Experiment. Create. Perform.

Designed for young actors ready to take their performance skills to the next level, this dynamic workshop explores a variety of theatre styles and genres, supporting participants to become versatile performers and creative theatre makers.

Guided by professional teaching artist, Bethany Simons, participants will develop audition techniques through monologue performance, discover the power of physical theatre to tell compelling stories and collaborate on scripted scene work to strengthen ensemble skills and text interpretation. These practical skills provide a strong foundation for any future production.

The workshop concludes with a showcase performance, where students will present their work to family and friends!

This is the third and final series in our Launchpad school holiday workshops for 2026. It’s not too late to join in! We welcome new and returning participants as we work towards further performance opportunities in 2027.  

Teaching Artist: Bethany Simons

Bethany is an award-winning Australian writer, actor, director and teaching artist hailing from regional New South Wales. She creates character and story-based performance works across stage and screen, and is committed to collecting and preserving the stories of underrepresented groups. She is currently based in Sydney as a teaching artist with NIDA Open and Australian Theatre for Young People, a lead facilitating artist with Milk Crate Theatre, and freelance creative.

Her original stage productions (The Weather and Your Health and Reception: The Musical) each received numerous industry awards and nominations including ‘Best New Writing for the Australian Stage’, ‘Best Independent Female Performer’, ‘Best Original Songs’, and ‘Best Cabaret’. Both works were selected for the VCE Drama Curriculum in Victoria (2012 and 2015) and have toured extensively with Regional Arts Victoria, Melbourne Fringe and Critical Stages to more than 60 regional and metropolitan venues across Australia.

In 2012, Bethany was awarded the RAVE Touring Award for ‘outstanding contribution to regional arts and culture’ in recognition of her grass-roots approach to post-show community engagement which always involves supper and a space for audiences to share their own stories.