Throughout my career directing across film, television, commercials and theatre, I found there were countless opportunities to develop as a filmmaker, but very few dedicated to the craft of working with actors.When I left Los Angeles, I realised I'd left something else behind: my tribe. I missed the conversations, the collaboration and the feeling of belonging to a creative community. One day, my mentor Judith Weston suggested I start an Actor Director Lab in London. I laughed and said, "I'm not a teacher." She looked at me over Zoom, smiled and replied, "I think you'd be good at it.

"I sat with those words for almost a year before finally finding the courage to begin.Judith founded the original Actor Director Lab in Los Angeles as a place where directors could practise working with actors in a supportive environment. Inspired by her vision, I founded the London Actor Director Lab in 2023, creating a space where directors could develop their craft through rehearsal, script analysis and collaboration with professional actors.

Over the past three years, participants have gone on to achieve significant success across film, television and theatre. Olive Nwosu became a Sundance Screenwriting Fellow and TIFF Filmmaker Lab Fellow. Leah Vlemmiks premiered Agnes at the Sundance Film Festival. Charlie Dennis has directed for Monkeypaw Productions and Universal. Max Fisher's work has screened at Raindance. Aidan Cheng was cast in Netflix's 3 Body Problem. Watching those journeys unfold has become one of the most rewarding parts of the Lab.

Since then, more than 180 directors working across film, television and theatre have trained with the Actor Director Lab, many returning as their careers evolve. What I hadn't anticipated was that the Lab would become more than a place to learn. As people continued meeting outside the workshops, they began making films together, staging plays, reading one another's scripts and forming lasting creative partnerships.

Those relationships grew into Tribe Collective, a community of more than 200 writers, directors and actors who continue to support one another through workshops, residencies and creative collaboration.

In the end, I found my Tribe.

Alongside founding the Lab, I've been invited to teach through the BIFA Springboard Programme and as a Visiting Lecturer at the London Film School. Those experiences have helped me recognise something I hadn't fully understood when I began.

The Actor Director Lab isn't simply a place to learn how to direct actors. It has become an ongoing rehearsal space where professional actors and directors continue to return between productions to challenge themselves, deepen their craft and continue growing as artists. The Lab has cultivated a strong community of returning practitioners who value rehearsal not simply as preparation, but as an essential part of their creative practice.I believe directing is learned through practice, reflection and collaboration. However experienced we become, there is always another rehearsal to explore, another question to ask and another way of helping actors unlock truthful, compelling performances. Artistic practice doesn't end when formal training finishes. It continues throughout our careers.

That's what the Actor Director Lab is all about.

Mandi Riggi