Jonathan Chadwick and Robert Macdonald worked alongside each other as Director and Voice Teacher at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art for many years. We became aware that what we were trying to cultivate in the students’ work and the approaches we followed had many confirming resonances. At the same time there were differences because of our backgrounds and the disciplines within which we had evolved.

Robert's skills were developing through his teaching of Alexander Technique, Voice and Text, his exploration of depth psychology particularly the work of C.G. Jung and NLP. Jonathan was deepening his sense of actors preparation for work through Stanislavski's work and by a study of Yoga and Meditation.

The philosophical and creative dimensions of our work were illuminated by our mutual discovery and exploration of Zeami's Nine Treatises. We recognised in Zeami's precepts so many of our own creative principles rephrased, as it were, by the founding genius of the Japan's Noh Theatre.

We decided to work together and create a course that would focus on the presence of the actor and explore a character from the basis of an integral image of the human being.