I spent many years in dance school, became ingulfed in music via the world of brass bands, and I fell in love with the theatre.  After graduating with a BA Hons in English and Drama, my professional career began.  I worked as an actress in television and theatre, and wrote and produced my own plays which have been performed at Bury Met and The Comedy Store.  I have worked in radio, written short stories, plays, and poetry all my life.  I was Principal of a drama franchise for 15 years, and now I am proud to be Proprietor of my own theatre school, where I am thrilled to be able to share my love, my passion, my knowledge, and my support to a new generation.

 

In 2017, Trinity College London awarded me Honorary Membership and it ignited a desire to keep moving forward, keep learning, keep improving, and only look backwards to learn how to tackle the future.  I became involved in educating myself in mental health and qualified as a Mental Health First Aider, and completed numerous CPD courses on the varying aspects involved.  I also took a course, achieving a certificate of achievement in dementia and the arts, accredited by RSPH.

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I also work with Manchester Theatres as a reviewer, interviewer and consultant.  This work is thrilling, and means I am constantly learning and witnessing the very best that theatre has to offer, and meeting the people who make it happen.  I don’t want to keep this joy to myself, and appreciate first hand that theatre can be the key to discovering who you are, to believing in yourself, and adding your own brand of magic to the world.  I know how powerful the arts can be, in every aspect of someone’s life.  You don’t have to want to perform or want the spotlight for them to enrich your life. That is what I want to offer. That is what Karen Ryder Theatre School is about. 

 

It is where your story begins…