An actor turned drama teacher – who appeared in BBC children’s drama Byker Grove alongside Ant and Dec – will be taking centre stage at Ashville College this September as he joins as its new Head of Drama.
Karl Boyd joins the independent school from Prudhoe Community High School, where he was its Head of Contemporary Arts. For the last 16 years he has been an examiner in Performing Arts for both OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA) Board, and Cambridge Assessment.
Mr Boyd, a University of Exeter graduate, made headlines in the North East for directing a film produced by and starring pupils from his school, which had its premiere at Tyneside Cinema.
His new school boasts two well-known alumni who flourished in school drama productions and were both head boys – Downton Abbey actor Jim Carter, and Oscar winning film and theatre director, Tony Richardson.
Mr Boyd said:
I’m looking forward to starting my new position in September at Ashville College, particularly as the school has an enviable reputation for the quality of plays and musical productions.
I’m looking forward to building on the fantastic work already done within the department and making my debut in November, when the senior school’s annual play is traditionally held.
Ashville College Headmaster Richard Marshall said:
Karl’s appointment to the school’s teaching body is a very welcome one as he brings with him a wealth of experience in the field of drama and performing arts.
We have a long and proud reputation when it comes to the performing arts, and this will continue under Karl’s direction.
