Actors College of Theatre and Television

The Strength of Community: We are all part of the story

Are you wondering where ACTT is heading? We’re looking to the future at the moment so it’s the perfect time to update you. But before going there I find myself reflecting on the history of the college and the people who have passed through our doors.

It doesn’t seem like eighteen years since I started the college in 1992, after other studios in which I’d worked in Chinatown closed. I had twelve part-time students who had made a two year commitment and had one year left, plus about the same number of young people on the weekend. At first ACTT was just me, a one-woman-band, plus a couple of wonderful tutors. I was determined to use that year to surround myself with the very best professional teaching staff, and create the best training possible for those loyal students. At that time I was certain there could be a more holistic way to train an actor. Although in those days, I was motivated as much by keeping a roof over my head, a specialised school to support actors and performers as they pursue their passions and their craft was starting to seem possible.

Starting a family

For the first few years, I made a commitment to students to operate for “ok then, just one more year” by which time the college had its own momentum. I remember my first full-time employee, Adam Macaulay, now head of Drama, Radio New Zealand, who came on board to help with the course coordination, and to teach, direct and help me build the growing ACTT community’s sense of belonging. Despite our best intentions we went through ups and downs including plenty of dramas trying to make the most with few resources. The biggest challenge for me was to morph from a creative into a business-woman, and to merge my own and other’s knowledge and turn it into a curriculum. Through luck as much as judgment and trusting that intuition can reap success, I launched into creating systems and adapting to government regulations as much as teaching, training and helping others.

It’s been difficult at times and sometimes being the boss can be a lonely position, with the careers of others, both staff and students, resting on your shoulders. But with the help, goodwill, enthusiasm and inspiration of the ACTT community around me, there has not been one day I would trade for another path.

In fact helping others is central to the ethos of the college. It was never established to be a money-making jugernaught, but rather a boutique acting ‘house’, containing a family, that grows, generation after generation, with knowledge, insight and hopefully good guidance being passed down by everyone as they come in and leave the building. And with each generation there was always an evolution.

But some things stay the same, like the industry’s demand for exceptionally well-trained, versatile artists who can move between theatre, film, television and music theatre, and that understanding is why we developed a unique perspective on teaching that concentrated on rigour and nurture. It hardly seemed an instant later, when we were another ten years down the line, with youth programs well-established and masterclasses running as well as our mainstream classes.

The evolution of a system

As with every family, there are times when the values and psychology of the unit changes quickly and at times evolution means taking a step back and evaluating where everyone is going. In 2004 John O’Hare came into the fold and over the last five years, together we forged a new path, his leadership and vision in developing ‘The ACTT System’, with Gavin Robins inspired us all to explore, enhance and build upon the most successful approaches to actor training in the world. Thank you John. You helped us to take the best of what we were offering, like the work carried out by Ross Hall, then Khristina Totos in the screen masterclasses and actor show-reels and the ‘actor as artist’ system I had developed, and combined these strengths with the teachings of Eric Morris and Meyerhold’s biodynamics.

But why did we spend so much energy creating this system? The answer to that is simple – it inspires the people who come into contact with it. The energy and dynamism that come with steadily increasing confidence and the bedrock of repeatable quality that actors can draw upon again and again in different circumstances, because it has become second nature.

As a result The ACTT System is now integrated into all aspects of ACTT’s acting courses. Recognition of the System is building as ACTT’s reputation for graduates who deliver impacting performances on both stage and screen has been widely endorsed by agents, directors and producers in Australia and internationally.

Initially the system was used in the professional actor program. Then it filtered into The CORE and short courses and this year we are re-launching our Youth program, based on the same fundamental ideas and philosophies, only tailored towards the needs of young people today. So the system is here and part of our DNA, and we are offering masterclasses in our key areas of strength that are open to working and trained actors to improve their craft.

Where do you want to go from here?

In late 2006, ACTT took over the running of the theatre and studios at Cleveland St that had been home to Performance Space for almost thirty years. Located very close to ACTT’s main campus, this additional site has given us a real advantage in expanding performance and industry networking opportunities. We will use this to continue to improve our system and give benefit to our students.We are about to take Cleveland Street Theatre in a new exciting direction, which includes a regular Sunday programme and a new, clear identity – but on this and everything else we do, I want to hear from you. We are proud to be in Redfern and engage with the local community – do you live in the area? What would you like to see happen?

To our alumni, I ask what masterclasses would you like to attend? How would you like ACTT to help you, to grow, develop and gain or maintain your success? Drop me an email, let me know what you think. We are all part of this big family and some of us have become long lost cousins, so maybe we should have a big family reunion. Would you like to be a part of it?

From August the bar in Cleveland Street will be open on Thursday evenings from 5.00 to 9.00 serving drinks and nibbles. Come in. We hope it will evolve into a hub for our entire community, from alumni to anyone thinking of starting a short course, where you can come and mingle with others from the arts – actors, singers, artists and performers, agents, students and members of the public. Sometimes the most creative concepts begin over a cool pinot noir!

A note of gratitude to you all

So it’s time to celebrate our success, and to thank you all, especially the teaching staff – you who have endured and embraced the challenges of continual change, by being open to new ideas, by contributing your own experiences and training methodologies. At this moment of reflection I am very much aware that you don’t always get the formal recognition and gratitude you deserve, and I thank you once again from the bottom of my heart. Without you, we would not have the identity, reputation and high standards we have today. And to all our students, thanks for trusting us and choosing ACTT.