Welcome to Screen Lounge
Screen Lounge was set up by actress Hannah Douglas and writer-director Mari Stracke in 2022
The two first met in 2012 on the set of the Villagers music video Nothing Arrived. As it turned out, quite a lot did: a lasting friendship and a creative partnership that has continued to grow ever since.
Based in London, Screen Lounge began as a space for actors to explore screen performance in a collaborative and supportive environment. Today it hosts screen acting workshops, develops film projects and is expanding into writing workshops focused on character and screen storytelling.
Screen Lounge develops independent film projects alongside its workshops. These images capture moments from the set of our first short film, OFF.
Who are we?
Hannah Douglas
Hannah is an award winning actress from London.
She starred in plays and musicals throughout her childhood but began her professional career at the age of 14 with short film ‘Three Wishes’. Four years later, she was offered a place at one of London’s top drama schools, ALRA.
Before graduating with a BA(hons) in Acting, she landed a small part in BBC drama ‘Little Dorrit’ starring Claire Foy and Matthew Macfadyan. She was also labelled as “Experts Choice” by The Stage newspaper after her graduation showcase at The Criterion in the West End.
In 2021, she was long-listed for a BIFA for Breakthrough Performance and won Best Actress at the Buenos Aires International Film Festival for her role in feature film ‘LAPWING’ (Urban Apache Films/Bulldog Film Distribution), which is now out on all major streaming platforms, such Amazon, Apple TV and Sky Cinema globally.
Other film and TV credits include award-winning short film GOING COUNTRY (BFI Network/Inceptive Films), CLOWNFACE (Hellbound Media/Amazon Prime US), MOGUE (Channel 4/Random Acts), LITTLE DORRIT (BBC) and award-winning film U WANT ME 2 KILL HIM? (Anonymous Content/Bad Hat Harry productions/Netflix UK).
She has alsoperformed in many theatre productions, all over the UK and internationally.
Hannah is also founder of LoudHer, a platform dedicated to empowering women through voice work.
Mari Stracke
Mari Stracke is a London-based writer and director originally from Germany.
Her career in storytelling began in 2004 as an assistant director at the State Theatre of Lower Saxony before she moved to the UK to study Film Directing and Producing at Film & TV School Wales. She later completed a Master’s degree in Scriptwriting at Goldsmiths, University of London, where her work received early recognition through several script awards, BAFTA bursaries and shortlist placements in competitions including Euroscript and Pinewood’s Enter The Pitch.
Alongside developing her own projects, Mari has worked in the British film industry as a first assistant director and regularly collaborates with actors through coaching and workshop environments focused on emotionally honest screen performance.
Passionate about supporting emerging creatives, she has led filmmaking workshops at German high schools, facilitated story development seminars for television professionals in Berlin and continues to mentor actors and writers through Screen Lounge.
Her latest short film, OFF, explores the fragile dynamics of grief and emotional hierarchy.
Mari is also a mental health advocate and public speaker. Through her writing and social media presence she openly discusses her experience of PTSD and anxiety, encouraging more honest conversations about wellbeing within the creative industries. Her online community now reaches more than 47,000 followers.
About our workshops
Intro to Screen Acting
"This workshop is perfect for actors who are new to performing for a camera.
Perhaps you have done some (or lots of) theatre work and are looking to make the jump from stage to screen. Or maybe you've recently graduated from drama school and have just started auditioning. Or perhaps you haven't trained but you've done a few short films and you'd like to gain more knowledge.
If any of the above sounds familiar, then this is the workshop for you!"
Self Tapes and Socials
This workshop is split into two halves.
We know how overwhelming it can be when you have just started auditioning for the screen and you’re suddenly thrown into the world of SELF-TAPES!
And what about your social media profile? Many Casting Directors and industry professionals do look at your “online stats” and presence. It's becoming more and more important to embrace that and make it work in your favour.
In this dual-focus workshop, we will help you to feel more confident with both self-tapes and social media.