Our Acting Courses

Diploma of Creative Arts (Acting)

Bachelor of Creative Arts (Acting)

Bachelor of Creative Arts (Acting)

2 Years (6 trimesters)
Sydney | Melbourne | Brisbane - Australia
Undergraduate

JMC's Acting program will prepare you to pursue a professional and sustainable career in performance - preparing not only the actor's knowledge and skill base but also the actor's process to meet the specific needs and nuances in this changing and diversifying performing arts industry.

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Diploma of Creative Arts (Acting)

8 Months (2 trimesters)
Sydney | Melbourne | Brisbane - Australia
Undergraduate

This course equips students with underpinning skills and knowledge to apply the foundation acting principles to performance, to develop creative and collaborative performance concepts and provides the necessary educational and academic framework to enable further study.

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Bachelor of Creative Arts (Acting) with major in Music Theatre

2 Years (6 trimesters)
Melbourne Only - Australia
Undergraduate

JMC's Bachelor of Creative Arts (Acting) with major in Music Theatre provides an immersive way of learning the principles of acting for music theatre, film, theatre, television and new media, giving you the diverse range of skills and the confidence to launch a sustainable career in Acting and Music Theatre.

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Notable Acting Alumni

Mel Jarnson
Actress [Mortal Kombat, Harrow, Blacklight, C*A*U*G*H*T]
Fayssal Bazzi
Actor, Best Actor in Television AACTA Award 2020
Alec Ebert
Award Winning Actor
Deborah An
Actress [Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Home & Away, Year Of and Harrow]

30 year acting history

Following a 30 year history of training actors in Sydney, in 2023 AFTT (Academy of Film Theatre and Television) merged with its sister school the JMC Academy. This merger created new and exciting opportunities between these two educational institutions, combining expertise and access to state of the art equipment and performance opportunities in a range of new and emerging media.

PROFESSIONAL-GRADE SHOWREELS

 

RUBY NEWELL 
& SOPHIE PERSSON
TAVISH GLEESON &
JEREMY ESCARATE JOYA

Acting Graduate Showcase

The Acting Graduate Showcase at JMC Academy is a pinnacle event for acting students, marking the culmination of their intensive training and hard work. This showcase not only serves as a significant stepping stone into the professional world of acting but also provides an invaluable opportunity for students to network and make industry connections.

See Showcase

Performance & Production Opportunities

At JMC Academy, practical production activity is a cornerstone of the learning experience in our courses especially in our Acting and Music Theatre programs. These projects offer students numerous opportunities to showcase their work. 

See Production Opportunities

 

PAST PRODUCTIONS



Our Lecturers

Glen Hamilton

Head of Acting (Sydney, Brisbane)

Glen was Course Director for Acting at JMC's sister school Academy of Film Theatre and Television and is an experienced teacher, director, producer and arts professional. He has directed over one hundred theatre productions, including small independent shows, touring performances and a range of fringe and festival productions.

As an arts professional, Glen founded his touring theatre restaurant business, Leading Arts in 2006, producing original theatre restaurant shows to more than forty venues across Sydney and regional NSW. Through his own business, Glen has also developed and facilitated training services to a range of medium and large corporate clients as well as successful community acting and performance programs.

Glen’s expertise has been recognized by Bauer Media, through his invitation to judge the Most Outstanding awards for the TV Week Logie Awards, for the past five years. He has also accepted judging appointments with the Short and Sweet Festival, and Sydney Festival.

Glen defines a successful career in the performing arts where the skills of performance, creativity and innovation are brought together to develop the actor not only as a versatile, dynamic and spirited performer, but as an artistic entrepreneur, able to claim their unique space in an exciting and challenging industry.

Glen Hamilton

Head of Acting (Sydney, Brisbane)

Glen was Course Director for Acting at JMC's sister school Academy of Film Theatre and Television and is an experienced teacher, director, producer and arts professional. He has directed over one hundred theatre productions, including small independent shows, touring performances and a range of fringe and festival productions.

As an arts professional, Glen founded his touring theatre restaurant business, Leading Arts in 2006, producing original theatre restaurant shows to more than forty venues across Sydney and regional NSW. Through his own business, Glen has also developed and facilitated training services to a range of medium and large corporate clients as well as successful community acting and performance programs.

Glen’s expertise has been recognized by Bauer Media, through his invitation to judge the Most Outstanding awards for the TV Week Logie Awards, for the past five years. He has also accepted judging appointments with the Short and Sweet Festival, and Sydney Festival.

Glen defines a successful career in the performing arts where the skills of performance, creativity and innovation are brought together to develop the actor not only as a versatile, dynamic and spirited performer, but as an artistic entrepreneur, able to claim their unique space in an exciting and challenging industry.

Ben Samuel

Head of Acting + Music Theatre (Melbourne), and Chair of Learning and Teaching Committee

Having recently moved from New Zealand, Ben has immersed himself in the performing arts industry in Melbourne. In New Zealand, Ben has performed in several musicals, concerts, cabarets & music festivals across the country. His performance credits include singing, acting & dancing in major stage productions such as Carmen, Cats, Fiddler on the Roof, Hair, Curtains, Coca-Cola CCITP & Nelson Opera in the Park.

Ben has also performed alongside many New Zealand artists, with production companies such as Showbiz, Canterbury Opera & Chant et Danse, and was involved extensively in the New Zealand Jazz & Arts festivals for many years. During his time in Melbourne, Ben has been building a career in singing & teaching whilst standing by the words of Stephen Sondheim “..if I cannot fly, let me sing.”

Ben Samuel

Head of Acting + Music Theatre (Melbourne), and Chair of Learning and Teaching Committee

Having recently moved from New Zealand, Ben has immersed himself in the performing arts industry in Melbourne. In New Zealand, Ben has performed in several musicals, concerts, cabarets & music festivals across the country. His performance credits include singing, acting & dancing in major stage productions such as Carmen, Cats, Fiddler on the Roof, Hair, Curtains, Coca-Cola CCITP & Nelson Opera in the Park.

Ben has also performed alongside many New Zealand artists, with production companies such as Showbiz, Canterbury Opera & Chant et Danse, and was involved extensively in the New Zealand Jazz & Arts festivals for many years. During his time in Melbourne, Ben has been building a career in singing & teaching whilst standing by the words of Stephen Sondheim “..if I cannot fly, let me sing.”

Bree Ironside

Senior Lecturer, Acting (Brisbane)

Graduating a double degree with distinctions and winning the UNSW 2015 award for best performance in Bachelor of Music/Bachelor of Education, Bree has been teaching in Music and Wellbeing for the past 9 years.

Having grown up working in a music studio, Bree continues to do session singing and teaches a wide range of vocal students.

Bree recently graduated a Masters degree with excellence/high distinction, and a Counselling degree to further her education in student support, diversity and mental health. She has a passion for using this to help students in the creative fields to succeed both professionally and in their personal lives. 

Bree Ironside

Senior Lecturer, Acting (Brisbane)

Graduating a double degree with distinctions and winning the UNSW 2015 award for best performance in Bachelor of Music/Bachelor of Education, Bree has been teaching in Music and Wellbeing for the past 9 years.

Having grown up working in a music studio, Bree continues to do session singing and teaches a wide range of vocal students.

Bree recently graduated a Masters degree with excellence/high distinction, and a Counselling degree to further her education in student support, diversity and mental health. She has a passion for using this to help students in the creative fields to succeed both professionally and in their personal lives. 

Jane Angharad

Senior Acting Lecturer (Sydney)

Jane is an Actor, Director, Theatre Producer and Teacher and the Artistic Director of independent theatre company Secret House. Jane has performed in London, Edinburgh, Wales and Sydney. Recent theatre credits include Albion (Seymour Centre), For the Grace of You Go I (KXT), Pomona (KXT), Crime and Punishment (Limelight), The Seagull, Troilus and Cressida, The Winter’s Tale and Cymbeline (The Depot), Henna Night (Old Fitz) and Blink (107 Projects). Directing credits include Gundog (KXT), Bird (Old Fitz), The Dazzle (Meraki) and Orange Flower Water and Charles and Larry (Flight Path Theatre). Producing credits include Iphigenia in Splott and Hush for NGTC. In 2022 Jane was nominated for a Sydney Theatre Award for Best Performer in a Supporting Role in an Independent Production (Albion).

Jane Angharad

Senior Acting Lecturer (Sydney)

Jane is an Actor, Director, Theatre Producer and Teacher and the Artistic Director of independent theatre company Secret House. Jane has performed in London, Edinburgh, Wales and Sydney. Recent theatre credits include Albion (Seymour Centre), For the Grace of You Go I (KXT), Pomona (KXT), Crime and Punishment (Limelight), The Seagull, Troilus and Cressida, The Winter’s Tale and Cymbeline (The Depot), Henna Night (Old Fitz) and Blink (107 Projects). Directing credits include Gundog (KXT), Bird (Old Fitz), The Dazzle (Meraki) and Orange Flower Water and Charles and Larry (Flight Path Theatre). Producing credits include Iphigenia in Splott and Hush for NGTC. In 2022 Jane was nominated for a Sydney Theatre Award for Best Performer in a Supporting Role in an Independent Production (Albion).

Robert Maxwell

Acting Lecturer

Rob is a voice, dialect and acting teacher based in Sydney. He has worked extensively as an actor and teacher both here in Australia and overseas, including residencies at Yale School of Drama and Carnegie Mellon University.

Rob’s coaching credits include: Ghosts, Marat/Sade, Waiting for Godot, The Changeling, Lunacy, The Show That Smells, 27 Wagons Full of Cotton (all for NIDA), Hamlet (Blue Cow Theatre Company), Jess and Joe Forever (Sugary Rum Productions) and Gruesome Playground Injuries (Tasmanian Theatre Company). He teaches at numerous institutions around Sydney, including JMC, NIDA, Actors Centre Australia, Australian Theatre for Young People, TAFTA, Screenwise, Sydney Actors School, and the Hub Studio.

Rob is passionate about helping actors acquire a psycho-visceral connection to text and language. His teaching philosophy is steeped in an array of techniques that advocate a more holistic use of self – integrating body, soul, mind, imagination and voice.

Robert Maxwell

Acting Lecturer

Rob is a voice, dialect and acting teacher based in Sydney. He has worked extensively as an actor and teacher both here in Australia and overseas, including residencies at Yale School of Drama and Carnegie Mellon University.

Rob’s coaching credits include: Ghosts, Marat/Sade, Waiting for Godot, The Changeling, Lunacy, The Show That Smells, 27 Wagons Full of Cotton (all for NIDA), Hamlet (Blue Cow Theatre Company), Jess and Joe Forever (Sugary Rum Productions) and Gruesome Playground Injuries (Tasmanian Theatre Company). He teaches at numerous institutions around Sydney, including JMC, NIDA, Actors Centre Australia, Australian Theatre for Young People, TAFTA, Screenwise, Sydney Actors School, and the Hub Studio.

Rob is passionate about helping actors acquire a psycho-visceral connection to text and language. His teaching philosophy is steeped in an array of techniques that advocate a more holistic use of self – integrating body, soul, mind, imagination and voice.

Megan Hind

Acting Lecturer (Movement)

Megan Hind graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) from NIDA in 2016, where she was the recipient of the Keith Bain OAM Scholarship in Movement. Credits include Emerald City (Melbourne Theatre Company/Queensland Theatre), Cowboy Beebop (Netflix), Friday on My Mind (ABC), Secret Bridesmaids’ Business(Channel 7), Supine (Short) and Yellow Spit Fish or: How I Learnt to Dogwhistle (Short). Prior to NIDA, she had a successful international modelling career, predominantly working for international companies such as L’Oreal, Dior and Shiseido, and featured in such magazines as L’Officiel, Vanity Fair and Marie Claire.

Megan Hind

Acting Lecturer (Movement)

Megan Hind graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) from NIDA in 2016, where she was the recipient of the Keith Bain OAM Scholarship in Movement. Credits include Emerald City (Melbourne Theatre Company/Queensland Theatre), Cowboy Beebop (Netflix), Friday on My Mind (ABC), Secret Bridesmaids’ Business(Channel 7), Supine (Short) and Yellow Spit Fish or: How I Learnt to Dogwhistle (Short). Prior to NIDA, she had a successful international modelling career, predominantly working for international companies such as L’Oreal, Dior and Shiseido, and featured in such magazines as L’Officiel, Vanity Fair and Marie Claire.

Anthony Gooley

Acting Lecturer

A NIDA Acting graduate, Anthony’s many theatre credits include Bernhardt/Hamlet (Queensland Theatre), Boy Swallows Universe (Queensland Theatre/QPAC/Brisbane Festival), A View from the Bridge, Death Of A Salesman (Ensemble Theatre), The Glass Menagerie (State Theatre Company of South Australia), Calamity Jane (Belvoir/The Comedy Theatre/Arts Centre Melbourne), Assassins (Sydney Opera House/Hayes Theatre Co.), Replay (Griffin Theatre Company) The Crucible, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Othello, Twelfth Night, The Comedy of Errors (Sport For Jove), Good Works, All My Sons (Eternity Playhouse) and The Lost Echo (Sydney Theatre Company). As director, Steve Martin’s The Underpants (GLUG Award nominee for Most Outstanding Independent Production and Broadway World nominee for Best Professional Production and Director of a Professional Production), Orphans (Red Line Productions) and Gruesome Playground Injuries (The Kings Collective). Anthony recently appeared in the feature film Buckley’s Chance (Blacklab Entertainment) opposite Bill Nighy, and Venus and Adonis (Sport for Jove). Television credits include Young Rock, Joe vs Carole, Sheilas, Australia: The Story of Us, Underbelly, Packed to the Rafters, Tough Nuts, Satisfaction and Home and Away. Anthony is a Sydney Theatre Award winner for his performance as Rochester in The Libertine (Sport For Jove/Darlinghurst Theatre Company) and was also nominated for his performances in Inner Voices (Old Fitz Theatre), Of Mice and Men and A Doll’s House (Sport For Jove).

Anthony Gooley

Acting Lecturer

A NIDA Acting graduate, Anthony’s many theatre credits include Bernhardt/Hamlet (Queensland Theatre), Boy Swallows Universe (Queensland Theatre/QPAC/Brisbane Festival), A View from the Bridge, Death Of A Salesman (Ensemble Theatre), The Glass Menagerie (State Theatre Company of South Australia), Calamity Jane (Belvoir/The Comedy Theatre/Arts Centre Melbourne), Assassins (Sydney Opera House/Hayes Theatre Co.), Replay (Griffin Theatre Company) The Crucible, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Othello, Twelfth Night, The Comedy of Errors (Sport For Jove), Good Works, All My Sons (Eternity Playhouse) and The Lost Echo (Sydney Theatre Company). As director, Steve Martin’s The Underpants (GLUG Award nominee for Most Outstanding Independent Production and Broadway World nominee for Best Professional Production and Director of a Professional Production), Orphans (Red Line Productions) and Gruesome Playground Injuries (The Kings Collective). Anthony recently appeared in the feature film Buckley’s Chance (Blacklab Entertainment) opposite Bill Nighy, and Venus and Adonis (Sport for Jove). Television credits include Young Rock, Joe vs Carole, Sheilas, Australia: The Story of Us, Underbelly, Packed to the Rafters, Tough Nuts, Satisfaction and Home and Away. Anthony is a Sydney Theatre Award winner for his performance as Rochester in The Libertine (Sport For Jove/Darlinghurst Theatre Company) and was also nominated for his performances in Inner Voices (Old Fitz Theatre), Of Mice and Men and A Doll’s House (Sport For Jove).

Anna Loren

Acting Lecturer

Anna Loren is a writer, actor, theatre-maker, and teaching artist. She holds an MA in Ensemble Theatre and sits on the board of Women in Film & Television (WIFT) Australia as Deputy Chair, where she is dedicated to working towards a more equitable screen industry. Anna has taught with The Actors Workshop, NIDA Open and Speak Up Studio in Brisbane, as well as the Rose Bruford Youth Theatre in London, where she directed numerous productions. She was a finalist in the 2020-2021 Queensland Premier’s Drama Award for her play, COMFORT, and received Playwriting Australia’s Erin Thomas Playwright Fund, for her play, 22. Her short monologue, BURNING SEASON was commissioned as part of the Come to Where I am anthology with Critical Stages Touring and Paines Plough. Loren’s screenplay, SUGARCANE was supported by La Boite Theatre and Screen Queensland through the 2022 Stage to Screen initiative, and as part of the AFTRS Talent Camp. As a performer Anna has worked with heartBeast Theatre (Brisbane), Goattrack Theatre (Gold Coast Hinterland), Cuts & Grazes, Get Over It Productions and the Trinity International Playwriting Festival (London) and, was interim Artistic Director at heartBeast Theatre.

Anna Loren

Acting Lecturer

Anna Loren is a writer, actor, theatre-maker, and teaching artist. She holds an MA in Ensemble Theatre and sits on the board of Women in Film & Television (WIFT) Australia as Deputy Chair, where she is dedicated to working towards a more equitable screen industry. Anna has taught with The Actors Workshop, NIDA Open and Speak Up Studio in Brisbane, as well as the Rose Bruford Youth Theatre in London, where she directed numerous productions. She was a finalist in the 2020-2021 Queensland Premier’s Drama Award for her play, COMFORT, and received Playwriting Australia’s Erin Thomas Playwright Fund, for her play, 22. Her short monologue, BURNING SEASON was commissioned as part of the Come to Where I am anthology with Critical Stages Touring and Paines Plough. Loren’s screenplay, SUGARCANE was supported by La Boite Theatre and Screen Queensland through the 2022 Stage to Screen initiative, and as part of the AFTRS Talent Camp. As a performer Anna has worked with heartBeast Theatre (Brisbane), Goattrack Theatre (Gold Coast Hinterland), Cuts & Grazes, Get Over It Productions and the Trinity International Playwriting Festival (London) and, was interim Artistic Director at heartBeast Theatre.



FAQs

Contrary to popular belief, there are plenty of opportunities in the acting and film industry. In this modern age the industry is bigger than ever before and continues to grow at a healthy rate. Other than film, TV and theatre opportunities, social media platforms offer countless avenues for actors and performers – there are countless blog’s, short films, web-episodes and channels, not to mention Facebook content. Plus the advertising industry is a huge employer of actors and performers thanks to ever-growing platforms and audience reach. In fact, never before have fresh faces been so in demand.

It's also worth remembering that the skills acquired in acting and performing are also hugely transferable. Skills such as public speaking, corporate hosting, event management and retail and hospitality industries all require poise, self-confidence, and self-esteem. 

With society’s exponential hunger for content, screenwriters, directors, producers and cinematographers are in huge demand. Our film school students are in the industry of content creation, and that is a hugely profitable genre – think about the amount of content you see everyday, from Facebook ads to YouTube and Instagram, podcasts to mainstream news networks, current affair stories and self-help videos. Plus, there is vast capacity for on-demand TV and online content (Netflix/Stan). 

Ultimately though, hard work, motivation and recognising opportunities when they are presented to you are the most important factors for any graduate finding success. 

Yes. 80% of your time at will be spent in practical classes and performances. At JMC Acting you essentially learn acting FOUR ways.

  1. YOU LEARN BY DOING: This is where you participate in a practical acting exercise or activity in class or in a performance and this EXPERIENCE informs your acting process.
  2. YOU LEARN THROUGH OTHERS: This is SOCIAL LEARNING. Here, you might witness a fellow student do an exercise of a performance, and through their experience, you might learn something about your own acting process. The other way we learn through others is by COLLABORATION. When an actor plays a character, they only truly develop that character through listening and responding to their scene partner.
  3. APPLYING SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE: This is where you take all of your learning in the various subjects you do and you CONSOLIDATE these skills and knowledge into your performance projects. This is the most sophisticated learning process you will enjoy at JMC Acting because this is all based on REAL-WORLD performance projects. In other words – you learn to be an actor by doing what actors do!
  4. NEW KNOWLEDGE: This is where we come together and TALK about acting. Where we READ about acting. Where we THINK about acting. This helps you to understand the process not only from a practical perspective but also from a theoretical perspective.

Yes, it is for stage and screen but also BEYOND. JMC Acting has not only dedicated theatre performance spaces but also a fully equipped Multi-Cam Television Studio, Moton Capture suite, Rokoko Suits, Red Epic and Arie film cameras, state-of-the-art voiceover and sound recording suites, and a creative community that is all about inter-disciplinary collaborations.

Yes. Our acting degree runs typically over 3 – 4 days per week, longer during performances and productions. We believe that actors are best served in training by immersing themselves in their work. This allows for skills and knowledge to be consistently developed. Your work in one trimester informs your development in the next trimester. Whilst this is a substantial commitment, this also allows you to spend most of your time doing something you love! 

Yes. The JMC Academy is registered and regulated by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) which is Australia’s independent national regulator of the higher education sector, both public and private.

No, our courses are hands on and practical. Students are required to attend classes to receive ongoing mentorship, learn new skills and work with the equipment provided. We do encourage our students to use online study resources, however our courses would not be as immersive as they are without the practical component.

The ultimate benefit of studying at JMC Academy is the reassurance and relief in knowing that we are leaders in creative industries education and have been delivering quality education in the Creative Industries for over 30 years. We were the first to be accredited in Australia for education in Audio Engineering, Digital Television and Multimedia.

Our courses have always been practical, with hands-on projects and an intense focus on industry and outcomes undiluted by extensive, non-essential electives.  

In choosing to study at JMC Academy, our students are opting for the benefits of an intimate classroom size where the lecturer knows their name and learning needs. They are choosing to learn at an award-winning institution that fosters collaboration and creative vision. At JMC Academy the student's experience becomes an integral part of their learning and the institution's own values defined by quality, integrity, diligence and innovation indelibly become their own.   

JMC Academy is broadly recognised and accredited:

  • Registered Higher Education Provider.
  • Accredited by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA)
  • Registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS).
  • Regulated by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA).
  • Member of the Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA).
  • Nationally recognised within the Australian Qualifications Framework.

Our strong industry links also ensure that JMC Academy qualifications are recognised within the creative industries. 

Applicants who submit a complete application (including all accompanying documentation, including folio or audition if applicable) will usually be contacted within 24 hours to arrange an interview. After a successful interview, an offer letter will usually be issued within 24 hours. 

At JMC, we pride ourselves on our face-to-face learning experience. Our students are on campus for 24 hours of classes per week, learning from their industry professional lecturers.

Students are also expected to spend another 16 hours per week doing the work required to complete the assessment tasks. This is ‘self-paced’ study, and students are responsible for managing their own time so they can do the work required, as per the assessment briefs and deadlines.  

Many jobs in the creative industries are found via direct recommendations or referrals. At JMC Academy, many of these recommendations are made while students are completing their studies and via organisations that approach JMC for graduates. That is why we stress the importance of networking through our industry connected lecturers and taking advantage of the many work experience and internship opportunities that arise during your time at JMC. Throughout their studies, students are progressively adding to their portfolio of work, networking with lecturers and students, and learning how to run their own businesses. All of this directly contributes to their ability to generate an income in a field they are passionate about and enjoy.