Bilingualism

My name is Anthony Rotsa I’m a British actor born and raised in London, England by Greek Cypriot parents. I am the founder and owner of ACT OUT WORKSHOPS and very happy to tell you a bit about myself. I am a professional actor, and have worked in mainstream theatre, feature film, and television. I am fluent in both English and Greek; I also speak Spanish to a high conversational level.  My first ever performance was at the age of 8 at my primary school (Albany School) in Enfield where I performed a short silent comedy with my identical twin brother Michael, who is also an actor. From a very young age I knew I wanted to be a performer.  I graduated from Middlesex University in 2006 with a BA Honors degree in Drama and Theatre Studies.  During my studies I was able to get an insight on various modules like Shakespeare, live stand up comedy, and physical theatre.  Soon after, my career jump-started with theatre tours in England and Germany. Beginning with an outdoor theatre performance of Kenneth Grahame’s Wind In The Willows and a touring performance of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal. The experience I got from touring English theatre for children was my base experience for starting ACT OUT. In 2009, I joined Face2Face Theatre in Madrid, Spain. My Spanish theatre debut took place in the prestigious Teatro Alcázar where I played the roles of Oberon, Lysander, and Flute in an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. Currently I’m continuing my career, as an actor and helping ACT OUT grow to its full potential.     * What is your business? Act Out is an English theatre workshop company for children ages 4 to 12. In our workshops we play theatre games based on improvisation, teamwork, concentration, music, and dance so that children can learn and also have fun. Our main objective is to improve children’s confidence when speaking English, to improve their concentration and show them what they are capable of achieving.   At the end of each semester, the children perform an original musical in English so their parents and friends can come and see for themselves how much their children have learned.   In Act Out we believe that theatre is a wonderful educational tool when it comes to helping children with confidence and self-esteem. In a spontaneous and enjoyable manner, theatre connects children with the world of the Arts. Theatre also welcomes self-reflection and expression by enabling children to laugh, cry and experience the different emotions that life has to offer. At the same time, theatre allows children to think, participate and enjoy the world around them. Our areas of focus are interpersonal communication skills and individual expression. At Act Out, children learn to overcome shyness and improve their concentration. All workshops are in English thus giving children the opportunity to practice and further their knowledge of the language in an atmosphere full of fun activities and games. We invite your children to come in and Act Out!   * How did you get started? or How did the idea for your business come about? Along with all my theatre and film experience as an actor my fundamental experience for ACT OUT was working with a workshop company in London called PERFORM. With Perform I learned so much about children’s confidence, behaviour and generally how to bring out the best in each child. A few years later in Madrid I thought “this has to be continued here”. Not only to teach children English through theatre but also to guide children in becoming well-rounded young adults, helping them develop social skills, concentration, coordination, teamwork and above all, confidence in speaking in front of their peers.   * Why should people choose your business? At ACT OUT children will discover English in a fun and exciting way. Unfortunately, we have met a lot of children in Spain that do not like English due to a bad experience at their school or because of movies and kids programs that are mostly dubbed in Spanish. Whatever the reason is at ACT OUT we will make your child shine and give them a positive feeling of English, theatre and above all, about themselves. * What makes you smile at work? The feeling we get after we see our ACT OUT children perform their musical show in English. Some children come to ACT OUT timid and with low self-esteem and then you see the same children performing a show in English! If that is not job satisfaction then I don’t know what is!   * What challenges have you had to face? or  What hurdles have you had to overcome? A challenge for me is to gage how to deal with a child who is not behaving. With some children you cant be in too hard on them, you need to be patient and understanding. At ACT OUT we work on children’s behaviour, even though we have a strict policy on behaviour in our classes I have learnt that sometimes you need to be more patient with specific children to gain their trust, only then you can see a difference in them and see them shine. * Away from work, what do you enjoy doing? I love nature, I love going on hikes and bike rides into the mountains of Madrid. I also like to play football and tennis. * How much are your classes / shows / products / services etc? Weekly classes range from 50 euros to 70 a month for an hour and a half class. Our summer camp prices range from 120 to 150 a week in ESPACIO RONDA (Calle Ronda Segovia, 50 Madrid) * How can people get in touch with you? Via our email: Hello@actoutworkshop.com or call our office at +34 654 996 176  * And now for the plug…… Come in and ACT OUT with us and see your child shine. For our weekly classes you ALWAYS get a free trial class so your child can come in