MORNING & AFTERNOON SESSIONS AVAILABLE

TAFTA is thrilled to welcome back the very popular, Thea McLeod. Founder of McLeod Casting, Thea McLeod is one of Australia’s most prominent casting directors with a wide breadth of work ranging from international films to television. Thea has a passion for discovering and nurturing the next generation of A-list actors from Australia and beyond. Thea has been casting the very popular Australian classic Neighbours for 12+ years. Thea spent eleven years in the UK where she was both an actress and a casting director, gaining much experience on an international level for film, television, and commercials.

Tyler Coppin is one of the most popular and in-demand coaches for actors learning and perfecting a General American Accent. Whether you're an actor preparing for pilot season, a young performer who’s just starting out, or a producer wanting the American accents in your project to sound authentic, you've landed in the right spot.

LEARN TO ACCESS AUTHENTIC EMOTIONS ON CUE!

Over years of working in Film & TV , John found he was required to reach deep emotional places on a busy set, with little time to prepare, and with few takes.

Emotional recall and sense memory became unsustainable and dangerous.

After studying the nature, purpose and qualities of emotions and where they are in the body's natural energy centres, John created a simple physical technique where you can access and express any emotion.

On cue.

At will.

Timing, actions, reactions and relations - visual and verbal combine with the basic element of surprise to create comic moments and performances (the setup/payoff principle, etc.). Comedy is not just about funny lines and funny characters. It is all that and much more.

For eight weeks, we will examine and perform the humour of Romantic Comedies, Sit-com, farce, sketch comedy and the great TV Comedy series, both Australian, English and American, and the great actors who performed in them.

LEARN TO ACCESS AUTHENTIC EMOTIONS ON CUE!

Over years of working in Film & TV , John found he was required to reach deep emotional places on a busy set, with little time to prepare, and with few takes.

Do you ever find yourself constricted by pre-conditioned expectations of how a scene should run? 

Have your confidence sapped by certain techniques that prioritise what someone thinks you should do instead of what you are doing in the moment. 

Emotions #2 consolidates and refreshes your learning in Emotions #1, going over the technique before learning to apply it to scenework. In the fast paced world of Film & TV, this is a reliable, simple and effective tool that you can call upon if sense memory, emotional recall, or other emotionally demanding techniques are not working. This is a technique that can give your next audition the extra edge, quickly adding emotion and stakes to your work, and fulfilling the demands of the script and the story when under a high pressure scenario. AND having the ability to go about your day unscathed afterwards.

Producing Your Own Work will take you from concept to execution, teaching you how to produce your own work. Oscar Shortlisted Producer Lucy Hayes will teach you how to think like a producer and give you the skills that are required to successfully produce short and feature length films, and TV series/Web Series.

Lucy J. Hayes is an award winning producer of films, television and commercials. Her films have played at festivals across the globe including the Berlinale, Sydney Film Festival, TriBeca and Austin Film Festival. Lucy is the co-founder of Wabi Sabi Studios (LOST & FOUND) with Bradley Slabe & Andrew Goldsmith and Stanley & Morph with John Tummino.

Timing, actions, reactions and relations - visual and verbal combine with the basic element of surprise to create comic moments and performances (the setup/payoff principle etc.). Comedy is not just about funny lines and funny characters. It is all that and much more.

For three weeks, we will examine and perform the humour of Romantic Comedies, Sit-com, farce, sketch comedy and the great TV Comedy series both Australian, English and American and the great actors who performed in them.

This course will demystify Comedy and introduce participants to the principles and requirements of comedy work.

Preparing a scene for self-taping is an essential skill for every actor. Throughout this course, participants will be guided through the art of scene analysis, uncovering character motivations and emotional arcs to deliver authentic and compelling performances. Additionally, students will receive specialised training in self-taping for both the Australian and US markets, understanding the subtle differences in casting preferences to tailor their self-tapes effectively. With in-class self-tape practice, actors will refine their skills, receiving constructive feedback to build a diverse portfolio of impressive audition-ready recordings. Courtney Miller’s "Audition Process" course is a transformative journey that equips actors with the tools and confidence to pursue their dreams in the competitive world of auditions.

PREPARE YOURSELF FOR HIGH TURN-OVER AUSTRALIAN TELEVISION!

Get Set is your crash course for fast turnaround TV acting - shows like Neighbours, Home & Away and more! It will teach you the craft of acting, while preparing you for the reality of being on-set (and with a few tips and shortcuts from Kym’s decades of acting experience). You will leave with the confidence to nail that audition, and to walk onto set with confidence. This is the course for you if you want to book work and feel empowered.

Welcome to the three-day performance intensive with Andy McPhee, where you will immerse yourself in the art of acting and develop your performance skills under the guidance of an experienced actor and coach.

Andy is an actor with decades of experience on films like Wolf Creek (2005), Animal Kingdom (2010), Pizza (2005), Wilfred (2010), Dr Blake Mysteries (2015), and Gallipoli (2015). Andy has also starred internationally in major release features such as Disney’s – Saving Mr Banks (2013), See Saw’s Slow West (2015) and Criminal Minds (2011).

Andy is also an Acting Coach, training hundreds of actors the craft and discipline of acting. Andy notably coached his son Kodi Smit-McPhee throughout his career. Kodi has just won a Golden Globe for The Power of the Dog, AND was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Award.

Looking to take your screen acting to the next level? Unlock your own process and harness the tools for creating and inhabiting screen characters and collaborating with any director?

Jason brings energy, intelligence and a collaborative spirit into the studio. His directing and screenwriting experience combine to help students find their own unique process to approach the work. Through continual experimental play on challenging scenes, guided by Jason, this is your opportunity to stretch your capacity as an actor.

COURSE OUTCOMES:

• Define your own unique process for on-camera acting, and continually practice and refine that process with scene work.

• Understand the writer’s intention with script analysis techniques from an award winning writer/director.

• Harness your imagination to create complex screen characters

• Push your boundaries with challenging scene work

Do you want to be an actor but you don't know where to begin?

This is the course for you.

In Beginners #1 you will learn the key foundational elements of acting. Unlike other schools, our beginners course focusses on working in front of the camera, building confidence, skill and artistry on the road the screen mastery.

Perfect for complete beginners, actors who have been out of the game and want a refresher, or theatre trained actors looking to transition to screen.

We are so lucky to have Andy McPhee in between his filming commitments to take Finding Your Truth a three day scenework intensive.

Andy is an actor with decades of experience on films like Wolf Creek (2005), Animal Kingdom (2010), Pizza (2005), Wilfred (2010), Dr Blake Mysteries (2015), and Gallipoli (2015). Andy has also starred internationally in major release features such as Disney’s – Saving Mr Banks (2013), See Saw’s Slow West (2015) and Criminal Minds (2011).

Andy is also an Acting Coach, training hundreds of actors the craft and discipline of acting. Andy notably coached his son Kodi Smit-McPhee throughout his career. Kodi has just won a Golden Globe for The Power of the Dog, AND was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Award.

Donna Morong is a respected Casting Director with over 25 years in the business. She spent 15 years at The Walt Disney Company ultimately becoming Senior Vice President of Motion Picture Casting in the feature film division, where she cast films such as “PRINCESS DIARIES”, “SHANGHAI KNIGHTS”, “10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU”, “DEUCE BIGOLO”, “ANNAPOLIS”, “CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE DRAMA QUEEN”. In 2008, she won an Artios Award for casting Ben Affleck’s “GONE BABY GONE” for Miramax which garnered an Academy Award Nomination for Amy Ryan.

This extended Casting Masterclass includes a submitted self tape prior to the session, feedback on your self tape, re-shooting the tape with direction, and a final call back session. Bring your A game!