Alumni
Manchester School of Theatre prepares students to enter into the world of film, theatre, TV and radio as professional actors and practitioners.
Manchester School of Theatre at Manchester Metropolitan University has a long-standing international reputation for preparing students for careers as professional actors. Its graduates have found successful careers in film, TV and theatre, recently appearing in work produced by Netflix, Marvel, Sky Atlantic, the BBC, BFI, Sony, Channel 4, the West End, the Globe, the Royal National Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company and many others.
Former students of Manchester School of Theatre include Zawe Ashton, Yasmin Mwanza, Elliot Knight, Nathan McMullen, John Bradley, Assad Zaman, Annie Wallace, Luke Jerdy, Zora Bishop, George Bukhari, Burn Gorman, Zoe Henry, Jeff Hordley, Sarah Amankwah, Amanda Burton, Amanda Clapham, Steve Coogan, Richard Griffiths, Bernard Hill, Graeme Hawley, Noreen Kershaw, Adam Kotz, Antony Sher, John Thomson, David Threlfall and Julie Walters.
Sarah Amankwah
“Training at Manchester Metropolitan University prepared me not only to stretch myself but also to know my distinctions and embrace them. Much of the technique has aided awareness of myself holistically. Manchester Met prepared me to navigate the industry and mature in the art of storytelling.”
Sarah is currently part of Shakespeare's Globes first repertory company, The Globe Ensemble. Theatre credits include Doctor Faustus at Shakespeare's Globe, The Crucible and The Skriker at The Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester and she played Shenzi in The Lion King at The Lyceum Theatre. She played Filch in the National Theatre production of The Threepenny Opera, and Venticello in Amadeus (National Theatre). Screen credits include ITV crime drama Marcella and World War Z for Paramount.
Yasmin Mwanza
“I can confidently say that my training at Manchester School of Theatre has helped me with every job I’ve had since leaving. The training anchored me as an actress and has given me a solid foundation which I have been building upon ever since I left. The wide range of roles that I was challenged with throughout my time at the school really helped to develop and stretch me as an actress. When I left in 2017 I felt equipped to tackle anything from Shakespeare to screen work. I believe that’s the strongest position you can be in as a drama school graduate. Thank you MST!”
Yasmin has recently finished filming on Spider-Man: Far From Home (Marvel Studios, Sony, Columbia Pictures) and Hanna (NBC Universal for Amazon Prime). Earlier this year, Yasmin appeared in Katori Hall’s Our Lady Of Kibeho at the Royal & Derngate directed by James Dacre and was also in rehearsed readings of Courage Everywhere Season at the Royal National Theatre and Dear Pig at the Royal Court Theatre. Yasmin is a voice over artist in the video game Moon Lake.
Assad Zaman
“The Staff at Manchester School of Theatre are a wide range of accomplished actors, directors, musicians, choreographers, coaches and professors of theatre. They bring a huge variety of experiences and technique to the training. Manchester School of Theatre gave me all the skills any actor needs in order to perform on stage or on screen. These ranged from fixing my posture and being present on stage to expressing myself fully. But the most powerful but of wisdom I took was that I had a legitimate place in this industry and a right to have my voice heard.”
Assad trained at the Manchester Metropolitan School of Theatre. Theatre credits include: A Doll's House (Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith); White Teeth (Tricycle Theatre); Coriolanus (RSC/Barbican); Salome (RSC); Arms And The Man (Watford Palace); A Midsummer Night's Dream (New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich); East Is East National Tour (Jamie Lloyd Productions/ATG); Behind The Beautiful Forevers (National Theatre, London); Beats North (Northern Stage/Curious Monkey); Tyne (Live Theatre and Theatre Royal Newcastle); Grimm Tales (Northern Stage). Television credits include: Our Girl (BBC); Vera (ITV); Apple Tree Yard (Kudos for BBC1); Cucumber (Red Productions for Channel 4). Assad is regularly involved with workshopping new plays to include an Untitled David Edgar Project and Moby Dick for the RSC and Captain Of The Ends for the National Theatre; he can also be heard voicing Sathnam Sanghera’s critically acclaimed book, The Boy With The Topknot.
Elliot Knight
“Manchester School of Theatre offered a vibrant and diverse atmosphere that was unique from any other drama school I had been to. It was where I felt most encouraged and free to celebrate my individuality as a strength of my artistry. Rather than feel the pressure of having to fit into a mould, I was granted the opportunity to create my own.
The staff honoured each student bringing their own unique voice and value, and that was something to be championed. They were a great source of knowledge and momentum whenever we needed it and gave their time and attention to lead us in the right direction. They really cared, and I think that is what ended up having the biggest impact.”
Elliot was recently seen guest-starring as “Billy Novak” in the popular DC Comic action series Titans on DC Universe and his recent series Life Sentence (CW) is currently showing on Netflix which saw him as regular character “Wes” alongside Lucy Hale. Previous regular roles include “Brady Ross” in the 13-part series American Gothic for CBS, six -part BBC series By Any Means and the title role in Sinbad, a 12-part series for SKY 1 (Elliot’s professional debut out of drama school). Elliot also filmed regular roles on ABC pilot Dangerous Liasons and ABC/Warner Bros TV pilot The Advocate. Recurring roles include ABC's hit series: Once Upon A Time in the iconic role of “Merlin” and “Aiden Walker” in How To Get Away With Murder (ABC). In film, Elliot can be seen in Billionaire Ransom, directed by Jim Gillespie for Pinewood Pictures.
Elliot will soon be seen in new movie, The Color Out Of Space (alongside Nicholas Cage and Joely Richardson) and has been working on Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare (role to be announced) which is due for release on October 25th, 2019. He also filmed a regular role in new comedy pilot Happy Accident for 20th Century Fox / ABC, alongside Vanessa Williams and Matt Walsh - though the pilot has not been picked up for series.