Edinburgh school pupils receive acting masterclass from Hollywood actors Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma

Edinburgh drama students receive "incredible" workshop from acting royalty

Drama students from three Edinburgh high schools received a "once in a lifetime" acting workshop this week from Hollywood stars Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma.

The A-list actors are in town for their two-week sold-out run of Macbeth at the Royal Highland Centre, which finishes tomorrow, Saturday, January 27.

Forrester High School partnered up with ‘Friends with Shakespeare’ and had the honour of hosting Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma in their school on Tuesday, January 23, where they led an acting workshop for higher drama pupils and advanced higher English pupils, focusing on Macbeth.

Around 40 pupils from Forrester High, St Augustine’s High and Boroughmuir High, who are all currently studying this play in both drama and English, took part in the unique experience.

Speaking about the visit, Forrester High drama teacher Natasha Robertson said: "The pupils enjoyed their time with both actors, who led separate workshops and gave one-to-one feedback to pupils. The pupils stated that they now see Shakespeare in an entirely new light.  

"This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and the pupils have not stopped talking about it since, stating that they are grateful for their time and the knowledge that was passed on.

"The pupils were lucky enough to receive a Q&A with Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma which gave them an opportunity to ask questions regarding their approach to a character and questions that directly link to their show.

"The Forrester pupils were then lucky enough to attend the show ‘Macbeth’ that very same evening and will be writing about this performance for their higher drama exam paper.

"It was an honour to host two very knowledgeable and talented actors at Forrester High School and we thank them for the opportunity."

Actors Indira Varma (left of centre in blue top) and Ralph Fiennes (right of centre in black top) with the Edinburgh pupils at their acting workshop earlier this week at Forrester High School.

English Hollywood A-lister Ralph Fiennes has appeared in a host of big budget movies over the years including Schindler's List, the Harry Potter series and The English Patient. While English actress Indira Varma has appeared in movies including Mission: Impossible, Official Secrets and Basic Instinct 2, as well as in hit television shows including Silk, Game of Thrones and The Capture.

Kerry Reith, head of performing arts at St Augustine's, explained more about what the pupils were taught at the acting workshop earlier this week.

She said: "Obviously we jumped at the chance to take part in this workshop. It was brilliant, really great.

"They had a warm-up session for all the pupils then split them into two groups. One group went with Ralph Fiennes and learned about how to understand Shakespeare, with the other half going with Indira Varma for a practical acting session. This was followed by a joint Q&A session with both actors.

"The pupils got an awful lot out of the workshop. The next day our pupils gave us their feedback and it was clear that this has really stuck with them.

"They are going on to do acting exams in March, so this was great timing. It was just perfect, to have something like that, acting royalty giving a workshop.

"Your teacher can tell you something over and over again and it might not stick, but if someone like Ralph Fiennes comes along then it has much more chance of sticking.

"It was a really good experience for the pupils. It was surreal really. We are in a high school in Broomhouse, and this Hollywood star is talking to us! It was just a really great opportunity that the pupils will never forget."