An acting career presents unique challenges to individuals which are in many ways, more significant than other industries.
Acting is highly competitive – employment is mostly short term or contractual – the acting process demands a lot of the individual – and the security of things like permanent, consistent and regular employment often evades the working actor.
Having said all of that, acting is a highly rewarding, important and honourable profession. We have an obligation to protect our artistic culture and those who participate to create it. Actor’s wellbeing has in recent times become more at the front of organisations such as MEAA, who have championed for the individual artist.
I was of the firm belief that education be the starting point to building a more sustainable, resilient and self aware community of future actors. I wanted to empower actors in training with distinct skills in order to better manage their health and wellbeing and as such, setting them up with practical tools to build a long and healthy career as performing artists. I was aware of the work of Sydney University and in particular Dr Mark Seton, who completed his PhD studies in the area of actor’s health and wellbeing. I approached Mark at the end of 2016 to work with me to create a program in our acting course to bring these principles to the next generation of actors in training.
The result was The Working Actor Program which runs throughout our Diploma course. I’m very proud of what Mark and I were able to achieve with this and that AFTT responded early to these needs to claim its space as a responsible actor training institution that is committed to empowering each of our students to build long, healthy and rewarding careers in the vibrant and evolving performing arts industry.
To learn more about studying acting, click here.