Peter Polycarpou
About
Peter Polycarpou is a British actor whose career has spanned over four decades. His extensive professional work includes film, television and the stage. He has also appeared in numerous Radio Dramas for the BBC. He has acted in many West End plays and regional theatres up and down the United Kingdom. He has also been in some of the biggest musicals of the last 30 years. He is in great demand as a voice actor and is playing leading characters in online video games including, Assassins Creed, Origins, Diablo IV, Harry Potter, Immortals Fenyx Rising, Pharoah Total War and many many more.
He is an original cast member of Les Misérables and was the original John in Miss Saigon at Drury Lane in London. Peter is a two-time Olivier Award nominee for best-supporting actor in a play, and best supporting actor in a musical . He is also a winner of The Clarence Derwent Award.
He recently starred alongside Oscar winner Adrien Brody in The Brutalist, which won 3 Academy awards in 2025. Peter plays the role of Michael Hoffman.
Teaching Style
How do you discover what a character wants and how they feel? I can help with useful and practical acting tips.
Are you working on a particular part? I’ll work on characterization with you. I’ll teach you what to do in order to bring your character to life and show you my method of building characterization.
Do you have an important audition coming up? I’ll help you choose the right speech and then guide you through the audition process. I’ll tell you what to expect and how to be one step ahead. I’ll work on your speech with you until you’re ready.
I can help you prepare for your self-tape. I can show you how to shoot it and how to light it. I can act as your director and try to bring the best performance you can give for your recording.
How do you mark up your script? I’ll teach you how to make your script a tool for your rehearsal process. How to ‘action’ your script.
I can give you my professional opinion about your audition or self-tape. I can give you guidelines on what to do next or how to improve your work.
Curriculum
Peter has been teaching for the last 20 years and is now available on this platform for one on one, acting coaching.
His workshops include Cambridge University, LAMDA, Mountview Academy Of Performance Arts, The Central School of Acting, Oaklands College, The London School Of Musical Theatre, Guildford School Of Acting, The Royal Academy Of Music and many more schools, Amateur Operatic Societies and Youth Theatres.
Some of the shows he has workhopped include Les Mis SE, Grease, Fame, We Will Rock You, Evita, Miss Saigon SE, High School Musical, Chicago, Cabaret, Sweeney Todd, The Producers, Little Shop Of Horrors and many many more...
He also teaches Acting Through Song and was recently a guest teacher at Mountview Academy Of Performance Arts in London.
The following Schools recommend his work.
Wirral Grammar School For Boys
Fulwood High School, Preston.
Brockenhurst College, Brockenhurst
Soham High School, Soham
St Josephs RC School, Newcastle
Costessey High School, Norwich
Hind Leys Community College, Leicestershire
Tread The Boards Youth Music Theatre, Dundee
Polam Hall School For Girls, Darlington
Lamproom Youth Theatre, Barnsley
Helenswood School, Hastings
Fallibroome High School, Macclesfield
Centre Stage Theatre School, Derby
The Angles Theatre, Peterborough
Stageability, Essex
Sausage Factory, Solihull
Credentials & Affiliations
“What makes his workshops so special is that he has a natural rapport with the students and he forges a creative working environment in which everyone feels valued. He leads students into finding truth in their characters, explores alternative interpretations, and encourages them to make choices and perform outside their comfort zone. His workshops combine intense creativity with a joyous love of acting. Every one of his workshops has been a transformative experience for the student personally and the production as a whole. After a visit from Peter, the production feels energized, as the company develops the ideas he has brought to the workshop.”
Geoff Hinde
Head of Drama Wirral Grammar School for Boys
Some recent comments by students attending his his Sweeney Todd workshop...
SOPHIE BENNETT (Johanna)
The workshop with Peter Polycarpou was particularly interesting as he brought the words to life, emphasising Johanna’s internal torment at being locked away by the creepy judge. I would say the most difficult part of the whole process has been trying to portray her feelings with minimal movement, for a large part of the musical Johanna is sat looking out of her window, but the music is so powerful that I can gradually feel her character emerging.
ESTA FELIX (Johanna)
Our recent workshop day with Peter Polycarpou allowed me to delve into my character’s thoughts and feelings, and it gave me more confidence regarding the acting side of the show.
SAM SMITH (Sweeney)
The workshop brought the words to life. What we had previously been reading as a piece of music suddenly became a dramatic reality, with emotion and feeling.
“Working with Peter was insightful. I am a young aspiring actor and he showed me a new way of understanding a role. He spoke to us about getting to know a character and how method acting is very effective. He inspired me to become an actor even more than I wanted before. He was calm, confident, and knowledgeable about his profession, with a vast array of previous impressive roles in previous shows. I want to be a successful actor like Peter. Being able to spend an afternoon with him was an opportunity no wannabe actor should miss. We performed songs from Les Misérables and We Will Rock You and Peter helped us, with ease, to understand and express the meanings of songs.”
Ryan Caisley.