Red Players Academy
Drama School & Casting Agency

RPA is a professional drama school, casting agency, and creative service provider based primarily in Manchester, also active both nationally and internationally.

The Academy is an elite training provider, offering advanced Workshops and specialist Courses in Drama, Acting, and Creative Practice for young performers aged 9-17.

We offer a comprehensive programme of professional actor-training, teaching all aspects of performing for live and recorded media — we are also specialists in Creative Movement and Contemporary Performance.

Our premier workshops and courses are suitable for both beginners who are serious about their creative development, as well as more experienced performers including professionally working young actors.

Our Spotlight registered casting agency, Red Players Management, provides professional representation to young performers in the acting and wider entertainment industries.

Academy principal, Lee Battle, is a performance academic, theatre director, agent, and acting coach. Lee is a highly experienced and sought-after educator, who now works internationally as a creative consultant and freelance instructor.

About

The Academy

Services

From our weekly classes to specialist courses and bespoke workshops, RPA provides

the highest quality learning experiences in acting, performance, and the creative arts!

Workshops

Our weekly classes in Drama, Acting, Creative Movement & Contemporary Performance Practice offer students aged 9-17 the opportunity to train with RPA on an ongoing basis. The Academy prides itself on being an elite training provider, offering advanced weekly sessions to those who have a serious commitment to developing their theoretical knowledge and practical skillset in performance.

Courses

Our innovative and highly regarded courses provide young people with an opportunity to learn the art and craft of acting & performance 'The RPA Way'.

From our week-long intensives during the holidays, to our short courses running throughout the year, our workshop programmes provide the opportunity to train with us by working towards a creative project in a professional environment.

Agency

Our casting agency, Red Players Management, provides representation to young performers for professional castings in Television, Film, Theatre, Radio and Commercials. We regularly suggest our clients, and students we work with, for roles in major productions. Recent submissions include projects for Netflix, BBC, Disney+, Sky, ITV, AppleTV, Amazon Studios, Marvel, CBBC and many more.

Meet the Team

RPA is ran by a core staff of highly trained, qualified and experienced industry professionals. We also regularly work with professional associates, guest teachers and specialist practitioners to deliver the highest quality learning and performance experiences.

Principal (RPA) / Agent (RPM)

Lee Battle

Academy founder Lee Battle is a performance academic, director, casting agent, and acting coach. As an actor, television credits include Coronation Street, Doctors, The Royal, Casualty, Wire in the Blood, the BAFTA winning BBC drama The Street and ITV's Vincent; film credits include Awaydays and Robin Hood. Lee has a first-class degree in Drama, and a Masters in association with the Royal Exchange Theatre. He is a fully qualified teacher, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and Lecturer in Performance at the University of Salford. An award winning director, his international freelance work also includes consultancy in theatre and media for education providers, the creative industries and wider commercial sectors.

Learn More About Lee's Work

Theatre Director / Facilitator

Alex Barrett

Alex is one of the region's most exciting emerging theatre directors and practitioners. Alex has a degree in Drama & Contemporary Performance from the Manchester School of Theatre. He is an associate at The Lowry, working closely with schools and professional companies, including supporting CHOL Theatre, on theatre projects with young people. He is the founder and director of Construct Theatre Project, where directorial credits include original adaptations of Animal Farm, The Tempest, Teechers, Mythos, and The Colour Out of Space. Alex also works as an associate of The Edge Theatre & Arts Centre, running the Young Actors Company, where he is currently directing an NT Connections production to be staged at The Lowry this year.

Coordinator / Associate Agent

Jen Saddow

Jen is a fully qualified and experienced school teacher, with a degree in Childhood & Youth Studies and a PGCE in Primary Education. She has extensive knowledge and experience in working with children and young people; having taught all subjects across all years in the primary sector, she has sound knowledge of education and the curriculum, and specialises in teaching speech and drama-in-education. At RPA, Jen supports the delivery of workshops, and leads the facilitation of performances as the company Production Manager and Stage Manager. Alongside administrative duties, Jen provides pastoral support and liaises with parents and carers; she is the Academy's safeguarding lead and is a licensed chaperone. Jen is also Associate Talent Agent at the RPM casting agency.

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Associate Producer / Dramaturg

Chris Grixti

Chris trained as an actor at the Arden School of Theatre before embarking on a varied and extensive creative career. Theatre credits include Bouncers, Our Day Out, One Big Blow, A Month of Sundays, Teechers, Blood Brothers, and Abigail's Party; screen work includes Shameless, Three Degrees, Sixes & Sevens, and McQueen. Chris has toured nationally with various theatre-in-education companies, and recently performed with BAFTA nominated Blast Theory in the critically acclaimed production Operation Black Antler at Manchester's HOME theatre. Chris has a degree in Theatre & Performance Practice from the University of Salford and, alongside freelancing, is currently working towards a Masters in Contemporary Performance at the Manchester School of Theatre.

Technical Manager

Fletcher Davies Rushton

Fletcher is a lighting and sound designer, actor, facilitator and theatre technician, with a degree in Drama & Contemporary Performance from the Manchester School of Theatre. Recent credits as a designer and technician include Strike at the Oldham Theatre Workshop, and Construct Theatre Project’s The Colour Out of Space at The Edge Theatre & Arts Centre. He is a Workshop Assistant at the Oldham Theatre Workshop, and is also Technical Manager for Construct Theatre Project, where he has designed innovative productions of The Tempest, Mythos, and Farm.

Academy Assistant

Sydney Read Measures

Sydney is a performer and emerging writer-director with a first-class degree in Theatre & Performance Practice from the University of Salford. As a child actor, credits include Evita, JCS, and Joseph all directed by Bill Kenwright, with later roles in Chicago, Sister Act, A Doll’s House, and Smell the Roses; Sydney also has on-set experience with the BBC, Netflix, and feature film production companies. She scripted and directed her own live radio show for a year, and has written and directed two radio dramas; most recently, Sydney wrote and directed her first short film The Faint Melody of Luna Waters.

Lee Battle

Principal: RPA
Agent: RPM

Academy founder Lee Battle is a performance academic, theatre artist, talent agent, and acting coach. With extensive industry experience, Lee has worked for major media companies including the BBC, ITV, and Universal Pictures, and during his career has had the privilege of encountering some of the most celebrated artists in the world, including BAFTA and Oscar winning actors and directors. As an actor, TV credits include Coronation Street, Doctors, The Royal, Casualty, Wire in the Blood, The Street and Vincent; film work include Awaydays and Robin Hood. Lee has a first-class degree in Drama, and a Masters in association with the Royal Exchange Theatre. He is a fully qualified teacher, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and Lecturer in Performance at the University of Salford; his international freelance work now includes consultancy for education providers and the creative industries.