What Acting Alumni Say
In their own words...
Torntara Buranakul, LAIT Alumni 2023-2025
I applied for LAIT on a whim shortly after graduating from a degree in Natural Sciences. I was riding a wave of motivation to change my life and, in my application, I talked about developing the self-respect to pursue a life I wanted to live. But motivation is a short-lasting fuel, and this new self-respect was only burgeoning. The version of myself that first met Lizi was uncertain and a dreamer. The version of myself that Lizi taught me I could be had self-belief, was driven by technique and inner-understanding over mere motivation, and an even bigger dreamer.
When I falter in my confidence as an actor, as humans naturally do, I return to memories of LAIT. LAIT, and Lizi, fundamentally changed me. Beyond having a wealth of knowledge and years of practice to teach voice, movement, textual analysis, and character to an expertly high level, Lizi’s ability to read a room or a person is unlike anything I have ever seen. I believe this is at the heart of what makes her facilitation, teaching, and directing capabilities so influential.
At a group level, I often saw Lizi adapt lesson plans quickly in response to the group’s mood on the day, or it’s dynamics over multiple sessions. She would refine during and between workshops with a goal to provide the group with what it most needed to grow. Transparency was evidently important in this process, and Lizi readily kept us informed of plans and changes to plans. Her sense of accountability and candidness as a person is part of why she is easy to trust. Her humanness is what leads one to feel free to be human, too. As a result of her ability to listen and respect, the ‘safe space’ so often described in drama groups (though not always easily executed) was nurtured and formed in our LAIT sessions.
This focus on growth was also given to individuals. Personally, I did not come from an artistic training, but I never felt that Lizi ever looked down on me for that. Rather, I felt it was me who did all the looking down on myself, and Lizi took it upon herself to train me out of that. Sometimes, being seen by Lizi was frightening because of how observant she is. But this taught me how to be seen – a lesson important, not only for actors but also, for living. Within that process, Lizi taught me that having the ability to laugh at myself and take myself seriously are not mutually exclusive. This opened up the freedom to play and, from her, I learned how to play and what it means to play. She guided me when she saw I needed it, paying attention to what I responded to and what I didn’t. Under this guidance, I accessed performances I didn’t know I could. Since then, I have pushed myself as an actor because I learned, in LAIT, how good I could be.
I am hesitant to use the word ‘holistic’ to describe Lizi’s methods because the term seems overused, but I do feel that if anyone demonstrates holistic teaching, it is Lizi Patch. In short, she takes the effort to understand her students as a people inextricable from them as actors, and she recognises that to grow as one, you must also grow as the other.
Niamh Hendron: LGYT/LAIT Alumni 2018-19
Working with Lizi through the years has been fundamental to my career. I first met Lizi as an underconfident 12 year old at Youth Theatre, with passion and ambition to work professionally in the theatre industry. She has an inherent skill in understanding individuals and bringing them 'out of their shell' through her dedicated teaching skills and genuine care for people. Every Youth Theatre class was thoroughly thought out and planned to explore all sides of theatre, from musicals to puppetry to clowning and beyond. With Lizi's conscientious approach, classes were tailored to the individuals she met in the room, whether that was someone needing dance to bring out their movement skills, presenting to enhance their communication skills or status work to grow confidence. I left every class feeling creatively nourished.
In 2017 I joined the pilot year for Leeds Actors in Training - the first of its kind, particularly in the now, creative hub of Leeds. Through Lizi's excellent classes, and unfaltering belief in me, I was able to gain a place at drama school and I now work as a professional actor.
Alongside this, I also work as a drama teacher and still use some of Lizi's lesson plans to this day. But above all, she instilled in me how important it is to nurture individuals and understand that all people require different approaches, but all with the same amount of care and attention. This is a skill I pride myself on as a teacher, and I know Lizi is exactly where I learnt it. I have worked across Yorkshire and London for the last ten years, and I know there are very few teachers out there who care enough to take the time to do this important and necessary work, and Lizi is the finest.
Karolos Marketos: LAIT Alumni 2023-2025
My experience at LAIT gave me the opportunity to enter the world of acting as an adult with no previous experience in the art form. It was an eye-opening programme where I was treated with the same respect as the more seasoned performers, and I learned both fundamental and more complex skills. I also met many creatives, many of whom I now call friends.
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Our different levels of experience didn’t matter, as Lizi made it her priority to push us all to a level we didn’t know we could reach, while always keeping the process playful. For many of us, the lessons became the highlight of our weekends, and the final results truly reflected that. What stayed with me most is the respect, the effort, and the stories!