Theatre Masterclass w/ Anna Houston

Course Overview

The studio is thrilled to welcome back actor and coach Anna Houston. This six week series is a Theatre scene study workshop in which each applicant will be running partnered scenes or monologues under the guidance and direction of Anna. Anna’s fifteen years of acting experience studying at both NIDA and under Philippe Gaulier in Paris, as well as her extensive theatre and directing credits will give students both the necessary structure as well as ‘mess, chaos and play’ to classic theatre texts. 

It’s easy as an actor to imagine that there’s a “right” way to perform – that, somehow, there’s a perfect version of a performance that actors should strive to capture and repeat, night after night in the theatre. But perfection in theatre is at odds with what makes it most exciting: mess, chaos, play. This six week series is about moving past the idea of getting it right and embracing the concept of play. You’ll be working on the very best contemporary and classical monologues and scenes, understanding how text analysis and technical training can meet the principles of Le Jeu and complicite’ to create work that is exciting, free and truly theatrical.

This class is the perfect opportunity to stretch yourself in a safe and friendly environment whilst also exploring material alongside professional working actors. Ideally the series will become a focused and motivated hot house for you to reach the next level as an actor and artist. 

“Amazing and encouraging 8 weeks with this fabulous teacher. Anna will help you unleash your inner child, find absolute pleasure and freedom on stage and reconnect with the human inside you. Playing games and staying focused as an ensemble were two great tools that I won. Thanks legend!” – Laura Questa

“Anna is such a warm person who’s able to make you feel comfortable immediately and has incredible insights in script analysis and as an acting coach.“ – Chelsea Hamre

About Anna Houston

Anna is an actor, playwright and director deeply invested in the process and mechanics of storytelling for live performance. She is the Artistic Director of Empress Theatre.

In 2004 she graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) with a Bachelor of Dramatic Arts in Acting. In 2010 she spent twelve months training with Philippe Gaulier in Paris.

As a professional actor, she has performed for the Sydney Theatre Company, Bell Shakespeare Company, Belvoir St Theatre, Griffin Theatre Company, Darlinghurst Theatre Company, Perth Theatre Company and Sport for Jove. Her work as an actor has taken her around Australia on five national tours, and internationally to Europe and Asia for commercial theatre productions that include the West End hit ‘Woman in Black’, and the National Theatre of UK’s production of ‘War Horse’.

In 2009 she wrote her first full length play ‘In The Garden’, which was long listed for the 2010 Patrick White Award, presented by the Sydney Theatre Company. In 2010, ‘In The Garden’ was produced by Deckchair Theatre Company in Fremantle, Western Australia. Her second full length play ‘Vanessa Darling’ was selected by Play Writing Australia for a National Script Workshop in 2015.

Anna most recently directed ‘Cyprus Avenue’ at the Old Fitz Theatre.