After spending years making a name for himself on the London stage, Bermudian Jason Eddy is now looking for ways to bring his talent back home.

Mr Eddy will be hosting a series of acting workshops this month in partnership with the Bermuda Musical and Dramatic Society.

The sessions will aim to help budding actors hone their audition techniques, create more three dimensional characters on stage or give them tips and tricks to warm up the body and voice before a performance. They each cost around $20.

Mr Eddy said keeping the cost of the workshops low was important to make sure anyone interested could attend.

He said: “There can be a feeling often that the arts are for a certain type of person, but when you limit people or create the impression it’s not for them you end up missing out on so many interesting people who might otherwise be gifted in acting, music or anything.

“That’s why I wanted to make sure the workshops were as accessible as possible.”

The actor said he is always amazed when he comes back to Bermuda to see how much talent exists on these shores.

“We have two people on Broadway (Rebecca Faulkenberry and Nicholas Christopher) and people directing and shooting films. And I think it’s fantastic that this little island is able to facilitate so many people going to do what they want in the arts,” he said.

Mr Eddy was just 12-years-old when he was first cast in a BMDS production of William Shakespeare’s ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’.

He credits those early acting experiences on the Island with giving him a sense of purpose.

“I was always a really hyper active and very energetic child,” he told The Royal Gazette. “I got started in acting probably because my mom was looking to give me something to do with all my creative energy.

“Acting was always something I enjoyed because I loved the idea of becoming someone else and creating a different character.

“The more I did it, the more I realised it was something I wanted to do professionally. I also had a lot of encouragement along the way from teachers and my family, as well as the Bermuda Arts Council and the Peter Leitner Scholarship.”

After graduating from the prestigious Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, UK in 2005, Mr Eddy found regular work in classical theatre.

“I have been very surprised with how my career has gone, especially being mixed raced and not from the UK, that I have ended up having so many classical parts is quite amazing,” he said. “I have done Shakespeare, Jane Austen and Greek tragedies.”

Taking on so many classical roles has also served as “a really steep learning curve” for the actor. It involves doing research into the old language and mastering techniques for delivering poetry and asserting his voice.

He has also been able to take on roles in some out of the box productions in the UK. One was a site specific production of ‘The Odyssey’, which called for him perform scenes in locations around Deptford, South East London — including a tattoo shop, abandoned building and restaurant.

He was also able to put his DJing skills to good use in a production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’, directed by Bryony Thompson for The Rosemary Branch Theatre. In addition to some small roles in the play, Mr Eddy was asked to design the soundtrack for each scene so the music would become “an integral part of the creative process”.

Other projects include creating an animated mascot for the British Television Channel E4 using motion capture technology — as well as some voice-over work. “These are aspects of the acting industry that people don’t always know about and are often great ways for actors to make money,” he said.

Mr Eddy has only returned to the Island once a year to spend Christmas with his family in the last five or six years.

He said he hopes he will be able to spend more time in Bermuda by getting more involved with the dramatic community on the island.