Martyn Dempsey is a Lecturer, Theatre Maker, Performer, Writer/Composer based in Edinburgh and a fellow of Advance HE.
Training: East 15 Acting School (BA Acting), Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (MEd Learning and Teaching in the Performing Arts) National Youth Theatre, Scottish Youth Theatre
Phase one of Martyn’s career was primarily as an actor where he worked with companies across the UK including Les Enfants Terribles, Hull Truck, Derby Theatre, SCAMP Theatre, Tall Stories, nabokov, Finborough Theatre, Scottish Opera, Young Vic and many more. Over the years Martyn was involved in devising a range of productions which have toured both nationally and internationally to critical acclaim as well as receiving runs in London’s West End. Martyn regularly specialised in actor-musician work, new writing, devised performance, comedy and children’s theatre as well as also performing within the Stand Up Comedy, Sketch Comedy and Cabaret circuit.
Phase Two of his career saw Martyn move to Scotland and move professionally into the field of actor training where now works full time as an Acting Lecturer at Performing Arts Studio Scotland (PASS) based Edinburgh College. Here Martyn teaches across the Acting programmes form Level 5 to BA (Hons) developing a hugely exciting range of young performers and theatre makers with an excellent team of fellow educators and theatre specialists. .
Previously Martyn worked for six years as Senior Acting Lecturer at CDMT Accredited MGA Academy in Edinburgh building the BA (Hons) degree and teacjing across the BA (Hons) Acting and BA (Hons) Musical Theatre Programmes. In the education sector Martyn graduated in 2020 with an MEd at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where specialist areas of study included music composition in devised theatre performance, mindfulness within performing arts training and career sustainability within the arts.
As a writer Martyn’s work has been performed at venues including Theatre 503, Greenwich Theatre, Tron Theatre, Cambridge Junction and his play ‘The Girl with the Imagination’ was shortlisted for the Verity Bargate Award. As a composer he has also been supported by Mercury Musical Development.
As an outreach practitioner, and facilitator Martyn has wealth of previous experience worked regularly delivering workshops and specialist courses for a wide range of organisations including Royal Conservatoire Scotland, Old Vic New Voices, Almeida Theatre, Impact Arts, National Youth Theatre, Shakespeare Schools Festival, Scottish Youth Theatre, and East 15 Acting School. In this area Martyn currently sits as a Board member for Impact Arts.
