“The five years I spent being a part of workshops and productions led by Phil and Gary was an invaluable experience. During my time at the Redbridge Young Theatre Workshop, I vastly improved my social skills, gained confidence in public performance, and developed my ability to work in large ensembles. Ultimately, my experience learning under Phil and Gary provided me with soft skills that I use now in my career, such as in networking, presenting, and working on team projects.”
Dominic Watson – Graduate Big Writer – RGE Services.
“My daughter Amy attended drama school with Phil and Gary from the age of 6 until she left for university at the age of 18. She took part in all of the productions and made lifelong friends during her time there. The fact that her love of drama endured so many years is testament to the wonderful atmosphere created by Phil and Gary.
Participating in theatre, from rehearsals and production to performance, has undoubtedly given Amy the confidence and self-assurance that comes from performing in front of an audience from an early age. It taught teamwork, camaraderie and to value the input of others. She gained valuable communication skills, not just with her peers, but with young people of all ages, and adults. The ability to perform in front of an audience is a life skill in many areas of work where public speaking and interaction is necessary and although her chosen career has not been in the theatrical realm - her work as a staff nurse in a central London Emergency Department has massively benefited from the confidence and communication skills gained through her drama experience with Phil and Gary.”
Sarah Hughes – Parent.
“My daughter Phoebe joined drama and worked with wizard stories it encouraged me to push herself out of her comfort zone which in turn meant that she not only pushed herself to attend university and inspired by Gary and Phil working with children and the skills that they gave her and others in her group led her to completing a teaching degree and becoming a teacher.”
Dawn Hallybone – Parent.
“I am now 32, I had a great time devising and performing in shows as part of Gary and Phil’s young theatre group between around 2002 and 2004. They helped build my confidence, creativity and performance skills.”
Ros Munton Legal Translator
“Phil and Gary never failed to make drama and learning fun! From the age of around 5 - 13, I worked with Phil, Gary, and other local drama enthusiasts to produce and perform original drama pieces in the Redbridge Drama Centre. There was nothing more exciting than getting ready for drama after school! As an only child, I was quite reserved in my childhood and I feel that through Phil and Gary’s teachings, I learnt how to express my character and interact more with others within my age range. Vocal projection, self-expression and creativity are all things that Phil and Gary taught me. Now, I am working in the legal sector where I must have the confidence to speak to people of all ages and experience and make my voice heard. Working with Phil and Gary throughout my childhood is what has provided me the confidence to do this. I appreciate the time they gave me when I was younger and would recommend them to any parent looking to assist their child with growth and development! It gave me something positive to do after school, self-development, social development, and most of all… I had fun! I am now nearly 24 and still relish in the memories of working with Phil, Gary, and Wizard Stories.”
Rhiannon Jacobs- Paralegal.
“Phil and Gary helped shaped my love of theatre, I always looked forward to rehearsals and loved the creativity! I’m not sure what age I started maybe 12/13 and I’m 28 now.”
Laura Walker – Media Reseacher.
“I had the privilege of being taught by Phil and Gary from the ages of 9-15 (I'm now 30) The Drama classes I attended on Saturday mornings and Monday evenings were a home away from home and have given a confidence that school could never have instilled in me. Phil and Gary were also excellent male role models, of which there is often such a scarcity in the teaching profession.”
Bob Munton NHS Speech and Language Therapist
“I attended regular workshops at Redbridge Drama Centre between 2004 and 2008 during my late primary school/ early secondary school years. The workshops allowed me to develop in a safe environment where everybody could contribute and feel valued. Everybody was highly encouraged to work with everyone, and nobody excluded anyone. Due to having been able to interact with so many different people, I have developed excellent interpersonal skills, which have given me the ability to communicate with confidence during my university and job interviews.
Furthermore, working with others towards a common goal has allowed me to plan, organise and communicate effectively with colleagues, attributes highly valued in the world of work.
As a young person with undiagnosed dyslexia, I faced several challenges in my education. However, being in an environment where I could achieve meant that when I started to get support at age 12, I took every opportunity to tackle my adversity. I have completed a BEng and MSc in Mechanical Engineering at Russell Group Universities and am pursuing research opportunities. I hope also to complete an industrial doctorate in the future.
My time with Gary and Phil has directly impacted my achievement so far. They are an asset to any community as they demonstrate their continual impact on young individuals. I am very fortunate to have had their guidance.”
Yannick Stanitzke – Reseacher.
“Wizard Stories has such a special place in my heart. I remember being a little girl totally immersed in the stories they’d tell by the magic of their oracy and use of guitar! Phil and Gary had such a great influence on me. I loved attending their drama classes as a young child. They taught me the skill of listening - as a primary school teacher I can’t stress enough how important and valuable this skill is! They also guided me to be creative and experimental in improvised drama. My favourite time of day at school is story time and I like to think that has a lot to do with them.”
Hannah Smith – Primary School Teacher.
“Working with Phil and Gary gave me both the confidence and enthusiasm to become a storyteller. My introduction to acting was all through devising and improv with Phil & Gary and it’s massively shaped the creative I have become. Giving us the freedom to create stories, not just perform the work of others, massively broadened my view of what theatre can be. It also inspired me to work with young people myself, to give back to the community in the way they did when I was younger. I was the bravest version of myself when working with Phil and Gary and I often think back to those workshops when I’m faced with nerves for auditions. I couldn’t have had a better introduction to the creative industry and I’m incredibly grateful that I got the opportunity to work with them both as such an early stage in my career.
I started at 13 years old, and I am now 27. I’m a professional actor/poet, working predominantly in theatre.”
Molly Walker – Professional Actor/Poet
“I have known Phil and Gary for over 25 years, personally and professionally. Both my children attended their Saturday morning drama group at Redbridge Drama Centre. My youngest son, James, has a diagnosis of Autism and their class was neuro diverse and helped my son immensely in his social and emotional development and working with other children. My daughter, Poppy, went on to attend a group of older children in the week and Gary and Phil saw her potential as a performer and gave her a leading role in the production of ‘The Match Girls’. Poppy decided to take GCSE Drama with their encouragement. Both my children developed life-long skills and a passion for theatre and drama due to their classes.
In my role as a Learning Mentor at a school in Waltham Forest with agreement from my Senior Management Team I commissioned Wizard Stories to work with a Year 5 class. This class had a number of children with need including Autism, Sensory needs, Mobility issues. ADHD, trauma and children in care. It was the first time the class had actually managed to work together without an activity turning into a ‘war’. Gary and Phil planned the workshops after discussion with myself and the Deputy Head. All the pupils took part and immensely enjoyed the project. The positive outcome had an impact on the whole class’s attitude each other, their learning and self-esteem for the rest of their time at Primary school.”
Su Clark – Parent.
“I think I must have been around 7 years old when I first encountered Phil and Gary; they came to my Primary school, bringing with them a magical treasure trove of stories and creative exercises. So, I was delighted when, at 13, my mum enrolled me at the Redbridge Drama Centre, only to discover that they would be my drama teachers. I thoroughly relished every session I had with them, and they were the first people to truly recognise within me the full potential to become a performer, so ultimately it is them I have to thank for guiding me on my path to become a professional actor. And here I am, 20 years later, making a successful career out of performing, with my own theatre company specialising in myths and story-telling. They are truly and inspirational duo and I feel very lucky to have worked with them.”
Jennie (Genevieve) Dunne, 33, Professional Actor.
“I attended the Redbridge Drama centre from the ages of 11-13 (I’m now 28) and was led by Phil and Gary in that time. I have such fond memories of the whole experience and it made me a much more confident person going into my teenage years! We were encouraged to be creative, work hard and (most importantly) have fun!”
Emma Hughes – Head-hunter in Private Equity.
“Our infant school son was a very shy child but loved reading “out loud with character voices” and acting, so it was a no-brainer for him to go to workshops at Redbridge Drama Centre with Phil and Gary. Their classes were the making of Stephen through the immense fun he had as they engaged their students using many creative tools and techniques.
He very soon developed not only into a confident ensemble cast member, but also lead actor in many of the Centre’s community theatre productions. He went on to study Drama at school, did his work experience at RDC and then did a Film Studies degree, supported all the while by Wizard Stories.
As a Youth Group student in his teens, he worked with Phil and Gary at their Saturday morning children’s workshops, learning not only how to manage groups of young children, but also many backstage and tech skills. Stephen is now a full-time stage technician and assistant stage manager at RDC and Kenneth More Theatre.
Thank you, Phil, and Gary, for playing such a major role in developing Stephen's skills and talents.”
Stephanie Barrows – Parent.
“I attended a youth drama group led by Gary and Phil between the ages of 12 to 14. During this time my confidence grew from barely being able to speak to my peers to being able to speak in front of the group on a regular basis- confidence which transferred to being able to contribute more to class discussions in school. Gary and Phil’s mix of improvisation work helped me to become more imaginative and develop my ability to develop characters in longer scripted projects, while team-building games developed my ability to collaboratively solve problems with others. Both worked tirelessly to ensure that all members of the group felt welcome, using humour and encouragement to help us work to the best of our ability on our performances.”
Poppy Clarke – Pupil Support Officer.
