Briony Dunn ~ Head of Course
Briony Dunn is Head of Course for the full time and part time classical acting programs at APS. A graduate of the NIDA Directing course, Briony has a Master of Arts in Theatre from UNSW. As an acting teacher she teaches her own rigorously developed technique in unison with the approaches of Stanislavski, Uta Hagen, Stella Adler and Rudolf Laban. During her twenty-year career she has worked as director, tutor, script assessor or filmmaker with NIDA, NIDA Open, ATYP, Griffin Theatre Company, Company B Belvoir, Belvoir Downstairs, Big hArt, Ashfield Youth Theatre, PACT Youth Theatre, Carriageworks, Playworks and Playwriting Australia amongst others.
FRANCIS GREENSLADE ~ Tutor & Theatre Director: Full Time Program
APS is honoured to welcome Francis Greenslade as guest tutor and director of our theatre performances.
Francis began performing with the Adelaide University Footlights. Since then he has worked consistently in the theatre and TV.
His TV credits include Mad As Hell, The Leftovers, Winners and Losers, Inspector Blake, The Ex-PM, The Micallef Program, Soul Mates, It’s A Date, Schappelle, Offspring, City Homicide, Full Frontal, Marshall Law and Pig’s Breakfast.
Theatre Credits include The Odd Couple, The Madwoman of Chaillot and Things We Do For Love for the MTC, Urinetown and Babes in the Wood for STC, You Got Older for Red Stitch Theatre Company, The Odyssey and Tartuffe for Malthouse and The Club, Marat/Sade and School for Scandal for STC(SA)
TREVOR JAMIESON ~ Industry Guest Tutor – Full Time Program
Trevor is an award-winning actor, dancer and musician known for his extensive work in Australian film, television and on stage. He has toured nationally and internationally, gracing the stages of most major theatre companies around Australia.
Theatre highlights include: Brother’s Wreck (Malthouse Theatre/STCS). The Season (Tasmania Performs/ Melbourne Festival). STC: The Secret River (STC/ Perth Festival), Storm Boy (with Barking Geko). Big hART: Namatjira (Malthouse Theatre/Belvoir), Hipbone Sticking Out, Ngapartji Ngapartji (Sydney Festival/Belvoir/Perth Festival/Melbourne Festival), for which he won Lead Role at the 2008 Sydney Theatre Awards. Black Swan: Corrugation Road, Bran Nu Dae. Stalker Theatre Company: Burning Daylight, Crying Baby (with Marrugeku/Darwin Festival).
Film and TV credits include: Storm Boy (Screen Australia), Thalu: Dreamtime is Now, Namatjira Project, Nothing Rhymes with Ngapartji (Big hArt), Rabbit Proof Fence (Jabal Films), Cleverman, My Place (ABC3), Heartland (ABC), Lockie Leonard (Channel 9) and The Secret River.
We are so pleased that Trevor has joined the APS team as an industry guest speaker for our Full Time program.
Robert Johnson ~ Tutor & Theatre Director: Full Time Program
Robert is a director, dramaturg and playwright based in Sydney and Melbourne. He has a Bachelor of Performing Arts from Monash Unviersity and a Masters of Directing for Performance from Melbourne University, and has studied directing at VCA and NIDA. He runs independent theatre company ‘Burning House’, for which he has directed and produced The Tragedy of Coriolanus, Ajax, Summerfolk and The Most Lamentable Roman Tragedy of Titus Andronicus. His other directing credits include When Nietzsche Wept, The Woman in Black, Closer, Ten Plagues (Loose Canon Theatre Company), The Doll Hospital (MKA: Theatre of New Writing), The Lovers (Victorian College of the Arts), Sunday in the Park with George (UMMTA), Jesus Christ Superstar (MPAG) and Echoes of Villers-Bretonneux (Courthouse Theatre). His opera credits as a director include Die Dreigroshenoper (Monash University), Winterreise (Post-Opera Company) and an upcoming production of Fidelio.
As an assistant director and intern Robert has worked with Melbourne Theatre Company, Belvoir St Theatre, Bell Shakespeare Company, Opera Australia, Watch This, Lyric Opera Melbourne, Lemony S Puppet Theatre, Komishe Oper, Chamber Made and MKA: Theatre of New Writing. In 2015 he was Artist in Residence at Post-Opera Company, and in 2016 served for a short time as MKA: Theatre of New Writing’s Artistic Associate (Literary/Directing).
ALEX PINDER ~ Mask: Full Time Program
Alex Pinder has forty years experience working in the performing arts. He has worked as an actor in theatre, film and television and as a theatre director and acting teacher. Alex is a graduate of L’École Jacques Lecoq – Paris (1985) and Ensemble Studios – Sydney (1978).
He has taught through out Australia, in Singapore, and in India. He has performed on stage film and TV. Recent credits include the film Hotel Mumbai, TV series Neighbours and the in the playing Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet. Please see www.alexpinder.com
Penny Harpman ~ Tutor – Full Time Course
Penny Harpham is the Associate Director of Western Edge Youth Arts and co-founder and co-Artistic Director of She Said Theatre. Education: University of Queensland (Journalism/ Drama), University of Melbourne (Post Grad in Arts and Cultural Management) and Victorian College of the Arts (Post Grad in Performance Creation – Directing); selected to partake Melbourne Theatre Company’s Women in Theatre Program for Directing (2019),
Playwriting Australia’s inaugural Directors Studio (2015) and Melbourne Festival’s
Directors Lab (2016). Awards: Barbara Manning Scholarship for Excellence ((VCA), Global Atelier Scholarship for Overseas Travel (VCA), Green Room Award for The Stream/ The Boat/ The Shore/ The Bridge (Next Wave Festival 2012), recipient of the Ian Potter Cultural Trust Award (2015) which helped her complete a residency at the ZK/U in Berlin and undergo an internship with TheaterRampe in Stuttgart. Directing: HART (winner of three Melbourne Fringe 2015 awards, winner of a Blue Room Theatre Award, Winner of a NZ Fringe Award, nominated for a Green Room Award, and winner of Best Emerging Artist for Ian Michael at Adelaide Fringe 2016), The Way Out (Red Stitch Actors Theatre), Fallen, Salt, Bock Kills Her Father, Laika and Wills, Breaking (She Said Theatre), Caliban (Western Edge Youth Arts Regional VIC tour), Slut (VCA One Act Play Season). Assistant Director: Meloncholia (Malthouse Theatre), Antony and Cleopatra (Bell Shakespeare), Rust and Bone (Daniel Clarke). Most recent performing credits include: Virgins and Cowboys (Griffin Theatre), You Got Older (Red Stitch Actors Theatre), Now More Than Ever (Elbow Room). Facilitating: Penny has worked extensively with children and young people as a workshop facilitator and director of youth theatre (Western Edge Youth Arts, Footscray Community Arts Centre, St Martins Youth Arts Centre, La Boite Theatre Company) as well as a theatre facilitator for people with disabilities through Footscray Community Arts Centre and Northern Support Services.
Bronwen Coleman ~ Tutor: Part Time Program
Bronwen graduated from VCA (Victorian College of the Arts) with a Bachelor of Film and Television and went on to receive her Master of Fine Arts from the Actors Studio Drama School NYC, where she was the recipient of the Liberace Fellowship two years running.
Bronwen worked professionally in New York for over a decade, collaborating with many great artists including Phillip Seymour Hoffman and the Labyrinth Theater Company, Keith Johnstone and Gorilla Theatre, Tony Award Nominated Director Leigh Silverman, Academy Award Nominated Director Bennett Miller, Tony Award Winning Director Arthur Penn and Master Acting Teacher Elizabeth Kemp, with whom Bronwen studied for many years.
She is a long time practitioner of Strasberg’s Method and a life member of the prestigious Actor’s Studio, New York.
We are happy to welcome Bronwen to our faculty as tutor in our Full Time and Part Time Programs.
SUE MASLIN ~ Producer /Industry Guest
Sue Maslin is one of Australia’s most successful film, television and digital content producers with a track record of creating award winning feature and documentary films. Her most recent is the smash hit The Dressmaker, starring Kate Winslet and Judy Davis. It grossed more than $20 million at the box office and garnered the highest number of nominations at the 2015 Australian Academy Awards, winning five including the coveted People’s Choice Award for Favorite Australian Film.
Feature credits include Road To Nhill, winner of 2003 Best Feature Film at Thessaloniki International Film Festival; Japanese Story, winner of 2003 AFI Award for Best Feature Film and Hunt Angels, winner of the 2006 AFI Award for Best Feature Documentary Film.
Sue’s outstanding 35-year contribution to the Australian screen industry has been recognised in numerous ways. She was appointed Adjunct Professor of the School of Media & Communication at RMIT University and in 2012 received the inaugural Jill Robb Award for Outstanding Leadership, Achievement and Service to the Victorian Screen Industry. Reflecting her commitment to advocacy for women, Sue is currently a Patron of Women In Film and Television and the President of the Natalie Miller Fellowship, an organisation dedicated to inspiring leadership and increasing the participation of women in the screen industry.
Sioban Tuke ~ Improvisation
A core tutor of the Full Time program at APS, Sioban trained as a secondary drama teacher at Victoria University, Rusden before going on to three years actor training at Victorian College of the Arts. Upon graduation Sioban joined the ensemble of the ‘Comedy Company’ which was the highest rating show in its time slot for two years. Sioban went on to perform with theatre companies such as Melbourne Theatre Company, Playbox, Theatreworks, and Glen Elston’s Shakespeare in the Park at the Melbourne Botanical Gardens. After ten years as a professional actor, Sioban took up the role of Casting Director at Melbourne Theatre Company. Sioban worked with Artistic Directors Roger Hodgeman and Simon Phillips and a host of national and international directors during her time at MTC. Sioban left MTC to pursue her own directing career. She has directed commercial comedies for Kay and McLean at the Victorian Arts Centre, Hit productions, MTC Education productions and various independent comedy shows. In 2010 Sioban studied screen directing at the WA Screen Academy and has written and directed her own short film projects for Tropfest and various other short film competitions. As well as core tutor with APS Sioban currently directs the graduate showreel film scenes for Federation University Ballarat. As a 2014 graduate of the Open Channel Diploma in Screen Writing, Sioban is currently developing a number of original concepts for television.
Susan Bamford-Caleo ~ Voice/Dialect coach
Susan is an award winning performer and a teacher who is fascinated by the intrinsic connections between the voice and body. She has taught Voice privately and at institutions including Federation University, St Martin’s Youth Arts Centre, Melbourne University, Victoria University and the National Theatre. She has trained with acclaimed Voice and Physical Theatre practitioners in Australia and internationally, has a Bachelor of Education in Drama and Music from Melbourne University (formerly Melbourne State College), was awarded a travel grant from Victoria University to study Voice in the UK, France and Poland and has a Postgraduate Diploma in Voice Studies from the Victorian College of the Arts. As a core tutor for the full time program she is very happy to be part of this exciting journey for the students at APS.
Luke Robson ~ Acting
Core APS tutor Luke Robson’s career as a writer, director, producer, actor and acting coach has spanned sixteen years. Throughout these years Luke has seen many actors launch themselves into exciting careers. It excites him to see so many of his students booking professional acting work. For the past 16 years Luke has formed a strong relationship with the famous Stella Adler Studio, LA where he has helped over 100 actors to also study at the prestigious school. Luke’s credits include guest roles in films and television shows such as Blue Heelers, Stingers, Kath & Kim and Stiff as well as many TVC’s and theatre productions. Luke has directed and produced over fifty plays, short films and music clips.
Luke is also a passionate film maker whose work has been consistently winning critical acclaim around the world. His short film “Words of a Teenage Writer” won Best Short Film at the Action On Film International Short Film Festival in Las Vegas, and was also Runner Up for Best Short Film at the Hollywood Dreamz Short Film Festival in LA in 2017. Luke’s short documentary about homelessness, “No Right Turn” was featured in the prestigious Ethnografilm Festival in Paris in April 2018, and his film “The Disappearance of Fredrick Valentich” is featured in the Setting Sun Short Film Festival in Melbourne in April 2018. Luke’s next feature project “A Small Punch in a Little Town”, is a riveting tale of a young man who king hits an outsider visiting his small town, which triggers off a spiral of events, twists, turns and dark secrets within this small community.
Beside his obvious passion for film-making, Luke’s passion also lies in the classroom working with acting students and watching them develop into talented artists.
Brodie Derrick ~ Acting
A professionally trained actor,singer and dancer with the Australian Ballet School, Brodie began his acting career starring in numerous Musical Theatre productions and operas including The Wizard of Oz (Princess Theatre), Der Rosenkavalier (Opera Australia), Brundibar (Opera Australia) and The Dolls House (Melbourne Theatre Company with Rachel Griffiths).
As an adult, Brodie moved into screen work and has worked consistently, appearing in many Feature Films, Television shows and Commercials over the past 12 years. Brodie’s Feature Film credits include Holding the Man, Lost and Found (role of young McKenzie Morgan), and Spin Out (Role of Rosco), and as well as several critically acclaimed short films. His Television credits include the Role of Bryson Jennings on Neighbours, the role of Tyler on Jonah From Tonga, the role of Jim Dodson on Seven Types of Ambiguity, as well as regular & guest appearances on Blue Heelers, Full Frontal, Pigs Breakfast, Glitch , Hamish & Andy’s True Stories, Rove Live. In addition, Brodie has appeared in numerous national Ad campaigns inlcuding Sportsbet, AAMI, V Energy, RACV and Cadbury.
Brodie is a highly experienced and qualified tutor who relates particularly well to young people, making him a popular tutor among our Kids’ and Teens’ classes. He has also written and directed many short films for previous and current APS Short Film Festival, including The Message Man which was voted most popular teens film in 2017, and Super Super which won best picture in the kids division in 2016.
Anthony Pepe ~ Vocal Coach / Music Theatre
Anthony graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in 2009. He is a multi-skilled actor, dancer and vocalist with many years’ teaching and tutoring experience.
Anthony’s performing credits include playing Mendel in ‘Fiddler on the Roof ‘(TML Enterprises), covering and performing the iconic Child Catcher role in ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ (TML Enterprises), Will Parker in Oklahoma (IAJ International and ‘Irene In Concert’ (Peach Productions). For The Production Company Anthony has appeared in ‘Curtains’ as Harv Fremont, ‘Showboat’ as Pete, ‘The Boy From Oz’ covering and performing the role of Greg, ‘Chess,’ ‘The Producers,’ ‘Anything Goes’ and ‘Sugar.’ Anthony has also appeared on the television show ‘Neighbours.’
Jacinta O’Leary ~ Music Theatre
Jacinta is a qualified Primary School Teacher specialising in the performing arts. Jacinta’s classes at APS are a big hit with the kids and they are always filled with young stars learning the skills to start a career in Musical Theatre. Students in her class put on two musicals a year where they are staged in beautiful theatres in the Melbourne area.
Zoe Nichols ~ Kids, Music Theatre
Zoe is a young, exciting and vibrant teacher who is loved by our younger students.
Zoe was a long time student of APS and has trained in our facility for over five years, as well as having trained extensively at the Stella Adler Academy in Hollywood.
She is currently into her second year of our Full Time Professional acting program. Zoe has been involved in many stage productions and has also had many appearances in Television Commercials and a performing stint on Royal Caribbean cruises.
In addition to teaching our Junior Kids Screen Acting Class, Zoe also assists with tutoring our Music Theatre classes.
Naomi Derrick ~ Kids, Music Theatre
Naomi is one of our most popular tutors amongst the little ones, particularly in our Music Theatre classes. One of the directors of APS and Smallfry children’s talent agency, Naomi has a long history in showbusiness spanning decades. Having always been involved in the performing arts, she raised four sons each of whom have had successful careers in stage, television and film. Naomi has also been involved in many of APS’ short films in her capacity as producer and executive producer over the years.
Her solid inside knowledge of the industry, her decades of experience, her uncanny ability to identify talent and her dedication to nurturing young talent are just a few of the qualities which make Naomi such a successful and popular tutor.
Naomi is also a talented and experienced photographer and owner of SnapMe Photography, a successful photo studio specialising in Theatrical and Corporate Headshots, live Performing Arts photography, Portraiture and Wedding Photography.
Esther Van Doornum ~ Voice Over
Esther is a NIDA graduate and has worked in film, TV and theatre for the past 20 years. She has appeared in TV shows such as ‘Water Rats’, ‘All Saints’ and ‘Jack Irish’. She recently completed two short films – ‘Bird’ and ‘To the Sea’. In 2001 she worked with the Bell Shakespeare Company appearing in ‘Anthony and Cleopatra’ and ‘Julius Caesar’. Esther also works extensively as a voice over artist. She recently worked with voice and acting teacher Patsy Rodenburg.
We welcome Esther as a guest tutor of the Voice-Over unit in our Full Time Program
Claire Pearson ~ Acting, Animal Unit
A core tutor of the APS full time program, Claire is a Melbourne based actor with over 10 years experience across theatre, film, voice, children’s entertainment, writing and production. She trained at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) in 2008. In 2011, Claire received grants from the Ian Potter Foundation: Cultural Trust and Arts Queensland to study Shakespeare at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA, London).
Claire has worked with Queensland Theatre Company, Laboite Theatre Company, Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble, Queensland Ballet, High Tide Theatre Company & Only Connect (London), Playwriting Australia, Dead Puppet Society, The Good Room, Underground Cinema (Melbourne), Boutique Theatre, HoyPolloy/ Act-o-matic 3000 and has performed at the Brisbane Festival and the Adelaide Fringe Festival. Claire wrote and produced the sell out seasons of “Battlefield Blues” for the 2015 Melbourne Fringe Festival and ‘Mona Brow Williams presents…’ a one woman show, for the Anywhere Theatre Festival at Roma Street Parkland, Brisbane, 2013. Claire’s feature film work includes JUCY, All my friends are leaving Brisbane and Reef n Beef. In 2008, she won the Warner Roadshow Studio’s Queensland New Filmmaker Award for Best Female Actress in the short film, ‘Years’.
Jessica Window ~ Acting
Jessica has spent most of her life in the field of Performance. In her early years predominately in musical theatre, and as a dancer in Perth WA. She then spent almost 3 years traveling the world and performing in numerous shows along the way; and picking up a few languages too. As a young adult she moved to Melbourne and went back to study completing a Diploma in Theatre Arts, which later earned her a full scholarship to study at Nottingham University (UK) doing her Honours in Performing Arts. When returning home to Melbourne she finished up with her studies with yet another degree; Bachelor of Creative Arts: Majoring in Acting, Shakespeare, Screenwriting and Musical Theatre. She loves teaching and sharing in the years of her experience. Particularly for students wishing to further their education after high-school, or doing private one-on-one audition preparation courses.
Robert Shook ~ Acting, Stage Combat
Robert is a professional actor, stuntman and specialty entertainer with 25 years of experience in stage, screen and television. He is a graduate of Drake University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts emphasis in Acting.
Robert worked for 15 years in Los Angeles. His film and television credits there include: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Days of our Lives, Profiler, Weird Science, To the Ends of Time. In live performance Robert was the fight director and understudy for the Droogs for the Company of Angels production of ‘A Clockwork Orange.’ In LA Robert has been involved in over 20 different live stunt shows and has performed over 12,000 high falls.
Robert is a member of the Screen Actor Guild, American Federation of Radio and Television Artists and has a Stunt Actor grading through Actors Equity. His Australia credits include: I Frankenstein, The Pacific, Knowing, Underbelly, Jeffrey Wright’s Macbeth, Winners and Losers, City Homicide, Rush, Tripping Over, Ned Kelly, Bastard Boys, Salem’s Lot, The Extra, McLeod’s Daughters, Neighbours, Ponderosa, Stingers, Surprise and various TVC’s.
Robert’s love is live theatre and he has provided fight direction and/or action training for the Melbourne Theatre Company, VCA, Australian Shakespeare Company, National Theatre, Red Stitch Theatre and Cheltenham Light Opera Co.
Robert currently teaches ongoing classes and workshops in Action, Acro and Acting for adults and kids. Robert also provides private training geared to the professional or student by teaching and cultivating a wide range of skills.
Elisha Moore ~ Kids
Elisha Moore, born in Melbourne Australia has recently directed and written the short film Unforgotten featured in 2018. Last year Elisha went to the States to do a workshop in Los Angeles at Stella Adler, where she had a life-changing experience and earned herself a scholarship. Elisha has been a part of Acting Performance Studio completing her second year at the Full Time Program.
She also studied at Swinburne University completing a Theatre Arts course which led her to continue learning.
Whilst living in Amsterdam, Elisha had the opportunity to work with Theadora Voutsa for the International Theatre English company for the play Antigone.
Since being at Acting Performance Studio, Elisha is inspired to continue her career as an actress, writer and director and is excited to see what the future brings.