I trained at RADA and graduated in 2009. I’ve worked extensively in TV, Film and Theatre with some incredible people. I’ve been directed by Alan Rickman, Ridley Scott, Matthew Vaughn, Deborah Warner, Joe Stephenson, Timur Bekmambetov, Claire Oakley, Koby Adom and many more. I’ve worked alongside some of the great names in acting including Kate Winslet, Ben Whishaw, Colin Firth. Brendan Gleeson, Ashley Walters, Hugh Grant and many more. I’ve learnt much from all of them.
I teach alongside my acting career and absolutely love working with students of all ages exploring text, character, performance, technique and all the other brilliant places that acting takes us. I’m happy to work with contemporary or classical text and I hope to develop you personally so you feel a sense of growth, empowerment and inspiration.
I recently played Tate in How to Fight Loneliness at the Park Theatre and finished filming Under Salt Marsh in 2025 for Sky TV with Claire Oakley directing. I’m now filming on The Rapture for the BBC.
My Film work includes Kingsman The Secret Service, Napoleon, Small City, Chicken, A Little Chaos, The Limehouse Golem, Suffragette and Profile.
My TV work includes Noughts and Crosses [BBC], Under Salt Marsh [Sky], The Rapture [BBC], The Hour [BBC], A Very English Scandal [BBC], Silent Witness [BBC], Year of the Rabbit [Channel 4], Bulletproof [Sky TV] and Spent [BBC].
My Theatre work includes plays ‘Mother Courage and her Children’ by Bertold Brecht [National Theatre] Saved by Edward Bond and Desire Under the Elms by Eugene O’Neil [The Lyric Hammersmith] The Door Never Closes by Rex Obano [Almeida Theatre], Mrs Reynolds and the Ruffian by Gary Owen [Watford Palace Theatre] and How to Fight Loneliness by Neil Labute [Park Theatre].
In 2023, I started my own theatre company, The Base, with a fellow RADA graduate, Oliver Bennett. We produce theatrical events and use the company to explore the intersection with philosophy, history and drama. We also run an academy and we are building a dynamic community of actors, writers and thinkers.
Over the last few years we I have Directed, Produced and Performed in productions of Prometheus Bound [Aeschylus], No Exit [Jean Paul Sartre], Faust [Goethe], The Bedbug [Vladimir Mayakovsky], The Father [August Strindberg], Calvary, Purgatory and The Resurrection [W.B Yeats] and we have produced two new writing competitions, The Agon, in which we search for exciting new writers and stage their work in an exciting theatrical competition.
I work with actors who are auditioning for drama school, professional actors developing their work for high level Film and T.V, aspiring actors strategising and building their careers and with people developing their scripts and characters in personal projects.
I’d love to share some of my expertise with you and help you understand the industry further.
If you are interested in taking a class with me please email me and we can set up a zoom for an introductory chat –
Testimonials
Ambreen Razia
Actress and Writer
The Curse, Ted Lasso, The Agency, Starstruck, Hounslow Diaries, Scrapper, Black Mirror
‘Morgan insists on precision and a high quality of truth between ourselves and each other, in turn, empowering his students to operate from their own unique place of authenticity and encouraging everyone to arrive in the space undisguised and courageously. Morgan is a dynamic compassionate teacher who encourages us to expand our imagination and sense of bravery, underscoring his lessons with his own experience of working in the industry, unlike many teachers he’s actively in it himself which feels like an invaluable, unique and vital addition to his captivating and intoxicating Meisner classes.’
Nathan Cadman-Matthews
Actor
‘I’m very selective with acting coaches, and I’ve come across a few over the years; far too many are either clueless and pretending they know what they’re talking about, doing it for some form of self-aggrandisement, or are going through the motions for the sake of a bit of extra cash. Morgan is a representative of none of these archetypes. He is the very rare kind of acting coach that makes you feel not so much like someone is sitting watching and judging what you’re doing, but more like they’re actively collaborating with you to find solutions and figure out different approaches to help you in your work. He has a knack for instantly putting you at ease, a refreshingly genuine enthusiasm for text, and a extensive knowledge and love of classical literature and plays that makes me leave a session with him wishing I had spent more of my free time reading.
It should also not be overlooked that he’s an experienced and accomplished actor, and as such has a wealth of field tested knowledge to call upon where needed.Morgan’s a superb choice for an acting instructor, and I would highly recommend working with him, whatever your level of experience.’
Darren Foster
Actor and Director
Trigonometry, Make Me Famous, In Your Hands, Nights
‘I found the Meisner classes to be very challenging and deeply contemplative, not only in an acting and character sense, but also on a much deeper and personal sense. Every class has sent me on an unexpected journey of finding out more about who I am, how I move through life and interreact with others, leaving me to reflect heavily on my own authenticity and how I can be more present and active in scene, but ultimately in life. It goes without saying Meisner with Morgan has been an enlightening experience.
Morgan has a great mix of someone who creates a safe space for you to express yourself whilst also maintaining a strict respect for the craft and expectation for you to do the same. You feel safe to fail, but you are also made aware of the goal of ‘absolute truthfulness’ and are therefore truthfully instructed and pushed to get there.‘
Lola Rose-Maxwell
Actress, Writer and Comedian
Starstruck, The Kitchen, BBC Radio 4 Comedy, Office Manager
‘I started Meisner classes with Morgan having done mainly comedy and a lot of improv. I found Meisner really helpful for applying those improv skills to acting in a truthful and surprising way. Morgan is a great teacher, encouraging individuality and bravery. I also booked the first self tape I got after doing the classes and it had been a LONG time since I’d booked anything haha!’
Benson Jackson
East 15 Student
I’ve worked with Morgan for a few months now and he is brilliant. Not only has he shown me how to approach pieces and make distinct choices based of my characters, he has also diversified my knowledge on all types of media relating to my pieces. He provides a service to improve you as an actor both inside and outside the lessons, he has an extensive knowledge on plays which has been a massive bonus in our sessions. For me personally he is helping with drama school monologues, his collection of plays and poems have been all I could ever ask for in this process and he is always willing to listen and provide advice on pieces to study. One of my favourite things Morgan has provided me with; is a new understanding for the brilliance of Shakespeare, before our sessions I never truly appreciated Shakespeares work but he has opened the door to Shakespeare that previously felt like such a huge task to tackle. During sessions is where I have felt the most development in my acting ability as he guides you towards an in depth character understanding and shows you where to look and study to further your performance. He has genuinely been the all I could ask for and provided everything I could need surrounding my improvement and I recommend Morgan to anyone in my position ( wants to go to drama school but has no idea how to approach monologues and monologue choices) and anyone who wants to improve their overall acting ability.
Avita Jay
Actress
Coronation Street, Silent Witness, Priya, Veronica, The Winters Tale/The Comedy of Errors/The Empress [RSC] Favour [Bush Theatre]
‘I found the Meisner classes really explorative and unpredictable in a good way! The practice of being in the moment and following impulses that come when you’re truly present and engaging with your fellow actor is invaluable. I’ve found it really useful in the theatre work I’ve done to keep each performance fresh and connected.
Morgan is dynamic and passionate and his energy is really infectious and inspiring in the classes. He creates a space where you feel brave to go where the exercises take you.’
Jack Willard
Actor
‘A flawless and genuinely inspiring teacher. I enlisted the help of Morgan this year to help me with drama school audition prep and he has been absolutely fantastic. From help in finding speeches, especially Shakespeare (where he is incredibly knowledgeable), to helping guide and break down the texts, to redirecting and generally pointing me in interesting directions character-wise, Morgan has been the teacher I was really hoping for. His style is very laidback and this put me at ease instantly from our first session working together. He has taught me more in a few sessions than I learned on my university drama course and for this I am so grateful! Morgan also invests in you fully over the period you work together, including sending useful resources outside class time. Overall, an incredibly skilled, patient and talented teacher who is infinitely kind and welcoming to his students. I could not rate him more highly and would advise anyone looking for similar help to put him straight to the top of their list.’
MEISNER CLASSES
We are excited to announce that we are re-launching our Meisner classes next week. These have been running for several months now. It is a chance for actors and non-actors of all levels of experience to practice together Meisner’s repetition exercise and much else beyond. It is a great tool for unlocking one’s creative juices and becoming part of a community of artists. They run from 6pm-9pm every Wednesday in Hackney Wick. Places are very limited so email thebasecreates@gmail.com to book a place.
Morgan Watkins 