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Teacher Biogs
Matthew Whitelock
Matt Whitelock is a LAMDA trained drama coach. He has been involved with the performing arts since the age of 12 and is a Pride of Reading award winner for his work with Berzerk Productions in its inaugural year. Matt has worked professionally in TV, theatre and film for many years and his credits include Cruise Of The Gods, Snatch, Mighty Boosh, Al Murrays Multiple Personality Disorder and many more.Matt currently works within the state, private, specialist and home educational fields and started Berzerk in 1994. He has also directed and produced many shows over the years with the National Theatre connections programme, winning the regional finals an impressive three times. Matt also works alongside professional facilitators on the Easter and Summer schools Berzerk run during the holidays.
He has three children aged from 18 - 25. His passion for Drama has inspired many young people to become performers in the industry or further their knowledge at performing arts colleges, more importantly to help them become good citizens.
Amy Rush
Amy Rush studied Performing Arts at Reading TVU and then went on to study at Bracknell and Wokingham College gaining a Distinction in her National Diploma.She also has LAMDA qualifications, is a registered chaperone, first aid trained and fully public liability insured.
She has always worked within the environment of children running parties at the Mad House and private Drama Parties.
Has appeared in many productions including Cinderella, Godspell and more and is currently on the Screenlite's agency books to work professionally in TV and Film. Amy has had a passion for Drama and performance from an early age and has focused her attention to providing quality drama tuition at Berzerk Productions!
Charlie Greenway
Charlie began her love for drama by training with Berzerk Productions as a young enthusiastic actress for 5 years, before heading to Loughborough University completing a BA (Hons) degree in English and Drama. It was at university where Charlie’s love for theatre and working with children blossomed, not only taking part in productions whilst studying theatre in Canada, but also from volunteer programmes and work-shadowing experiences. Here, she taught adults with disabilities drama and looked into the commendable work undertaken by Youth Centres.From this, Charlie realised that she wanted to use the arts to help and develop others, and is very driven and motivated to do so through her work with Berzerk Productions.
During her training, Charlie has gained Lamda awards, been an extra in Family Affairs, and played roles such as Billy (Dirty Dirty Princess), and Mummy Tiger (Fishing for Tigers). In her final year of study at university, Charlie created and ran her own Theatre in Education workshop at a local secondary school, aimed at enhancing teenage self-esteem, which earned her First Class marks. She is also a registered chaperone and has full public liability insurance.
Charlie hopes to use drama and her passion for theatre to enrich the lives of children, proving them with absorbing, challenging, but ultimately exciting projects to really get their teeth into!
Luke Mortimore
Luke undertook performance studies at Bracknell and Wokingham College, before professionally training to be an actor at The University Of Northampton. Throughout his time there, Luke performed in Simon Stephen’s Pornography directed by Dominic Rouse and participated in a group devised show with director Lily Mcleish She Echoes. Luke has also had experience in creating his own theatre company Afterlight Theatre in which their first written show Erased debuted at Northampton’s Flash Theatre Festival. Luke has a keen interest in screen acting and naturalism, and has participated in a number of short films and TV-miniseries alongside being a keen musician and songwriter. Upon graduation Luke took his experiences into teaching with Berzerk Productions, wanting to share his knowledge with young and aspiring actors from his home town. Luke believes in building confidence and acceptance in young people, encouraging them that making mistakes is all a part of learning.
Tom Baker
Thomas J Baker is a professionally trained actor and an independently-published author. His conservatoire training at the School of the Arts - Northampton has given him a kaleidoscope of skills including: acting for stage and screen, movement on stage, vocal technique, Shakespeare, and improvisation. Thomas received his training from industry professional Christopher Simpson (The Good Karma Hospital; ITV 2017) as well as the founder of Trestle Theatre Company (est. 1981) Dr. Sally Cook. During his training, Thomas gravitated towards characters that were intellectual, vulnerable, and larger-than-life. He portrayed Jason in Simon Stephens’ Pornography (dir. Dominic Rouse), Antipholus of Ephesus in The Comedy of Errors (dir. Jamie Rocha-Alan), and Kevin from Simon Stephens’ Port. His screen repertoire began with his portrayal of social elite Mikey in Thomas Line’s indie film Headphones, and he went on to play Tom in award-winning horror director Andrew Ionises’ Three Times Round - a found footage horror-comedy. He is also a theatre maker, and the co-founder of both Afterlight Theatre (Erased; Northampton Flash Festival, 2017) and ytho? Theatre (O, FFS; Edinburgh Fringe, 2018). Thomas' objective at Berzerk is to give high quality drama coaching to young aspiring artists through teachings of originality, authenticity, and excellence.
Amy Pagan
Amy began her drama training with Berzerk Productions from a young age due to her passion for singing, dancing and acting, before completing a BA (Hons) degree in Drama & Theatre Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London. She is passionate about dance theatre, naturalistic acting and acting for screen. During her university course, Amy completed a Theatre for Young Audiences module, which was where her love for working with children in a drama-based environment flourished. Whilst attending university, she also worked with children daily at a breakfast and afterschool club. Amy is strongly passionate about children’s mental health and wants to inspire her students to be positive, confident and worry-free through her coaching at Berzerk Productions, whilst pushing them to be the best young actors they can be. She is also first aid trained, a registered chaperone, and fully public liability insured.
Hollie Alexander
Hollie began training in dance from a young age, undertaking lessons for many years in a variety of genres including contemporary and hip-hop. This inspired her to go on to earn a first-class BA(Hons) degree in Drama and Theatre Studies at Royal Holloway University of London. Throughout University, Hollie crafted her skills in many areas of theatre such as directing, physical and dance theatre, verbatim and children’s theatre. During this time, she co-created and ran a drama workshop for young children at the Tate Modern Gallery and she has written and co-directed a short original play that was performed at the Battersea Arts Centre, along with directing, choreographing and acting in many other original pieces at University. Hollie has also received training from The National Youth Film Academy in screen acting, which she has a special interest in after starring in a number of short films and music videos. This has helped her develop her performance skills, as well as allow her to work with some top industry professionals, casting directors and filmmakers. Through her work at Berzerk productions, Hollie is hoping to inspire the next generation of performers and theatre-makers in her hometown by nurturing their originality, creativity and passion.
Pixie Nash
Pixie received ten years of training in Dance, Musical Theatre and Acting before attending Plymouth University, where she gained a BA in Theatre and Performance. Over the years she has performed in numerous musical productions across Berkshire, including ‘42nd Street’ and ‘The King and I’ at The Hexagon, Reading. In 2017 Pixie appeared in two sell out plays, ‘Peace’ and ‘Hay Fever’ by Noel Coward. She has vast experience as a youth theatre practitioner and has spent recent years working with children in holidays camps and both mainstream and SEN schools. Passionate about teaching and education, Pixie believes that engaging in the arts has the power to build confidence, fuel self-expression and transform lives. Pixie is also a qualified Zumba instructor; holds an enhanced DBS and is Safeguarding and First Aid trained.
Aundre Goddard
I developed my trade studying drama at De Montfort University and continued on their MA programme studying performance practices. My area of research is post-colonial studies and the representation of ethnic minorities in performance. Another area of interest is analysing the ways in popular culture shapes our understanding of performance. Having enjoyed collaborating with three other students during my Bachelors, we co-founded Madcow Theatre Company. We specialised in devising performances that are immersive, provoking and abstract which allows us to explore challenging topics. Having finished the MA, I am is excited about continuing my journey of creative exploration with Berzerk Productions. During the creative process, I like to use stimuli that draws out the imagination and prompts performance makers to consider alternative ways of creating performances.