Anna-Helena Mclean |
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Anna-Helena McLean is a director, coach, composer and actor musician. She specialises in research into ethical practice tools for contemporary performance practitioners. Currently completing a PhD focusing on her experiences within laboratory ensemble theatre supervised by Andy Lavender (Vice Principal of Research at Guildhall School of Music and Drama), Tara McCallister-Viel (Uni of Essex) and Niamh Dowling (Principal of RADA). In 2010 Anna-Helena set up an International Theatre and Music Exchange called Moon Fool, to create a single platform through which to host a diversity of collaborative practices taking place between UK, Europe, India and USA. After 4 years developing an original approach to collaborative theatre making by combining leaders in Opera, Psychophysical practices, Classical acting, Puppetry and Immersive theatre techniques, Moon Fool became a host organisation for performances, educational work, music events and multimedia collaboration in partnership with Trestle Touring. Overtime ACT INTERNATIONAL, the educational arm of the company's activity, moved into the foreground and in 2023 ACT became the organisational name. ACT highlights the particular relevance of Anna-Helena's expertise in voice and performance practices, integrating current ethical frameworks with industry concerns with special concern for representation, diversity work and transdisciplinary praxis.
Combining research with her background in business coaching (Eurotas, Mindapples, iDiscover, Sonata Software), Anna-Helena will be launching a new corporate strand of her practice under the banner name Transcending Leadership in February 2025. This programme takes the form of virtual and one on one coaching complemented by retreats at Anna' base in Northern Italy. Clients will be drawn from pools of leaders and entrepreneurs associated to partners from within Alef Trust, Norwegian Theatre Academy and Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Anna most recently ran the voice practices for the BA Acting Studies course also at Guildhall School and has secured over £200K funding to develop a community project called A Voice Lesson which is both a performance and educational offer. A Voice Lesson draws inspiration from Virginia Woolf's Orlando: A Biography combined with ancient texts and new writing. The latter was commissioned through two Britten Pears Arts Residencies (2022 and 2023), a VASTA (Voice and Speech Trainers Association) partnership (2022) and Arts Council England funding (2023 and 2025). A Voice Lesson is also the title of Anna thesis in which she unpacks an ethical toolkit for actors, making the role of breath, vocality and listening core to the future of theatre.
Brought up in a travelling theatre company to a violin maker Father from Copenhagen, Anna found her way to Poland after graduating in Music, Theatre Studies and Drama (Performance) at Royal Holloway Uni of London in 2000. Further to initial collaboration with the renowned Song of the Goat (Piesn Kozla) Theatre in Wroclaw, Anna went on to become the principal in Wlodzimierz Staniewski's interpretation of Euripides' 'Electra', touring extensively with the Gardzienice Theatre Company and leading its training around the world (Yale, New Haven; MIT, Boston; Columbia Uni, NYC). Anna lived and worked in the rurally Gardzienice Centre for Theatre Practices situated on the border between Poland and the Ukraine from 2000 to 2007. As a young woman she was a senior voice coach, music director and composer within the legendary ensemble company. During this time she also led the Ancient Greek Orchestra and the Academy for Theatre Practices. These experiences have been formative to Anna's unique approach to theatre making, coaching, community practice and research. Anna' originality contributes to core knowledge within the Grotowskian Diaspora Laboratory tradition. Anna brings an embodied love of theatre, literature, music and new materialism toward the political power of theatre. She shapes collective consciousness across diverse settings and unite different worldviews and communities in her ACT practices, research and Transcending Leadership programmes.
Learn more about the history of the company:
Moon Fool was founded in 2004 as a platform for International Theatre and Music Exchange (with Dr. Rebecca Loukes and Cassie Friend from Red Cape Theatre, at South Street Theatre in Reading). Anna began working with an arts and health organisation, the 'Awake Projects' Ensemble, Love Orchestra and Youth (2006-2012) while also developing her Polish experience through teaching and directing posts at Drama Schools (Rose Bruford College, Volda University College Norway, Edinburgh College, Norwegian Theatre Academy), Conservatoires (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Central School of Speech and Drama, National School of Drama Delhi, Yale School of Drama NYC), Universities (Exeter, Winchester, Huddersfield, Plymouth, Northampton, Falmouth, Sonoma State California) and with prominent artists (incl. Annemette Verspeak, Electa Behrens, Pamela Prather Coaching, Kathryn Hunter, Kirsty Housley, David Zakowski) and ensembles the world over (incl. Jocelyn Pook, National Theatre of Scotland, Walkabout Theatre Chicago, Penny Dreadful Productions).
In 2009 Anna-Helena coined the educational arm of Moon Fool's activity, 'ACTOR-CHORUS-TEXT' or the 'ACT' INTERNATIONAL. This name seeks to represent her original approach to building an integrated ensemble as well as a unique approach to devising new materials or adapting classical texts. In 2014, she built her critically-acclaimed solo cabaret 'TITANIA' to showcase her long term work with Shakespeare. In 2015 she generated Moon Fool's first full-scale production using the ACT method. ‘STORM’ was an urban, music-led retelling of Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ seen through the eyes of climate change (funded by Arts Council England, Vaults Festival London and MacArthur Foundation USA). Anna works with and through her ACT INTERNATIONAL research and educational outreach to develop the training and repertoire for each new work she produces. Using an organic, ensemble approach to performance practice and production, her company is evolving and responsive to the individuals and the producing partners involved. Most recently this has also worked with specific community groups including LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent individuals. 'A Sonic Return to the Source - Inanna' was a solo concert of music reconstructed from Ancient Mesopotamian relics. Inanna overlapped with Anna-Helena's doctoral research into the lost voices of women through history. 'The Voice Lesson - A Performative Essay' developed the Inanna materials into a new-writing music driven work, materialised through commissioning opportunities from Britten Pears Arts, Arts Council England, Dartington Trust and VASTA USA. The final work is under development in collaboration with a community project The Identity Choir and producing partners in Lossenham Farm and Lifesize CIC. A Voice Lesson is looking to premiere in 2026 with a new libretto by Nazli Tabatabai-Khatambakhsh (Guildhall School, ROH), with new writing by the company, in associatin with Norwegian Theatre Academy, Alef Trust and showcasing an original score composed by Anna-Helena.
In 2019, Anna began a Practice as Research PhD at Guildhall with supervisors Dr. Alex Mermikides (Former Research Programme Leader, Guildhall School and currently leading the Arts and Medicine programme at Kings College), Dr. Rachel Hann (Leader in the field of Trans Performance Lead at Northumbria University), Niamh Dowling (Principal of RADA) and Andy Lavender (Provost and Vice Principal (Academic) Guildhall School). In her research she is navigating questions around feminist ethics, intensity and interpretation in the specialist field of the post-Grotowskian laboratory practices. Her focus on physiovocality looks to progress inclusive approaches in contemporary performer training in the UK, after Me Too and its ethical implications on agency in acting more broadly. Building on 20 years at the forefront of British practitioners progressing Grotowski’s legacy, she has resolved to cultivate a practice-based means for all identities of women and other marginalised identities to discuss and communicate their contribution to - and creative agency within - the largely hierarchical, director-dominated, binary bound, white priviled canonic tradition.
Combining research with her background in business coaching (Eurotas, Mindapples, iDiscover, Sonata Software), Anna-Helena will be launching a new corporate strand of her practice under the banner name Transcending Leadership in February 2025. This programme takes the form of virtual and one on one coaching complemented by retreats at Anna' base in Northern Italy. Clients will be drawn from pools of leaders and entrepreneurs associated to partners from within Alef Trust, Norwegian Theatre Academy and Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Anna most recently ran the voice practices for the BA Acting Studies course also at Guildhall School and has secured over £200K funding to develop a community project called A Voice Lesson which is both a performance and educational offer. A Voice Lesson draws inspiration from Virginia Woolf's Orlando: A Biography combined with ancient texts and new writing. The latter was commissioned through two Britten Pears Arts Residencies (2022 and 2023), a VASTA (Voice and Speech Trainers Association) partnership (2022) and Arts Council England funding (2023 and 2025). A Voice Lesson is also the title of Anna thesis in which she unpacks an ethical toolkit for actors, making the role of breath, vocality and listening core to the future of theatre.
Brought up in a travelling theatre company to a violin maker Father from Copenhagen, Anna found her way to Poland after graduating in Music, Theatre Studies and Drama (Performance) at Royal Holloway Uni of London in 2000. Further to initial collaboration with the renowned Song of the Goat (Piesn Kozla) Theatre in Wroclaw, Anna went on to become the principal in Wlodzimierz Staniewski's interpretation of Euripides' 'Electra', touring extensively with the Gardzienice Theatre Company and leading its training around the world (Yale, New Haven; MIT, Boston; Columbia Uni, NYC). Anna lived and worked in the rurally Gardzienice Centre for Theatre Practices situated on the border between Poland and the Ukraine from 2000 to 2007. As a young woman she was a senior voice coach, music director and composer within the legendary ensemble company. During this time she also led the Ancient Greek Orchestra and the Academy for Theatre Practices. These experiences have been formative to Anna's unique approach to theatre making, coaching, community practice and research. Anna' originality contributes to core knowledge within the Grotowskian Diaspora Laboratory tradition. Anna brings an embodied love of theatre, literature, music and new materialism toward the political power of theatre. She shapes collective consciousness across diverse settings and unite different worldviews and communities in her ACT practices, research and Transcending Leadership programmes.
Learn more about the history of the company:
Moon Fool was founded in 2004 as a platform for International Theatre and Music Exchange (with Dr. Rebecca Loukes and Cassie Friend from Red Cape Theatre, at South Street Theatre in Reading). Anna began working with an arts and health organisation, the 'Awake Projects' Ensemble, Love Orchestra and Youth (2006-2012) while also developing her Polish experience through teaching and directing posts at Drama Schools (Rose Bruford College, Volda University College Norway, Edinburgh College, Norwegian Theatre Academy), Conservatoires (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Central School of Speech and Drama, National School of Drama Delhi, Yale School of Drama NYC), Universities (Exeter, Winchester, Huddersfield, Plymouth, Northampton, Falmouth, Sonoma State California) and with prominent artists (incl. Annemette Verspeak, Electa Behrens, Pamela Prather Coaching, Kathryn Hunter, Kirsty Housley, David Zakowski) and ensembles the world over (incl. Jocelyn Pook, National Theatre of Scotland, Walkabout Theatre Chicago, Penny Dreadful Productions).
In 2009 Anna-Helena coined the educational arm of Moon Fool's activity, 'ACTOR-CHORUS-TEXT' or the 'ACT' INTERNATIONAL. This name seeks to represent her original approach to building an integrated ensemble as well as a unique approach to devising new materials or adapting classical texts. In 2014, she built her critically-acclaimed solo cabaret 'TITANIA' to showcase her long term work with Shakespeare. In 2015 she generated Moon Fool's first full-scale production using the ACT method. ‘STORM’ was an urban, music-led retelling of Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ seen through the eyes of climate change (funded by Arts Council England, Vaults Festival London and MacArthur Foundation USA). Anna works with and through her ACT INTERNATIONAL research and educational outreach to develop the training and repertoire for each new work she produces. Using an organic, ensemble approach to performance practice and production, her company is evolving and responsive to the individuals and the producing partners involved. Most recently this has also worked with specific community groups including LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent individuals. 'A Sonic Return to the Source - Inanna' was a solo concert of music reconstructed from Ancient Mesopotamian relics. Inanna overlapped with Anna-Helena's doctoral research into the lost voices of women through history. 'The Voice Lesson - A Performative Essay' developed the Inanna materials into a new-writing music driven work, materialised through commissioning opportunities from Britten Pears Arts, Arts Council England, Dartington Trust and VASTA USA. The final work is under development in collaboration with a community project The Identity Choir and producing partners in Lossenham Farm and Lifesize CIC. A Voice Lesson is looking to premiere in 2026 with a new libretto by Nazli Tabatabai-Khatambakhsh (Guildhall School, ROH), with new writing by the company, in associatin with Norwegian Theatre Academy, Alef Trust and showcasing an original score composed by Anna-Helena.
In 2019, Anna began a Practice as Research PhD at Guildhall with supervisors Dr. Alex Mermikides (Former Research Programme Leader, Guildhall School and currently leading the Arts and Medicine programme at Kings College), Dr. Rachel Hann (Leader in the field of Trans Performance Lead at Northumbria University), Niamh Dowling (Principal of RADA) and Andy Lavender (Provost and Vice Principal (Academic) Guildhall School). In her research she is navigating questions around feminist ethics, intensity and interpretation in the specialist field of the post-Grotowskian laboratory practices. Her focus on physiovocality looks to progress inclusive approaches in contemporary performer training in the UK, after Me Too and its ethical implications on agency in acting more broadly. Building on 20 years at the forefront of British practitioners progressing Grotowski’s legacy, she has resolved to cultivate a practice-based means for all identities of women and other marginalised identities to discuss and communicate their contribution to - and creative agency within - the largely hierarchical, director-dominated, binary bound, white priviled canonic tradition.
