17.92°C Chris Anderson has been a familiar face – and voice – on our screens for over two decades. From Doctor Who and Rome to recent hits like Red Eye and Silo, his career has spanned theatre, TV, film, and voiceover work. Now, he’s bringing his industry experience to Colchester through a series of practical workshops designed for actors at all levels.
Ben Howard of Keep Colchester Cool caught up with Chris to discuss his career, the inspiration behind his workshops, and what people can expect from his upcoming session on 1st March.
Chris, you’ve worked in theatre, TV, film, and voiceover over the years. What first drew you to acting, and how did your career take shape?
I don’t think I ever saw it as a viable career in the early days – I feel like most of my teachers gently tried to steer me away from it! I enjoyed doing drama at secondary level then at college my tutor was a brilliant guy called Chris Loveday. He encouraged me to maybe look at it as a longer-term thing.
He was the first to make me say those dreaded words “I want to be an Actor!”
I got into The National Youth Theatre and did a two-week course in London, after that I went to Drama School in Manchester and was lucky enough to get my first agent off the back of our London showcase.
You’ve been in some massive productions, from Doctor Who to Silo. Are there any standout moments that have shaped you as an actor?
Doctor Who was a great experience – being part of such a cult show was really special, and I don’t think I realised that at the time. When fan mail started arriving from all over the world, I began to understand what the following was actually like!
I think every actor or creative wants to do work which has reach and exposure so it was great to have played a part in such an iconic project.
Theatre-wise, being part of the cast of All of Us at the National Theatre was a real highlight – working in that building is incredible as you are so well supported through every step of the creative journey. The debut play by Francesca Martinez was incredibly powerful, funny and moving, with some really important and current issues underpinning it.
And the cast were genuinely lovely – it’s probably the best experience as an actor, being with great people for three or four months, creating something special.
Voice acting is a huge part of your career, from major video games to national ad campaigns. What’s the secret to bringing a character to life using just your voice?
In my last workshop, we had a go at creating unique characters’ voices from picture references and also from scratch – looking at different genres, titles from GTA to Warhammer, and the incredibly filmic cut scenes in a lot of modern games.
I think you have to find your own way into the voice. For me, and in my teaching, that often starts with physicalising aspects of the character and seeing how that informs the vocal qualities, which can then be taken into the words. You can layer that with accent/colour/tone and finally bring in any animal or other characteristics.
It’s certainly fun exploring these things! Everyone ended up producing really unique character voices.
You’ve lived in Colchester for 15 years – how do you see the city’s creative scene, and what role do you think workshops like yours play in developing local talent?
I think Colchester has got a really interesting creative scene – one that is not just in the centre but takes in the surrounding communities and further afield.
The unique geography and rich history of the area all feed into the uniqueness of our scene. Although we are now a city, Colchester’s heart and soul is, to me, more about a tighter, ‘town and country’ creative community.
I also think there is more that can be done by the bigger institutions to consolidate and support this.
There are some really great theatre-based groups like Stagecraft@ and my workshops are very much trying to complement what’s already on offer. My classes are all about teaching from the point of view of a working actor, so everything is current and based on real-world experience of the industry.
What inspired you to start running these workshops, and what makes yours different from other acting classes?
With both ScreenTime and my own workshops, I wanted to create something that I would have liked to attend as an actor myself!
The original aim was somewhere people can come to keep their skills sharp – as actors, unless you are creating your own work on a consistent basis or are in the top percentile, you are likely not working a lot of the time, so that ‘practice’ element, as with any skill or art form, is fundamental.
Then you can be ready and primed for when the work does come along!
Your upcoming workshop on March 1st is focused on early career development. Who would benefit most from attending?
I think it will appeal to a wide range of people and not just ‘Actors’ per se.
You could be interested in the world of acting and want a bit more insight into the professional side of things. You might have done some amateur work and want to expand your knowledge and skill set – maybe even find a new passion for a different side of the industry along the way!
It’s also great for actors already established to some degree who want to practice their craft.
The work we cover isn’t generally available or accessible online, and the exercises aren’t out of a book, so it’s all new and (hopefully) engaging and fun!
We’ll be working on real scripts from TV, aiming to add character and nuance to small guest roles – think police/doctors, etc. in Soaps and Dramas.
We’ll also be looking at the role of understudies in the industry. This will be based on my experience and interviews with some friends I’ve drafted who are currently understudying in the West End.
Other topics on the day include Commercials, Short Film, Fringe Theatre, Agents and loads more!
Breaking into the acting industry can feel like a mystery to those just starting out. What’s one piece of advice you wish you’d known when you were first starting?
Like anything, talent has got to be matched with hard work – I think I’ve always been incredibly focused when I’m ON a job but it can be tough to stay motivated when you are ‘in between’ roles.
I think you can feel a little helpless at times as an actor, as you are often relying on agents/casting directors but you can make your own work and practice your craft through things like workshops.
The main thing for any actor, I think, is to soak up the world in general – watch films, documentaries, read books, get outside – try and live a multi-faceted life so you have lots to draw on when it comes to creating characters!
ScreenTime, the project you co-founded with Steven Dorrington, is all about practical, on-camera training. Why is screen acting such a different skill from stage acting, and how do you help actors bridge that gap?
The first thing I say to people in our classes is usually along the lines of “Please don’t stop acting just because you might think the screen has to be ‘smaller’ – you guys play the scene and do your thing, and we can then tweak it if needed.”
We don’t want it to be some radical change from the way they might approach Theatre – there are, of course, some technical considerations and things you can’t ‘get away with’ on screen but we don’t want people to see these as worlds apart.
The fundamentals of script analysis, character work and world-building are all pretty much the same.
Your showreel workshops are designed to give actors professional-quality material. What makes a great showreel, and how does it help actors land roles?
A good showreel is ideally a few short clips of you playing in scenes across from another actor/actors. You want your best scenes first, as Casting Directors might stop before they get to your latter scenes (they might have 50+ reels to watch).
When I started out, it was all about a stylised montage of your work set to music!
Now it’s very much quality over quantity.
Some variation in tone and setting is great to show your range as an Actor.
Our Reel Scenes are written specifically for the actors who book onto the workshop – we can accommodate any requests – say if the actor wanted a comedy scene for their reel – and we are constantly changing up our locations so the outcome is always fresh and unique.
A big thank you to Chris for sharing his insights and experiences with us. His passion for making the acting world more accessible and his commitment to practical, hands-on training shines through.
Chris’s next workshop, focused on early career development, takes place on Saturday 1st March. If you’re new to acting, returning to the industry, or looking to take the next step in your career, this session is designed for you.
Book your place here: Chris Anderson’s Acting Workshop – 1st March
Want to explore more opportunities? Check out ScreenTime, Chris’s screen acting workshops with Aura Films:
To see Chris’s full acting portfolio, visit his Spotlight CV:
