Matthew Holmes

Matthew Holmes is a teacher, writer, director, actor, and editor. 

He studied acting as a child, and graduated with a double first in English Literature, from Oxford University, where he acted in multiple plays. After University he established a small improvisation group for non-actors, taught English poetry at University of Westminster and studied screenwriting at the British National Film and Television School. After the NFTS he worked for BBC Drama Serials as a script editor, developing shows with writers including Billy Ivory and Ronan Bennett, and working on productions involving Bob Hoskins, Anna Friel, Phil Davis and Chris Plummer. This work gave him a broad perspective on the production process for film and television, from commissioning and development to final broadcast. 

He relocated to China in 2002 where he taught creative writing and film studies at Peking University as well as an acting program for musical theatre students. He also taught on a pioneering program to introduce Critical Thinking to key Chinese high schools. He worked for University of Arts London in Beijing preparing prospective arts and drama students for UK study. He was involved in directing low budget film projects, both for drama and documentary, and wrote, produced and directed his own musical stage play, Weird Tales of Beijing, which was performed at the Beijing International Youth Theatre festival. He used his theatre training to teach presentation skills to executives in many multinational and state-owned Chinese companies. He collaborated with Chinese film-makers, acted in Chinese movies and TV shows and worked as a translator for art catalogues, and the film industry, translating scripts for the Disney Corporation. He has several screenplays optioned, and is currently developing a TV series and writing a novel. He has studied Chinese internal martial arts and qigong for more than thirty years and can teach Tai Chi, and Ba Gua Zhang.

“I believe in an integrative approach to different disciplines, and prefer to teach inductively, with students engaged in practical work, whether it is writing, directing or performing, and I am committed to student centred learning, and making the classroom a creative, fun environment for students.”