Teaching Testimonials

• Awarded a First Class Honors Masters Degree in Screenwriting from IADT,
  Guest lecturer on Acting and Writing at DIT, IADT, and The John Huston Film School.
  Acting and Screenwriting Teacher at The Irish Film Academy and Trinity College Dublin.

 

He captures, better then anyone else, the true anarchic, bohemian spirit of the creative artist. His talent is, modestly, phenomenal. And his generosity with that talent is legendary. There is nobody else quite like Terry McMahon. I want to say he is the best kept secret too, that his encouragement, his enthusiasm and his knowledge, all distilled into an almost zen wisdom, are the fuel that keeps us going, but I think the secret is out and this infectious, bright eyed and brilliant encourager of dangerous demons and out-caster of dull mediocrity, will, if you have the courage, provoke you to be better then you ever dreamt you could be.

Jimmy Fay (Director)

A talented director, a visionary writer and a brave, truly inspirational acting tutor. Work with him and you will achieve great work, but you will also learn to view the world in a new way. Terry rocks.

Ferdia MacAnna. (Writer - Producer)

Terry is a genius. As a director he has the incredible ability to make you go to levels as an actor you could only dream of. I am grateful to have had the honor of working with him and I hope to again and again in the future. Actors if you want the best you must be trained by the best and Terry is it.

Leigh Arnold (Actress)

Terry believes we are all creative, regardless of our level of experience, but he has the rare gift of recognising that talent in us when we don't see it in ourselves, and, with his passion, enthusiasm and unflinching honesty, drawing it out of us until we find ourselves exploring and expressing in ways we didn't think possible. He is a true original.

Declon Conlon (Actor)

Terry is the actors secret weapon, one that I am loathe to share! His understanding of the actors process and the fragile place that it is born from is unparalleled. His knowledge of script analysis and the techniques necessary for the actor to realise a role make him one of a kind.

Catherine Walker (Actress)

Be prepared to see things differently, to think things differently and most definitely feel emotions differently when in his class. He will shock you into awareness and you will shock yourself with how good you can become. He's the must have accessory to any actors CV.

Kelly Kearns (Actress –Presenter)

While they are great fun, he still makes sure you think seriously about your scenes. He understands all the pieces that need to be put together in order to get a great performance, and he gets the best out of every actor. He is nothing short of a genius.

Patrice Nugent. (Actress)

I felt I would learn more in one hour with him than I did with others in a whole semester. He brings out the utter best in you.

Andrew Lynch (Actor)

With Terry there is no wrong answer, he will patiently, and with style, teach you to strip your answer down to its core, to the base human emotion underneath, and from that show you how to build an exiting idea from what you perceived to be nothing.

Barry Irwin (Actor)

Terry drives you further and encourages you to think and push yourself beyond what you believe you can do. I left each of his lessons with my brain buzzing with ideas and for the first time in years I felt really inspired to aim for what I want to do. Terry’s lessons were terrifying but exhilarating at the same time and I would highly recommend him to anyone wanting to get into acting.

Brie Farrell (Producer-Director)

These classes opened new fields in my creative mind. The passion one could feel in the class when Terry directed us was powerful. I started to see myself first of all from a different angle and what I can achieve. It felt like magic – there are no limitations! Terry truly lights an ever-burning fire with his vigorous way of directing.

Cassandra Cherryniouchoue (Writer- Director)

I have completed many courses over the years with many facilitators, most of which have been great, some of which were mildly entertaining, but I consider Terry McMahon’s classes to be the best by far. I can honestly say that I learned more in one class with Terry McMahon than I have learned in weeks in others. After a class with Terry, I actually couldn’t switch off for days thinking about the different ways I could bring more and more depth to a character and script and I can’t say that about any other class. He’s changed my whole approach to what it means to be an actor and a facilitator. I would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending anyone who is anyway serious about being an actor, writer or director to work with Terry McMahon at some stage as he is the best out there.

Catherine Byrne (Teacher – Facilitator)

Terry's classes actually gave me a reason to look forward to Monday's, for over six months. When I started the course I had no idea of what I was getting myself into; I was just looking for a new hobby. From Terry's methods and lust for teaching, he has planted the seed in me from which a passion and love for performance has grown. He is a master of his craft.

Dean Scully (Actor)

To be honest he terrified me at first as this man truly has an enormous amount of knowledge but both men and women love his way of teaching as he encourages you to develop your own individual approach. The method Terry uses is one-of-a-kind. I can’t put it into words - you simply have to experience his brilliance.

Donna Bradley (Actress)

Terry is phenomenally talented. You want to be better? Train with this man.

Emmett Scanlan (Actor - Producer)

Terry's classes delved into every aspect of acting, pushing the actor to the maximum and getting the most from them. Never in all my training had I learned as much about text, subtext, inner/outer obstacles, what audiences see, think and feel, how a prop can heavily influence a scene, the list goes on...coupled with inspiration and excitement, I strongly feel that I learned an immense†amount from him.

William Kendrick (Actor)

Without mercy, Terry will strip away every single acting associated myth, and leave you with the best foundation an actor has to work from.

Henry Roberts (Actor)

The classes I did with Terry were eye opening, intense and amazing. I don’t think I have ever been pushed as hard as I have been in those classes in anything I have done before and I mean that in a good way. I felt with his help I could really master acting. Terry knows the mechanics of human emotion better than anyone I have ever met.

Jamie Crerar (Actor)

I didn’t really know what to expect and in all honesty I hadn’t a clue about acting till I trained with him. Terry encouraged me to trust myself to realize my potential and, as scared shitless as I was at times, because I didn’t think I had it in me, I couldn’t drag myself away from all he had to offer. To have the opportunity to work with such a mind was thrilling.

Jenny Lee Masterson (Model – Actress)

I had an amateur background and was in dire need of training. But I never expected the extent of the change in my performances. In no way do I overstate this when I say it was the single best experience of my time in dramatic arts. The way he goes about his teaching leaves you completely at ease because it lacks the pretence and bullshit of so many in our industry. He is all about the work. By the end of the classes with Terry, I had emerged a transformed actor. He is endearing, savagely honest, completely approachable, and, above all, the most talented individual I have ever had the pleasure to work with. The only problem with Terry's classes is they are completely addictive.

Johnny Elliot (Actor – Writer)

Balanced and bedrocked on years of personal and pragmatic experience, both inside and out of the film industry, his classes have a rough and jagged edge and people do get pushed. Above all, in an industry, that is full of the business of rejection, his classes, like over the rainbow, go to places you thought didn't exist. On the way home you'll feel the rain on your cheek as opposed to getting wet.

Julian Judge (Writer – Actor)

I can safely say without a flicker of hesitation that he has been and is, my biggest inspiration. I would leave his classes with an urge to touch people through performance in the same way that he had reached me through his profound teaching. He is the bravest man I know, who taught me to push myself to my limits and to give my all always.

Laura Noonan (Actress)

He's a one off, an original, and I would welcome the opportunity to work with him again & again.  He pushes you out of your comfort zone and into new territory where you can surprise even yourself. He is the best Acting Tutor I have ever worked with.

Niamh Rhiannon O’Brian (Singer – Actress)

As well as being a remarkably talented writer and director, Terry McMahon is one of the best teachers I know, and it was a privilege to take acting lessons from him. He helped me become brave, or at least braver in the work I did. Terry’s classes are scary, brilliant and huge fun. He will expect you to work hard and he doesn’t suffer fools, but he will get the absolute best out of you. Any actor, no matter how experienced, could do worse than spend some time in a Terry McMahon class.

Orna Duggan (Actress)

I didn’t know who Terry McMahon was; he was just another teacher going to teach me about acting. It took about 10 seconds and I was already learning to look at things differently. His teachings opened my eyes and pushed my imagination so far beyond. In the 3 months I was with Terry, I learned what it takes to become a great actor.

Paul Kelly (Writer – Actor)

His classes are intense but when you commit you achieve amazing performances and Terry is always supportive and patient. He believes in all his students and in turn teaches them to believe in themselves. An excellent teacher.

Robert O’Brien (Actor)

I regard Terry McMahon as the most inspirational, talented and motivational mentor, tutor, director and writer I have ever had the pleasure of working with. That is not something to say lightly, out of the risk of offending the many other people who I feel have guided me along the way and who I respect greatly, but it is a fact; and anyone who gains the opportunity to work with him is one of the most fortunate artists in this industry.

Ruth McIntyre (Actress)

I loved every minute. Terry's classes are a cut above the rest. His mere presence is initially daunting but he brings out the absolute best in all of his students. He pushes you hard, to places you didn’t even know you could reach, deep in your soul. He is one of the most inspirational people I have ever met, His deep passion for his art comes across in everything he says and does. In a business full of egos and fakes, Terry is the real deal, genuine and sincere. Do yourself a favour and work with Terry somewhere along the line, it is an experience you will never forget. One of a kind.

Vivienne Connolly (Model – Actress)

 

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