This unit prepares the actor to develop knowledge and apply technique across new and emerging media platforms and technologies which may include web-based content, games / animation, voice over and/or virtual reality. 

New and emerging trends and technologies in new media are creating diverse performance platforms for the contemporary actor. This changing industry is placing further demand on the flexibility of the actor’s skills and knowledge in order to meet the specific performance requirements of these new platforms.  

Students will undertake acting exercises and activities to refine their acting technique to develop greater nuance and craft in order to adapt and apply technique across a range of performance media.   

This double unit will involve studio-based training to develop an understanding of performance craft as it relates to stylised and/or classical theatrical work. Students must draw upon learnings from prior units of study to apply technique to the auditions, rehearsals and performance of stylised and/or classical musical theatre works, within the context of an Independent Theatre Production. 

These works form a significant part of the music theatre tradition and remains a staple of the contemporary music theatre industry. The rigour demanded of an actor to perform such material not only meets an industry imperative but extends their ability to adapt to a range of theatrical forms and styles. 

Through this double unit the student will participate in the rehearsals and performances of a Musical Theatre Production. This process will require the student to integrate acting technique, research and analysis, collaboration and performance craft skills, whilst working alongside a Director and other technical and creative personnel. 

This unit extends the actor’s theatrical capacity in voice and movement enabling them to meet the obligations of heightened text and theatricality. This unit develops knowledge and skill to perform a range of theatrical performance styles. 

Theatrical performance requires a robust embodiment of voice and physicality in order to meet the demands of this performance media. Theatricality may also require the actor to embody physical and vocal extremes as well as a range of theatrical storytelling styles and forms beyond realism and naturalism.  

Students will undertake voice and movement training to develop greater theatricality in their performance and to explore more range, style and form in vocal and physical characterisation. 

This unit integrates the student’s knowledge and skills in performance with the principles of creativity and collaboration. With a focus on the entrepreneurial actor and diverse performance platforms, the student works to plan and develop a piece of performance as part of a festival production construct. This unit allows the individual student to develop and articulate their unique voice as intelligent, passionate, and vocal artistic citizens.  

The actor’s portfolio career demands a fluency in the business side of performance projects. Theatre companies, production houses and funding bodies have unique and specific compliance and policy requirements. It is therefore imperative that the working actor is able to incorporate skills and knowledge in these areas as part of their role as creative arts professionals.   

Creativity and collaboration skills are developed through the realisation of the student’s artistic vision, while participation in the process of curation, and the meeting of technical and other compliance functions enable the student to refine and adapt their concept to meet production limitations and parameters. 

This unit develops the capacity of the actor to apply knowledge of performance styles, principles of theatrical storytelling, creativity and collaboration to develop a short, devised performance piece for theatre, which includes song, movement and spoken text. 

Devised and experimental theatre, such as cabaret & vaudeville, contributes a significant and growing sector of the contemporary performing arts industry. The associated skills and knowledge required of the actor involves understanding of a range of theatrical forms and styles, improvisation and collaboration techniques as well as the recording of developmental processes through to the finalisation of a concept, and the presentation of a cohesive performance. 

Students will undertake a process of creative concept development beginning with improvisations and other collaborative and creative activities, then leading to the documenting, planning and presentation of the performance concept.

This unit will develop theoretical knowledge of the history of performance in Australian theatre, film and television, and how this history has evolved into creating the contemporary performing arts industry.   

The function of performance in storytelling contributes to national identity and culture. In order to assure the performer’s role in this function the contemporary actor must possess knowledge of the cultural history of Australia and the influences on performance from indigenous ritual and storytelling to modern Australia.    

Students will examine the role of performance from Australia’s Indigenous culture and ritual, through to major twentieth century Australian dramatists and the key players of the New Wave of the 1970’s. Students are required to examine present day social, cultural, political and environmental factors and articulate the relationship between these factors and the contemporary Australian storytelling palette. 

This unit develops the actor’s ability to research acting theory and technique and to apply this knowledge to the development of their own personal practice. Through critical self-analysis and reflection, the student will identify skills gaps and needs and articulate strategies to develop a versatile, sustainable and robust personal, collaborative acting practice. 

The working actor must have mechanisms to ensure a process of lifelong learning and development of skills and techniques. Theoretical knowledge of acting approaches and addressing issues of resilience and career sustainability are integral to the development of a successful portfolio career. 

Students will research theoretical concepts and evaluate the application of new knowledge into their own practice.

This unit develops advanced screen acting technique, through a deepened understanding of the screen performance medium as well as studio-based training and practice. It culminates in a film shoot of a showreel scene suitable for industry.   

The audience’s expectation and appetite for realism in screen performance is creating extended demands on the actor’s process. The demand for “truth” in performance is now a fundamental requirement of any working actor’s performance career.   

Students will undertake practical exercises and activities in screen performance, whilst also examining modern techniques of film acting and process and beginning to embed these into their personal process. This unit will culminate in the filmed performance of an Industry Showreel project. 

This double unit requires the student to integrate their personal acting, singing & dance techniques, and professional practices into the audition, rehearsal, and performances of their Industry Theatre Production. 

Theatre productions which form part of mainstage theatre company seasons operate under industry award conditions. Apart from wages and conditions as dictated by these awards, the structure of rehearsals and other production protocols differ from the independent sector. This may include such differences as full-time rehearsal schedules, longer technical and production periods and longer performance runs. The skills and knowledge required of the actor in this work environment therefore carry unique requirements. 

Students will work across a full-time schedule of rehearsals, technical and production activities for a performance in a professional theatre venue. This production will involve external theatre directors, creatives and crew. 

This unit integrates industry knowledge, practice and processes into the workplace context of the actor. Students will acquire in depth knowledge of structure and the operations of the contemporary performing arts industry and how the actor may successfully navigate the sophisticated nuances of this work environment.  

The contemporary performing arts industry presents a complex and unique structure. Work opportunities are diverse and the mechanisms to secure employment vary across the range of performance media and contexts. Networking and the building of professional relationships are intrinsic to the performing arts industry. The portfolio career places further demand on the actor’s ability to extend the application of their skills and knowledge to work opportunities both in and beyond the performing arts industry.  

Students will undertake analysis of industry structure, legislation, compliance and processes. Knowledge and skills will be applied in auditions and screen tests and in the independent analysis of the individual actor’s unique strengths and employability in the industry. Students will also develop fluency in written expression, documentation and communication processes relevant to the performing arts industry. 

This unit explores creativity and innovation as a core principle of the artistic process and how these principles may inform career opportunities within the creative arts industry. This unit seeks to place the individual actor as a professional, self-sufficient and active industry participant.  

The working actor must have the ability to move between artistic and business application of their skills. The development of creative projects is often born through artistic endeavour, whilst bringing such a project to realisation requires skills to be applied in a business and industry context. The synergies of these skill sets allow for the development of the entrepreneurial actor.  

This unit requires the student to examine the impetus to create and to develop strategic approaches to the development and implementation of a creative project. The unit culminates in a Pitch Project to an industry panel. 

This unit develops acting theory, technique and practice to prepare the student for professional standard performance projects. Studio based learning, coupled with theoretical and technical study, will develop a more sophisticated approach to personal acting process and performance. 

The flexibility of the contemporary working actor to adapt to the vast range of performance media and platforms places extended demand on both practical skills and theoretical knowledge of technique, forms, styles and performance language. This unit will solidify a robust and reliable process to deliver impacting performances. 

Students will undertake practical exercises and activities in a range of acting techniques and processes, coupled with theoretical and supporting knowledge in order to develop the individual’s personal process. 

This unit develops a self-aware, responsible and sustainable approach to long term participation in the performing arts sector. It examines established research and statistical sources, which give a reliable and authentic account of the experiences of working actors in the contemporary industry.   

The creative arts industry is a unique work environment which places a variety of demands upon the working professional. The nature of portfolio rather than permanent employment opportunities demand a thorough understanding of industry structure and operation, business and financial skills as well as the ability to plan, forecast and examine self as a working professional.  

Students are required to evaluate research outcomes, analysis, planning and business skills to construct a logical and achievable plan for artistic and professional career longevity. 

This unit exposes the student to a broad and diverse range of theatrical performance styles, forms and significant dramatists, and creative practitioners, from the late nineteenth century to today.  

Style and form build a theatrical language and is used by dramatists and performers to fulfil a performance aesthetic. The contemporary actor must have a theoretical understanding of the use of form and style as a theatrical construct, but also the particular requirements this places on the practical application for the actor.  

Students will begin with theoretical lectures on key pieces of the canon throughout this period. Scene studies will then commence, which involve tutorial-based classes to develop theoretical knowledge and practical workshop scenarios to explore these works in performance.