recall. And I’m convinced it’s because of the work Tom and I had done together. It has to be. I was just way more focused and ready to do it and feeling really prepared.”

Laura Dalgleish, Actor (Cardiff, UK)

Ordinary Lies (BBC), Call The Midwife, (BBC) Eastenders (BBC)
Acting and Performance Coach

“I really enjoyed my sessions with Tom. Reason being, that he made the work environment such a comfortable place to be, where I could explore the text without fear of judgment. Not only this, but he helped solidify what I already learned at drama school, and paired those exercises with some new exercises that I can now add to my actor’s toolbox. Lastly, the fact that Tom works holistically means that each session is directly catered towards you. So if you’re looking for somebody that will take the time to get to know you, learn with you, and really push your boundaries, then I definitely would pick Tom as your next acting coach.”

Jayda, Mountview Graduate 2020

Alana Wallis

“At the moment there’s so many self tapes coming in, with so many deadlines, and prepping for a lot of stuff at the same time, so I was finding that my technique sometimes was going out of the window a bit. But Tom really helps you hone back in on what you need to be doing, like nailing the self tape, right?

I took so many pages and pages of notes within the session. He gave me so many more techniques and little tips that I didn’t have already. I mean, going back looking through my notes, and then just applying them on my self tapes, and all the tapes that I had since I had my session with him, I’ve been getting records for. Zoom recalls. So it works. It works. ”

Alana Wallis, Actor (UK)

Sianad Gregory

I always feel so incredibly prepared and rooted within my character. You know, regardless of any premeditated choices that I’ve made, there is just that little bit of extra room to play.

To play and be a little spontaneous, and for me, that’s always where the most interesting work comes from.

– Actor (London, UK)

Celia – The Age of Tony (Sky), Mr Malcom’s list  (Bleecker Street/Universal Pictures), Shandy – In My Skin (BBC 3)