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Physical Theatre and Mime, Directing and Devising
Despite leaving school at 16 with no qualifications, Danny was accepted for a double scholarship at the London Mime Centre and has been professionally performing all over the world since 1984. He gained his Masters in 2007. Danny has given workshops and masterclasses in R.A.D.A, the Academy Drama School, Mountview Theatre School, amongst many others. He has worked alongside and collaborated with musicians and artists including bands such as Iona and Martyn Joseph and many artists in Europe and has produced two albums of his own poetry and songs. He has been a director, trainer, lecturer and working in corporate consultancy since the 1990s with companies such as Siemens, Hyatt and Hilton Hotels and Boston Consulting Group. He founded two performing companies: Diakonos Physical theatre 1993-2000, and PointZero Physical Theatre in 2009. Danny has been consistently awarded Grade One excellence in Ofsted teaching and has won a number of awards.
Acting, Theatre and Voice
Mary had a background in semi-professional dance (ballet, jazz and modern) and classical voice before training in Acting and Theatre as a mature student at the Academy of Performing Arts, Ontario, followed by a year's apprenticeship with a professional company. Since then she has been acting professionally and teaching acting and drama skills mainly in youth and student theatre contexts: Stagecoach, The XL Project, The Pauline Quirk Academy and Oxford Royale Academy and many others, since the 1990s including coaching for LAMDA and Trinity exams. Since 2007, Mary has been writing, producing and directing her own plays in professional and community contexts with her company TouchPoint Productions. Mary side-stepped into film in 2017, making an award winning short film "Seeing Grace". She is awarded Grade One excellence for teaching skills, is DBS checked, is a qualified Careers Coach and experienced Learning Support Coach.
Our Vision
Phoenix Performing Arts Trust in 1989 was set up by Danny and Mary Scott with a vision for seeing the restoration of God’s plan and impactful use of creativity and the dramatic arts to start in, and come out from His Church for the benefit of reaching the world with his love! Operating for over 35 years in as many countries and in nearly every denomination of churches, Phoenix has been training, mentoring, teaching, performing and supporting the body of Christ and operating in secular contexts.
Jesus was an Artist because he was the Son of the Creator of the universe! Craftsman by trade, Jesus was, more importantly the consummate story-teller which he may well have acted out together with his disciples. In Mark’s gospel it says “He did not say anything to them without using a parable.” (Mk 4:34).
When we talk about ‘drama’ (or ‘performing arts’) to people - regardless of their faith stance, most will immediately think about entertainment, performance, ego, fame and fortune but this is not God’s purpose and heart! God created human beings as sensory beings and each individual was ‘embroidered’ beautifully in their mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). We were created with all the senses; taste, touch, smell, sight, hearing, sensing (intuition) and with imagination. Imagination is not a luxury – it’s a necessity! Imagination is at the root of all innovation, artistic creativity and even faith!
The arts are not just an expression or reflection of God’s creativity in beauty and worship – the dramatic arts are designed for incarnation of human story (“The word became flesh….”). The baptism of Jesus was an act of drama - he didn’t need forgiveness of sins – rather, he demonstrated in physical, dramatic form who he was and why he was here.
""Be-Longing" (Coventry 2024) - picture by Sam Oates
Our Beliefs
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We believe that true success is defined by demonstrating the qualities of self-discipline, excellence, patience, kindness, goodness, integrity, wisdom and humility. These are the character values we will endeavour to instil into those who come through our doors and so we will equip individuals for a fruitful and satisfying life, regardless of whether they choose to work in the industry afterwards.
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We welcome and provide expert mentoring and equipping to gifted people with potential who have mental health, social, behavioural or educational disadvantages, and who are marginalised or have faltered in the education system - regardless of their faith stance.
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We believe that regardless of their beliefs, God has a purpose for every individual, and those who are called to be artists can have confidence in their calling and will live this out for the benefit of their community and society.
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We believe that provision of excellence in performing arts training, as well as individual coaching, mentoring and guidance will equip our students for the rigours and challenges that the performing arts world will demand of them.
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We believe that those who have vision have life - and we will provide expert support and guidance for individuals to find their calling and vision for their lives
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