Emily Whittet,
Principal of The Drama School Exeter
Qualifications and Experience
Classical Studies BA Hons
Emily studied Drama, Music and Dance from childhood, performing in countless plays, musicals and shows. She worked her way through Graded Examinations in all three disciplines to the highest levels, achieving Distinctions and Honours.
Emily became The Drama School Apprentice Teacher in 2014. In this role she shadowed and assisted the founder, Meryl Duff in all her lessons, led classes and stood in when needed. She was Assistant Director on several plays and also Musical Director. Emily became an accomplished lighting and sound technician for some of our youth productions and helped organise Examination Days, Showcases, Productions, Tours and Drama School events
After being offered several Drama places at Universities and Drama Schools, Emily chose Royal Holloway where she studied Drama and Classics.
Emily went on to train to teach Performance and Communication Graded Examinations.
On returning to Devon she re-joined The Drama School as an Associate Teacher and has now taken over as Principal of The Drama School in Exeter.
Emily continues our traditions of excellence in teaching and directing, and has introduced some exciting new courses to complement our established classes and Acting Companies.
Much in demand as a Peripatetic Music Teacher, Emily teaches Singing, Musical Theatre and Piano Graded Exam courses in other local schools.
Her students have all achieved outstanding results in Graded Exams, including Acting, Verse and Prose, Spoken English, Musical Theatre, Piano and Singing.
Emily’s particular enthusiasms include Shakespeare, Ancient Greek Theatre and Musical Theatre, but she enjoys a wide range of theatre styles, music and literature.
She is a Committee Member for TOPS Musical Productions which specialises in West End Musicals which are performed at The Princess Theatre. A regular performer herself, Emily is sometimes to be seen in plays and musical shows, notably at The Princess Theatre, Torquay and other Devon theatres.
Emily now oversees all the classes and courses in Exeter and deals with administration matters for The Drama School in Exeter and is your point of contact for queries and enquiries for this venue.
Meryl Duff,
Former Principal and Founder of The Drama School Exeter Ltd
Qualifications and Experience
ALAM Hons., LGSM, STSD, LAMDA Associate Teacher, Vanguard Examiner, GoDA Associate Adjudicator.
Meryl has taught Drama and Performance subjects to all age groups over a long period of time! She has run Acting and Performance Examination classes with an outstanding record of high achievement with the vast majority of students consistently gaining marks in the top bands of Distinction and Honours.
She has directed over two hundred plays covering a wide variety of styles and periods.
Her Festival Plays have won numerous Awards and received critical acclaim. The Drama School Youth Acting Company was previously known as “Ampersands” but changed its name to “Mezzamorphoses” in 2013.
Since then our Intermediate Youth Acting Company has been created and chose the name “Mezzalchemy”. They have also won numerous awards in One Act Play Festivals.
Meryl is an Examiner and examines Acting, Performance and Communication subjects at a number of prestigious schools and for independent Drama Teachers for the Vanguard Examination Board. She is also qualified as a GoDA Adjudicator and is invited to adjudicate at One Act Play Festivals from time to time. She is particularly popular with youth groups.
Meryl has many enthusiasms, but is best known for her love of Shakespeare and the way she passes this passion on to her students. Her friendly, comprehensive and inspiring teaching style helps students achieve far more than they thought they could and gives them the confidence and skills to attain excellence.
Meryl now teaches only Advanced Acting, Performance and Communication subjects on Zoom. Her specialisms include Shakespeare, Audition Preparation and Advanced Acting Skills.
Audition Preparation Students on “Zoom with Meryl” have all had multiple offers from major Drama Schools.
Contact Meryl Duff for:
Distance Learning at Advanced Levels
Zoom classes for Shakespeare, Audition preparation and Advanced Acting Skills
Our Visiting Teachers and Creatives
We are lucky to know some of the finest teachers and practitioners in the area and occasionally we invite them to come to The Drama School to take classes or to do Workshops.
If one of us is unavoidably away, you can rest assured that we will arrange expert cover for classes.
It is exciting for students to occasionally have a different teacher who will offer fresh ideas and support ongoing courses with new eyes and suggestions.