Meet The Team!
GAVIN DICKSON
Principal
Gavin has been a principal of stage schools for over twenty years and has seen many students go on to work in the performing arts. He is passionate about the creative education of young minds helping them develop and achieve to the best of their ability regardless of whether they continue within the profession or choose another path.
Students leave our schools to go to college and universities, studying a variety of subjects, with self-confidence and independence. Gavin takes pride in teaching acting, singing and dancing together with personal development and transferable skills through the performing arts to help them achieve their goals.
Gavin has extensive experience in music and theatre production from international touring productions, to the Dunfermline Alhambra theatre’s famous Pantomimes.
ZOE MCRAE
Zoe McRae is an Edinburgh based freelance Drama and Singing Teacher, Performer and Musical Theatre Graduate from Aberdeen Academy of Performing Arts
Zoe also has her Trinity College of London LTCL in Musical Theatre Teaching as well as being trained in Estill Voice technique and specialised in Stanislavski Technique under the tuition of Luis Allan
Zoe is passionate about teaching children singing and acting through fun and creative techniques as well as making sure every student can achieve their best in ASDS’s safe and supportive environment. Zoe takes pride in her achievements and what she can bring to the students and their learning.
Her credits include: Fairy Godmother in Cinderella and Mother Goose (MacArts Theatre), Claire in Bare the Pop Opera, Alysha in American Idiot and Helen in And They Played Shang-A-Lang (Edinburgh Festival and International Tour) and Backing Performer for Plan B and Jack Whitehall among others. Zoe's favourite role she has played has to be Claire in Bare a Pop Opera in 2018.
"A deeply moving moment, indeed a crux of the whole play, is a phone conversation when Peter’s mother – played with huge warmth and convincing passion by Zoe McRae –
But this tearful, emotional critical point was brilliantly enacted between two excellent actors"
She looks forward to welcoming students to ASDS and sharing that same passion for performing with them.
DANIEL SCHLORDT
Daniel is a Scottish singer, musical theatre performer, dancer and vocal expert who, after years of studying singing under renowned vocal coaches, Steven Luke Walker and Gillyanne Kayes, graduated from the Guildford School of Acting with a Masters Degree in Musical Theatre, class of 2013.
From a small town in central Scotland, Daniel grew up on a farm before moving to London to study Musical Theatre. Daniel has performed in the west end at The Savoy theatre, The Criterion theatre and Opera Holland Park as well as in numerous musical tours, films and concerts across the country. Working with Cameron Mackintosh, Bill Kenright and Cambridge Arts Theatre to name but a few production companies and with superstars from all aspects of the performance industry including Leona Lewis. Daniel’s favourite performance was when he played a principle role in the European Premiere of the musical; Lysistrata Jones and when performing as Shrek, The Stage newspaper wrote;
“As if to prove that it isn't all about bravado, Daniel gives an equally powerful performance of Who I'd Be. Quietly insistent throughout, he imbibes the show with character and gets the moral across with conviction."
Daniel is a lecturer at the prestigious Royal Conservatoire of Scotland as one of their Singing Specialists, teaches dance, singing and acting freelance across Southern Scotland and focusses on the creative side of productions, Daniel directs and choreographs and is currently involved in several productions
KARENA KENNEDY
Karena Kennedy is an accomplished performer and brings a wealth of experience to ASDS with Karena not only having featured in cast recordings of musicals, worked with the Scottish Opera, and also having danced at the Brit Awards. Her Television appearances are numerous, not only as a singer, but also as an actor appearing in Waterloo Road.