Ashley Scott Layton

Ashley Scott Layton is a writer-director who has been coaching actors and writers for over a decade.  

He trained on the prestigious Theatre Directing MFA at Birkbeck College, University of London and, after winning the Director’s Guild Award began his residency at the Lyric Hammersmith. Whilst there he wrote serval short plays for the studio space as well as working as an associate director on each of the main house productions. He also ran acting classes and helped run the young playwrights group.

At the same time his play ‘A/Girl’ was performed at the Oval Theatre, ‘Don’t Stope Me’ was performed at the Cockpit Theatre and ‘Jamie Blake’ was performed at the Edinburgh fringe. 

He then moved to the National Theatre as a staff director, becoming a resident director on The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Night Time when it transferred to the westend.

Hungry to see the work and processes of theatre makers outside the UK he then spent a several years in continental Europe with residencies at the Kammerspiele in Munich, Mala Voadora in Lisbon and writing a new version of Antigone for Greek and British actors in Athens.

Returning to the UK in time for lockdown, Ashley began coaching both actors and writers. As an acting coach he has helped students move from a beginner level to working as professionals, gaining agents and important roles. As a writing teacher Ashley has coached students from the blank page to stage: He has helped his students’ complete plays that have gone to be performed at venues such as The Union Theatre, The Etc Theatre, The Omnibus Theatre, the Leicester Curve as well as gaining places on programmes at the Royal Court and BBC. As a reader he has provided notes for plays at The Almeida Theatre, The Yard Theatre and The Soho Theatre.

“Teaching is a vital force in my creative life and one which I take very seriously and enjoy very thoroughly.”