
Simone Lahbib
Artistic Director
Simone is an award-winning Scottish actress who is best known for her roles in award-winning British TV shows such as ‘Bad Girls’, as Wing Governor Helen Stewart and ‘Wire in the Blood’ as DI Alex Fielding, opposite Robson Green.
Simone is also known for her roles in ‘Monarch of the Glen’, ‘Single-Handed’, ‘Family’, ‘Judge John Deed’ and ‘New Tricks’ to name a few. Most recently she appeared in hit US TV shows, ‘Da Vinci’s Demons’ and ‘Crossing Lines’, and Emmy Award-winning TV series, ‘Downton Abbey’ She also appeared in Oscar Award-winning British film ‘Philomena’. Simone’s most recent role was as Mhari Toner in ITV’s x6 part series ‘The Loch’, which came out last summer. Simone also played a cameo role in soon to be released feature film Burning Men, which she did casting on.
Before she began her acting career, Simone studied ballet and dance at the ‘Manor School of Ballet’ in Edinburgh for 4 years before going on to study acting at ‘Queen Margaret University’ in Edinburgh for another 3 years.
In her early career, Simone sang and recorded with several musicians and bands, including Paul Haig, Chewy Raccoon, and Bobby Hendry and sang on the soundtrack for British Indie film, ‘The Girl in the Picture’, in which she also played ‘The Girl’.
As a producer Simone has worked with her husband, Raffaello Degruttola on his (BIFA) ‘British Independent Film Award’ nominated, ‘Flim, the Movie’ and is currently working on his new web series ‘Tremor Cordis’ through their production company, ‘Contro Vento Films’.
Simone also runs ‘London Arts Academy’ affiliated Young Talent Agency, ‘London Arts Management’, who’s client credits include, Ken Loach, multi award-winning, ‘I, Daniel Blake’, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s, latest hit, West End musical, ‘School of Rock’ ‘Caroline, Or Change’ hit musical at Chichester Festival Theatre, and soon to be released independent films, Destination Dewsbury and Burning Men to name a few.
Simone is also an experienced acting and dance teacher, a first aider and a licensed chaperone for the London Borough of Barnet, working as chaperone and acting coach occasionally for the agency clients but mainly for her actress daughter, Skye Lucia Degruttola on shows such as, Danny Boyle’s, ‘Babylon’, x4 series of Grantchester, in which Skye Lucia plays Robson Greens daughter, Esme Keating, Disney’s hit, live Action feature film, ‘Beauty and the Beast’, with Emma Watson and action/thriller feature film ’10×10′ with Luke Evans.
Simone is also a Director of the ‘Eilidh Brown Memorial Fund’, a charity which she helped set up when her niece Eilidh died of cancer in 2010. The charity is raising money to build a respite holiday home for families with children with cancer in Thornhill, Scotland. Among the many charity events to raise money and awareness, Simone recently helped organise a ‘Bad Girls Convention’ in October 2016, which raised over £21K for the charity! Every year London Arts Academy will award x3 students, a singing, dance and acting scholarship, which will entitle the students to year’s free tuition, in memory of Simone’s niece Eilidh Brown.

Raffaello Degruttola
10-12 & 13-16+ Acting Coach,

Melanie Masson
Singing Coach – Melanie Masson

Reice Weathers
5-7 & 7-9 Acting Coach
Reice Weathers is a professional actor and acting coach, who graduated with a BA (Hons) from The Royal Central School of Speech & Drama”
Reice has featured in various plays, short films & feature films, including most recently, ‘The Island’ by Athol Fugard, directed by Aydan Tair and ‘Story of My Life’, directed by Dylan Gawtry.
Reice uses his professional experience when teaching acting techniques to students and likes to create a fun, safe, nurturing environment for his young students to grow in confidence and fall in love with the arts.

Kieran Hays
Street Dance Teacher

Lucy Vandi

Ben
Float Acting Teacher

Gaddy Mvutu
Street Dance Teacher
Gaddy is now also apart of the Noesis dance company.

Param Mirpuri
Float Dance Teacher