A DRAMA student from Wickford got to perform before film and TV, Daniel Mays, as part of a college project.

Performing Arts and Drama & Theatre Studies students at USP College attended a series of virtual workshops with the actor, giving them the opportunity to gain a real insight into the world of acting.

Daniel, originally from Essex himself, has been credited in a long list of well-known productions including Line of Duty, White Lines, Des and Code 404, among many other film, theatre and TV accolades.

The actor joined students from Seevic and Palmer's college campuses remotely to talk about the effect the Covid-19 pandemic had had on the industry over the past year and to take part in a Q&A session, answering questions about how he memorises his lines, the highlight of his career, the best piece of advice he was ever given, among others.

Daniel gave the students a wealth of insights into acting, which he described as a ridiculously rewarding career with the highs incredibly high. He also gave an open and honest insight into the rejection faced in the industry, urging the young performers to be resilient and not to take rejection personally.

Student Emma Wybrow, 17, was among students who performed a monologue for Daniel and received feedback on their performance. Students have been unable to perform to an audience as they would normally do as part of their course due to Covid-19 restrictions, so the opportunity to perform, and to be able to perform to an industry professional, was an amazing experience for the students.

Emma said: "Today's workshop was a great experience and it allowed me to learn more about acting and the industry. Daniel was incredible to speak to and offered valuable knowledge about acting and I really enjoyed hearing about his experiences working on film and television sets as well as on stage.

"He also gave out a lot of great advice about acting and the industry, about resilience and perseverance, which I found really helpful and inspiring. The highlight of the workshop was being able to perform a monologue in front of him and receiving feedback from him, as it was an amazing opportunity to learn more acting skills/tips from an industry professional."

Principal and CEO, Dan Pearson, said "It was a truly inspirational event led by the very talented Daniel May, informing and inspiring our students on how to successfully navigate the rocky road of Performing Arts. Our students found Daniel very likeable and down to earth being a fellow Essex resident".

Daniel's virtual visit was part of USP College's Student CPD Programme, where industry experts are regularly invited to deliver workshops to inspire students towards exciting and rewarding careers. He has also agreed to join the College's Sector Board for Creative Arts, which provides strategic direction to ensure curricular and extra-curricular learning remains up-to-date with sector developments.

To find out more about the colleges' performing arts and drama & theatre studies courses, visit uspcollege.ac.uk.