STUDENTS from High Wycombe had an ear-resting experience with a Hollywood actor best known for his part in controversial crime classic Reservoir Dogs.

For the fifth year running, actor and coach Kirk Baltz flew in from Los Angeles to work with students at The Henley College during February half-term.

Kirk ran a week long intensive workshop week in which he pushed the students to develop and use a range of techniques they can apply to their own work as actors.

Head of Drama Nic Saunders said: "It’s a tough and emotionally draining week for the students, but they really learn a lot from Kirk that they are able to then use his work in their own performance work, be that vocational performances or A Level examinations. We’re really happy to have developed such a strong relationship with Kirk that he chooses to make time in his busy schedule year after year to come back to us."

Internationally renowned as an acting coach, Kirk has appeared in films such as Dances with Wolves and Natural Born Killers and TV shows such as Will and Grace and 24. He perhaps remains best known for the role of Officer Marvin Nash in Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, who, in one of the most notorious film moments of recent decades, had his ear cut off by one of the crooks.

Student Gabby Pausey, from High Wycombe, said: "It was an awesome week and great to work with an actor as experienced as Kirk and in a way that’s quite different from the work we do with our teachers. Our acting lessons on the course are challenging and demanding, but Kirk pushes us in a more emotional direction and I really think working with him will be of enormous help with upcoming auditions and the production I have at the end of the year."

Student Ben Cooper, also from High Wycombe, added: "I’ve done the week twice now and I’d really encourage anyone to do it that wants to push themselves to be become a better actor - I’m really happy I came to a College that offers such great additional opportunities and its certainly been useful to me."