For years I've said it as self deprecating a joke — I have enormous passion for the work, I have no ambition — and people laughed, and I laughed with them. I then recently I heard a colleague who I respect very much say something similar - so I decided to find out if it was actually true in myself. What follows is my answer.

The question of whether to train formally or to develop independently has followed the acting profession for as long as there have been drama schools to attend or avoid. Both paths have produced remarkable artists. Both have produced mediocre ones. The honest answer is that neither is inherently superior — and anyone who tells you otherwise is probably trying to sell you something.

30 Minute Warm-Up “We do not rise to the level of our expectations; we fall to the level of our training.” Anon Opening Reflection I always loved warm-ups as an actor, and now as a director, I love even more watching actors get ready for their day’s work or a performance. There’s something about that quiet, focused time before rehearsal begins—the way bodies wake up, voices open, and minds settle into the work. The actor ‘arrives into the working space’. It is a wonderful rit

Emerging actors and directors spend years preparing—training, assisting, observing, refining technique—mostly in controlled environments. Scene studies feel rigorous, workshops productive, conversations intelligent. Yet eventually, preparation reaches its limits. Skill without consequence is theory without reality.

"Discipline builds the playpen. Freedom happens inside it.”When I train actors, I ask them to liken the studio — and, more importantly, the discipline of our work — to a toddler’s playpen. The walls protect the child from immediate danger, but inside that contained space, the child is completely free.

Design Is Interpretive Before I trained as an actor, I studied set design for two years. I never intended to become a designer. That period permanently rewired how I understand theatre. I learned to read space as text, material as meaning, structure as pressure. The set was not background. It behaved like another character: sometimes resistant, sometimes generous, never indifferent. That sensibility bled into how I think about every design element. Set, lighting, costume, sou

Recently, I found myself in the theatre, watching a production that—at least initially—didn’t land for me. The pacing felt off. Choices that might have seemed bold to others felt clumsy to me. By the final curtain, my first instinct was to write it off as simply “bad theatre,” and to judge the artists involved accordingly.

“Venues can work with artists, not just as landlords of the arts. ”It’s a statement that has followed me across continents — from Perth to Mumbai — and one that continues to invite reflection on how we sustain the arts.

Most actors know that to be curious makes them better at their craft but many do not practice it in their every day lives, and indeed many do not practice it as one of the fundamental elements of their journey into character and the play.

39 one-minute interviews with director Glenn Hayden

We know that the world of theatre is filled with various roles that collectively create the performances we offer an audience. Among these r

The Importance of Shakespeare for Actors

A workshop for actors who are looking to unleash their imaginations and personal process to discover how character, objective, emotional res

First of all, let me tell you what my Corporate Theatre-Based Training Program is NOT.....

In the highly competitive (and sometimes cutthroat) industry of theatre, film and the arts in general, it's important to remember that celeb

Your headshot is one of the most important tools you have to market yourself.

Sam Shepard's "True West" - 1984 (John Malkovich and Gary Sinise). Great Theatre! Originally aired on PBS January 1984. Starring John Malkovich, Gary Sinise, Sam Schact, and Margaret Thomson. Directed by Allan Goldstein. Produced by Howard K. Grossman and John H. Williams. Copyright © 1983 True West Video Productions. Awesome Theatre!

A lovely chat Rayana Pandey from CPA and I had with Voice Coaches and consummate theatre professionals Asif Ali Beg (India) and Patrick Klavins (Australia) Lock down brought with it some lovely opportunities. Asif and Patrick talk about their journeys from Actors to Voice specialists. Patrick is an ex member of Urban Myth Theatre Company when I was Artistic Director and Asif I have known for a lovely long time since being in India. Both these chaps are superb actors and wonde

Arguably, your main instrument as an actor is your voice. Having command over your voice WILL take your acting to the next level both on stage and on screen, and having a strong, flexible and open voice that you have control over will lead you to more roles and, better still, a wider range of rolls. To begin with, it's imperative that you understand that your voice, movement and your acting are not three separate fields. They make up an intertwined and complex organism that w

How important is an actor bio? What’s its purpose? What is the best format? These are valid questions and the answers justify the time you need to put into creating a GREAT Bio. Spring Awakening What is a Bio for an Actor? Your bio (biography) summarises the best of your career—your training, theatre and screen work, and something about you! It concisely tells the industry what roles you can play and how to cast you and tells your new fans the history of who they are followi