Interact English
Learning Language through the Arts
Who We Are
We are an international team of English native speakers, professional language educators and artists, we call ourselves Teaching-Artists. Since 2009, we have been pioneering the role of the Teaching-Artist within the field of Language Education. Our programs bring the art forms and languages we’re passionate about into the classroom to inspire students about and through them.
Our approach incorporates a practical ‘learning-through-doing’ philosophy. We create classroom environments and programs where students are supported and challenged to communicate their creative ideas in English. We adhere to the idea that immersion is the most effective tool in language acquisition and experience has shown us that arts based programs are powerful motivators to get kids/teens speaking. We believe that the arts can make an authentic and dramatic contribution to language education.
Our team is an extraordinarily talented group of professional Teaching-Artists from a myriad of cultural and artistic backgrounds. Our teaching-artists will add a unique shot of energy and excitement to English lessons in your school.
Take a minute to get to know us.
Teaching Artists
Justin Beard
Justin Beard is the Co-Director of InterACT English, he is also a professional actor, theater maker and educator. Justin has worked with renowned theater companies including: Cirque Du Soleil, Theatre Fragile and Seattle Repertory Theater. Justin has an MA from the program Cultural Eduction in Schools at Philipps University Marburg. He holds a BFA (Hons) in Acting and Original Works from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington USA.
Mark Hansen
Mark Hansen is an artist and educator from New Zealand. He is also the Co-Director of InterACT English. Mark taught English as a second language in South Korea and in Spain. Mark has exhibited art, video and collaborative performances at exhibitions and film festivals throughout New Zealand, Germany, The Netherlands and Romania. He holds a Masters of Fine Arts degree in ‘Public Art and New Artistic Strategies’ from the Bauhaus-Universität in Weimar, Germany.
Dr. Rachel Karafistan
Rachel is an actor and theatre director based in Berlin. Her PhD research into Shamanic dimensions within contemporary theatre practice has shaped both her creative and teaching processes. Rachel runs regular workshops internationally, exploring the connections between the actor and the shaman with her long-term collaborator, Professor Brian Bates. Rachel has taught theatre extensively, in particular at the University of Leeds where she was a Lecturer in Theatre and internationally in Europe, Brazil, and the USA.
Cagn Cochrane
Cagn Cochrane is a Theater in Education specialist from South Africa. He is also Community Manager of InterACT English. Cagn has taught English as a second language in numerous countries around the world, most prominently in Italy and South Africa. He has been engaged in innumerable theater, music, film, fine art and dance projects throughout. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Philosophy, Theatre & English Literature from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Elana Scott
Elana Scott is a Berlin based artist from America. She is from Cleveland, Ohio where she started her artistic practice. She was then based in Los Angeles, California for years where she obtained a BFA in Fine Art and Religion from the Claremont Colleges. She has exhibited in Los Angeles and Berlin and continues to make work that intends to be personally transformative and healing.
Adam Donald
Adam Donald is a Berlin-based actor, director, scriptwriter, improviser, and screen acting tutor. Originally from New Zealand, he initially did his undergraduate training in Acting for Stage and Screen and went on to get a Masters in Directing from Toi Whakaari - New Zealand Drama School. Most recently in Germany as the Screen Acting Program Lead at dBs Film Berlin Adam has been teaching acting for film. He has a passion for inspiring others and is dedicated to helping them discover and craft their hidden talents. "
Amy Leigh
Amy Leigh is a musician and educator from Arkansas, USA. Before moving to Germany, she traveled around the US playing the dobro in a duo. She has taught English in Germany and Switzerland for the past 4 years and is currently working on her B.A. in Sociology through the State of Arkansas. She enjoys teaching English through songwriting workshops, songs, theater, and cooking.
Archie Scrase
Archie is qualified with a BA in Social Pedagogy, from Robert Gordon University, in Aberdeen, Scotland. During his time in Scotland, he has worked with children in a holistic manner, looking at promoting the individual's creative strengths. His own experience of the arts involves studying drama during high school and partaking in several productions during his time there.
Benjamin Bishop
Benjamin Bishop is an Australian-born, stage and screen actor living in Berlin, Germany. He completed his acting training at dBs Berlin in 2018. During his time at dBs Ben has appeared in over 20 student produced films, commercials and documentaries. Ben has most recently starred on stage as Richard in Rosebrook Theatre Collectives "MDMA", directed by Sarah Wilkinson.
Brea Robertson
Brea Robertson is a singer/songwriter and theatre worker from Australia. Brea has spent time working in prisons, schools and Indigenous festivals using theatre and music as a tool for education and rehabilitation. She now lives in Berlin and enjoys using the arts to teach English. When she's not working with InterACT, Brea is usually traveling around Europe singing her songs in people's living rooms, gardens or at festivals.
Bronwyn Sherman
Bronwyn Sherman is an educator and artist from South Africa. Her education background includes Waldorf Pedagogy, English as a second language and informal Youth Education. In art, she specializes in Movement/Dance, Percussion instruments and Macrame handcraft. She also has passion and experience in theatre and singing. Bronwyn holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance, a Bachelor of Social Science, a Diploma in Waldorf Pedagogy and a Cambridge Certificate in second language English teaching.
Charlie Dupré
Charlie Dupré is a playwright, actor and spoken word artist from London. He has been writing and producing his own shows, plays, and films since 2012, and moved to Berlin in 2017, where he continues to make his own work. He has a CELTA qualification for teaching English as a Foreign Language, and is a playwriting mentee on the Jerwood/Arvon mentorship program 2019/20.
Eddie Argos
Eddie is an autodidactic artist, writer and musician from the UK. Eddie has been teaching English in schools throughout Germany for four years. Eddie has released Six albums with his band Art Brut, as well as writing a musical and a spoken word show about being in a band. He has performed all over the world. He is a published writer and has had his art exhibited in Germany, US and the UK.
George P. Scott
George P. Scott is a professional jack-of-all-trades who currently works as an Artist, a nighttime drag queen performer, Educator, Costume and Puppet designer back and forth from Berlin to San Francisco. George studied Theatre, Musical Theatre, Costume and Puppet Design at Pacific Coast Performing Arts Conservatory, Santa Rosa Junior College, and the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. He has produced and designed a number shows over the years and hopes to continue building his repertoire in Berlin.
Greg Hoyt
Greg is a opera singer and performer from the USA. He has performed opera and musical theater across the United States and made his European debut in Weimar in 2017. Based in Berlin, Greg is currently freelancing as a performer and teacher. He holds a Masters degree in Music from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City.
Heather Purcell
Heather Purcell works within the mediums of video, live drawing performances and puppetry. She is currently doing a Masters in Art at The Universität der Künste Berlin. She organizes bi-monthly workshops in video and performance dealing with themes of gender in Berlin. She has recently given live drawing talks, in the University of Paderborn and Gelegenheiten Berlin.
Jamie Drobnick
Jamie Drobnick is a visual artist, printmaker, and arts educator from California, USA. Jamie co-owns a textile design label, Ravel Textiles, based at Fashion Studio Obst und Gemüse in Berlin. She has taught adults and children art classes throughout North America and Germany for the past ten years and has exhibited her work in California, Germany, and Turkey. She has a degree in Fine Art from the University of California Santa Cruz.
Jeremy Knowles
Jeremy Knowles is a lens-based artist and educator from the UK. Jeremy holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photography from Camberwell College of Art (University of the Arts London) and a Diploma in Art & Design from Oaklands College of Art, UK. He exhibits his art regularly between London and Berlin. In 2018 Jeremy was shortlisted for BLOOOM Award, and in 2019 he was selected for IN//BETWEEN #4 - an annual collaborative artist residency held in Berlin. Jeremy also works as an arts and outdoor educator in Germany, Switzerland and the UK sharing his skills with children and young adults.
Jessica Akers
Jessica Akers is an American Dancer and Choreographer. She is now based in Berlin, where she is able to pursue her freelance career. Her work has taken her to over 11 countries; where she has performed, trained, and shown her own work at various festivals and institutions. She also teaches English as a second language. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 'Dance with a concentration in Choreography' from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City.
Joshua Spriggs
Joshua Spriggs is an Actor, Voice-Over Artist and Tutor. He has been working as a Teaching Artist for Interact English for nearly 3 years now. When he's not working with Interact, Joshua is regular Actor for 'Platypus Theatre' and the 'Berlin English Repertory Theatre'. Aside from this, Joshua is a professional Voice-Over artist, having voiced various worldwide commercials and documentaries for both TV and Internet. More recently he teaches at 'dBs'; an international film school, where he tutors on the Screen Acting BA.
Liam Joseph Klemenc
Liam Klemenc is an artist and creative from Australia. Liam graduated from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music with a bachelor's degree in music, majoring in classical voice and opera. While studying Liam had the opportunity to work for Opera Queensland in their main stage productions and also in their education and outreach programs. During this time he also performed as a principal artist for Outcast Performing Arts and Figaro.
Mark Bautista
Mark Bautista, is a artist and educator from Alaska, USA. He is currently based in Berlin. Outside of InterACT, Mark is a classical singer and performance artist, and also runs a private studio of voice students and movement students. He studied vocal performance and theater at the University of Alaska Anchorage, where he received a Bachelor of Music degree in Performance.
Rebecca Scott
Rebecca Scott is a professional artist and educator from Australia. She has created theatre and worked as an actress in Sydney, New York and in London. She studied acting at the Actors Centre Sydney, The Lee Strasberg Film and Theatre Institute New York and RADA London. She came to Berlin to study as a theatre director completing directing internships at the Schaubühne Berlin and the Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg with Katie Mitchell and at the Komische Oper Berlin with Barrie Kosky.
Rob Atkinson
Rob Atkinson is a musician; vocalist, writer and performer from Cambridge, UK. He has performed in professional choirs/ensembles from a young age, and holds a Bachelors in Music. Currently, Rob writes and produces his own music and is involved in a variety of musical projects.
Rowan Tara de Freitas
Rowan Tara de Freitas is a multidisciplinary artist and educator based in Berlin. She grew up in Ireland and holds a BA in Fine Art from the University of Arts London. Specializing in photography, film, performance, and writing, she has performed, exhibited work, and conducted workshops in the UK, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Serbia, Greece and Mexico. She is trained in EFL teaching and has taught English as a second language in the UK, France, Italy, Mexico, and Germany.
Ruth Pearson
"Ruth Pearson is a UK-born performer, writer, director, and educator. She taught English as a foreign language in Italy while studying for a Bachelor of Arts in Drama at the University of Exeter, UK. With a focus on creative theatre-making, Ruth has worked on various theatre projects in London, including in education and community engagement, as well as performing. This work continues in Berlin.
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Veronica Louis
Veronica Louis is a writer, designer, teacher and communications specialist from Canada, currently living in Berlin. Veronica has had the opportunity to work and live in Canada, the United States, Japan, Spain and Germany. She loves to be creative and has worked on a number of theatre projects over the years, including a recent "Mirror Mirror" performance at Ballhaus Naunynstraße in Berlin. She believes that there is great power in the art of storytelling regardless of the medium, and that we all have stories to share.