Meet Ms Anna
Many hats, one passion: Performing Arts
Photo credit: Sara Aramini
A Life on Stage
From performing on stage, in classrooms, and even in school corridors, to directing my first full-length play at 16, I knew early on that the performing arts would be central to my future.
After completing a degree in Drama, Theatre and Television Studies in the late 1980s, I took a challenging production to the Edinburgh Fringe. Its success and strong reviews earned us an invitation to return, confirming that I needed to work in the arts in some capacity.
Over the following years, I travelled, performed, busked, clowned, directed, taught, and led workshops. In the 1990s, I ran a youth theatre and co-founded Tubthimping Theatre School for students aged 4 to 84. Alongside running the oversubscribed Tubthumping Youth Theatre, I worked as a professional theatre clown and teacher, including teaching clowning and Commedia dell’Arte at the Guildford School of Acting, whilst continuing as a freelance director and facilitator.
A move to the Netherlands for love opened unexpected doors through clowning, leading to training, directing, and performing with The Global Clown School Amsterdam and Teatro Munganga.
Then came motherhood. After spending a few years as a stay-at-home mum, I moved into formal education as a Performing Arts/Theatre teacher at the International School Hilversum. During my 17 years there, I rediscovered my love of performing, particularly through musical theatre. Eventually, I felt the pull back to creating, performing, and facilitating professionally, and decided it was time to begin that next chapter.
Our Vision for our Local Stars
In this energetic and supportive course, young actors will learn essential theatre skills including stage presence, character creation, movement, voice work, teamwork and performance techniques - all leading to a fun-filled showcase for family and friends at the end of the year!
Testimonials
“Anna Murton has been such a joy to work with! She's the kind of actor who really digs into her characters, giving each one a unique personality and a life of their own. She has a presence that's impossible to ignore. On top of that, Anna brings a positive, fun, focused, and supportive energy to rehearsals. She makes the room a better place to be, and working with her is always a pleasure!””
– Morning Sun, Cristina
"Anna's approach is highly appreciated. She is skilled and decisive, always positive, and has a great sense of humor. She instills calm and confidence in the actors and oversees the rehearsal process. She creates a safe environment for the actors. Anna was the perfect lifesaver and took fantastic leadership in getting the piece on stage in a very short time. Her initiative in planning, set design, props, and sound was greatly appreciated."
– Teatro Triori (The Mousetrap (NL) 2025)
"Director Anna Murton has given a true gift to Amsterdam theatre-goers with this production. Her staging choices were perfect. The actors' positioning consistently created visually interesting stage pictures that both supported and propelled the narrative. You could have freeze-framed nearly any moment of the show and walked away with a professional photoshoot."
– Spring Awakening, Sean Olsen-Roy