Founder & Director
Candice Poole is the Founder and Director of Act Cape Town. Driven by a lifelong passion for learning, she has studied Drama and Psychology at a range of institutions, including Stellenbosch University, the Cape Academy of Dramatic Art and the New York Film Academy, and has also completed examinations with the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).
Candice has worked professionally as both an actor and a producer. She has appeared in local and international films, television productions and commercials, as well as on stage in The Vagina Monologues, produced by Sugar Daddy Theatre Collective. She was also Executive Producer and Line Producer of the feature film Cut-Out Girls, written and directed by Nicola Hanekom, which was released in South African cinemas in 2019.
In 2005, Candice founded Act Cape Town. Under her leadership, ACT has grown into a registered private higher education institution, accredited by the Council on Higher Education. It offers accredited qualifications in Acting for Film, short courses, and programmes for kids and teens. ACT also has an educational partnership with the New York Film Academy.
Alongside leading the academy, Candice continues to explore psychology and personal growth. She has completed training with the Barrett Values Centre, IMISA, the Ubuntu Wellness Centre and the Narrative Co-op, as well as a course in Narrative Therapy, Community and Trauma with Elize Morkel. She believes that great actor training nurtures the whole person, and she is committed to an environment built on ACT’s values of humility, learning, possibility, inspiration, generosity and diversity.