Robert Merriam
Acting & Dialect Coach
Robert trained in Musical Theatre at The Royal Academy of Music, graduating with Distinction. He has a 1st Class Undergraduate Degree in English Literature from The University of Edinburgh. He has a PCertLAM Diploma with distinction, awarded by the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
He is a skilled actor and singer with extensive experience performing classical and contemporary texts. A natural affinity for accents led him to explore phonetics and he has assisted multiple students from around the world with their spoken English, preparing them for the UK drama school auditions. Many of these students have gained admission to prestigious schools and all have seen considerable improvements under his tutelage. Robert wrote his dissertation on renaissance drama and specialises in teaching performance of classical verse. He recognises the challenge these kinds of texts present even to fluent English speakers but achieves great results by assuming no prior knowledge and taking an attentive and adaptive approach to his teaching. His pedagogy is rooted in empathy and he believes that all students have the ability to improve with patient study and a guiding hand.
Robert is based in the UK where he has worked as a professional actor for five years. His notable roles include Jem in Cranford (Orange Tree Theatre), Andy in Whatever Happened To That Guy (Maybe You Like It), R.O.B in What's The F**cking Point (Bristol Old Vic), Hamlet in Hamlet (Vienna's English Theatre) and Dom in Down To Chance (Maybe You Like It). He is represented by Simon Pontin at Leodis Talent.
