| SUMMER 2025 | ||
| Term 1 | Mon 3 Feb | Thu 27 Mar |
| Term 2 | Mon 28 Apr | Thu 19 Jun |
Foundation In Acting
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Course Overview
The National Drama School’s Foundation in Acting course will immerse you in the craft of acting over two eight-week terms.
Working with expert industry teachers, you’ll learn voice, acting, screen acting and theatre making techniques, as well as how to work within a script’s given circumstances to find a personalised version of each character and bring that character to vivid spontaneous life. In collaboration with your ensemble, you’ll develop skills in theatre making and character-based comedy, culminating in a small showing for family and friends at the end of the 16 weeks.
This is a Foundation course, and you are not expected to be an expert, however we are looking for evidence of potential and commitment to preparation to ensure you can gain the most from the Foundation in Acting course.
The Foundation in Acting Course culminates in a public performance in the Black Box Theatre.
The 16-week course fee is $2700
Summer Intake Terms 1 and 2
Entry to the Foundation in Acting Course is by way of audition.
In Person Auditions TBC
Download Audition Pieces Here
Digital Submissions
Please submit a video of your chosen monologue – ideally it would be memorised, however you may refer to the script if necessary. Our Associate Director of Drama will review your video submission and be in contact regarding your result or to request a zoom/in person call back audition.
Please submit a video of your chosen monologue – ideally it would be memorised, however you may refer to the script if necessary. Our Associate Director of Drama will review your video submission and be in contact regarding your result or to request a zoom/in person call back audition.
Course Content
Monday Nights: Screen Acting with Cazz Bainbridge
As actors we must let ourselves be seen and work through creative self-consciousness. Cazz will help you find authenticity, empathy and humanness in a role and bring the character to you. Using personalisation, internal landscape and imagery you will learn to create connection and specificity in your work.
Other skills will include basic screen career fundamentals including actor materials, casting, and industry knowledge, how to break down a script and understand the theme and film tone, balancing preparation with ease and presence in performance, building self-taping skills and how to find freedom within the frame.
Monday nights will also bring fun and curiosity to your work with like-minded peers and arm you with essential self-care tools for a sustainable acting career.
Cazz Bainbridge
Wednesday Nights: Theatre Making with Annie Lee
In the first eight weeks you will learn skills in character building and comedy, utilising a variety of physical theatre techniques. You will be working with comedy script as well as creating original character pieces, broadening your opportunities towards a career in the performing arts industry. You will also explore and develop skills in voice/ body connection and release, drawing from the teachings of Jerzy Grotowski, Frankie Armstrong, and various other theatre disciplines.
The second eight weeks focus on physical comedy and clown. You will continue the exploration and application of your learned skills, utilising a variety of physical disciplines inspired by the work of classic comedy greats such as Georg Carl and Bill Irwin, and physical theatre companies including Footsbarn and Theatre de Complicite. You will be guided in applying your learned physical clown and theatrical skills to individual and group devised work, culminating in a showing at the end of the course.
Annie Lee
Thursday Nights: Stage Acting and Voice with Shaun Goss
Shaun will tap into several techniques to help liberate your imagination and open up your body and voice. You’ll develop confidence in monologue and scene-work and find moment to moment play within yourself and with other actors.
Shaun’s classes in stage acting and voice are influenced by a contemporary understanding of Stanislavski method, Biomechanics of Meyerhold, Eutonia, and Alba emoting method. All of these techniques are design to trigger creative processes within the actor’s body, identifying “habits” and releasing tensions.
In Stage Acting and Voice you will learn script analysis techniques to pay close attention to the clues in the text, and identify clear, high stakes motivation. From here, you will learn how to work within a script’s given circumstances to find an authentic and personalised version of each character and allow spontaneity and believability in each moment.
Shaun Goss