I began as a performer at the age of 15, and for many years I worked throughout the western United States, Canada and Japan as a singer and an actress.  I came to the UK in 1984 to do a DPhil at Oxford, and I have been training actors in the UK for two decades.  In 1990 I became Head of Acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, and left there in 1994 to become the founding Head of Acting & Dance at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.  From 2001-7 I served as Director of Drama, Head of Musical Theatre, and Director of International Development for the Royal Scottish Conservatoire.

In 2005 I wrote and presented a 4 part-series for BBC Radio Scotland, called Singing School, and in 2007 I decided get back into the industry and I’ve worked extensively in television both as a casting director and performance coach.  My credits include: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria (BBC: Casting Director, 2006); Any Dream Will Do (BBC: Casting Director, 2007), I’d Do Anything (BBC: Casting Director, Performance and Vocal Coach, 2008), Over The Rainbow (Talkback Thames: Casting Director, Vocal and Performance Coach, 2010) Popstar to Operastar (Performance and Vocal Coach, 2011); The Dare (Zodiak Media for BBC: Casting, Performance and Vocal Coach, 2011), Superstar (Casting Director and Performance coach, 2012).  Currrently I work as a Casting Director for BBC & ITV's The Voice from 2011 - 2016.

I live in Edinburgh where I work as a writer, a freelance performance coach and director and as a Senior Lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University.  Along with books, I’ve published many journal articles, and presented workshops and master classes on performing, auditioning and singing in various places throughout the UK, Europe and the United States.