Meet our Acting for Stage and Screen course leader, Kelly Fairhurst! 

Having been at Stockton Riverside College for 17 years, Kelly is still sharing her valuable knowledge and first-hand experience in the film and television industry with our students! 

After gaining a degree in media management, Kelly gained as much experience in the industry as possible doing jobs such as reading traffic bulletins on the radio or presenting on Boro TV. She then went on to work as a runner on the hit TV show Byker Grove, which gave Kelly her big break as she got the opportunity to step into the assistant director’s role. Her success only continued as she went on to gain a number of high-profile credits including Hollyoaks and Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.  

Now, the acting for stage and screen and film and TV course leader is sharing her industry insights with the next generation of talent here at Stockton Riverside College. Throughout the academic year, Kelly sees her students through a range of productions, including theatre shows, short and feature length films, and immersive ghost light tours at Halloween. 

Speaking of her personal highlights during her time teaching at the college taking part in the National Theatre’s Connections Festival and seeing her students perform on stage at the Dorfman Theatre earlier this year remains top of her list. She reflects: “It is something that actors and directors work their whole life for. For me, it was very exciting to watch the students perform on such an iconic stage knowing how hard they had worked and how deserving of their success they were.” 

A testimony to the impact she has had on their lives and careers, Kelly has welcomed past students back into the college to share their own stories and words of wisdom with her current students. She says: “It’s a very proud moment to see past students achieve their dreams, and then want to come back here to share their experiences because they loved their time at college so much.” 

Now Kelly is looking to the future and the many exciting opportunities her new and returning acting students have ahead of them, including another National Theatre performance with a brand-new script at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle, a Christmas stint at the ARC in Stockton with My Son Pinocchio and a bigger and better Ghost Light Tour this Halloween at the Stockton Globe!