Class of 2025: Guy Rapacioli

For young theatre director Guy Rapacioli from London, East 15 Acting School’s opportunities to work with industry professionals has not only been an inspiring experience, it also helped him secure a dream job that has taken him to the West End.

Guy was already a budding theatre professional when he enrolled on the MFA Theatre Directing degree. He was attracted to the course because he wanted to spend “two amazing years with likeminded, level-raising peers and brilliant tutors” as well as hone his skills and develop his network.

East 15’s international community was also a big draw, but it was the chance to learn from visiting theatre makers and replace the classroom for a placement that has been transformative.

“The fact that so many leading theatre makers are willing to share their time and expertise with us is a credit to the School’s reputation. Their insights and advice have been invaluable, giving us both creative tools to add to our arsenal and practical truths about our early careers.”

One of the professionals Guy was lucky enough to meet at East 15 was Brigid Larmour, Director of Merchant of Venice 1936 – a production that transposes Shakespeare’s original to 1930’s East End London and features a female Shylock. It was a production and character that resonated with Guy.

“Being Jewish, I knew exactly the strong matriarchs on which she was modelled, and I’d grown up on stories of my Jewish family living in the East End.”

It was an opportunity too good to miss and after speaking to Brigid and interviewing, he secured the role of Assistant Director for the show’s run at Watford Palace Theatre in 2023. Thanks to the flexibility of his degree, he was able to take the role as a placement, with credits counting towards his final qualification.

He’s worked on all versions of the production since, including two national tours and two West End transfers.

As Assistant Director, Guy has worked closely with the Director and cast and been responsible for rehearing the cast’s understudies.

“Working in the West End and at the RSC has been a series of pinch-me moments, However, being a young theatre director, I’ve made a particular effort to remain unfazed.”

As well as helping him secure the role, Guy’s East 15 education gave him the confidence and skills to work with some of the industry’s top professionals.

"I want to prove I can work at this level and enjoy the unique tasks and challenges of making theatre in these spaces. East 15 prepared me with an understanding of the various parts of the British theatre landscape that we would visit with the production, and, through practice, gave me the assurance that I could create and collaborate effectively with performers and creatives of the highest quality.

“I’m also simply better than I was at directing before I joined, and more equipped to seize opportunities when they arrive.”

He singles out lecturer Matthew Lloyd for special praise: “He strikes a great balance between dropping wisdom in pretty much every conversation and giving us the space to come into our own ability by setting us independent tasks just beyond our comfort zone.

“When you’re on the course you can sense the curation and attention to detail, and that is down to Matthew!”