an actor’s job is to personally and confrontingly respond to the text and the moment
~ John Orcsik - TAFTA Artistic Director
In great acting, the character emerges from within you, based on the circumstances of the text and the reality of the moment.
At TAFTA, we teach truthful and honest acting for screen that will expose yourself to the danger and excitement of living truthfully in the moment and find confidence and freedom in front of the camera.
WHY IS TAFTA RIGHT FOR ME?
TAFTA’s Full Time and Part Time curriculum, and Short Courses and Workshops are designed specifically to maximise your ability to communicate feeling, emotion, and story through the camera. As a result, TAFTA is suited for any actor looking to work in the Film & TV industry. After developing the fundamentals of acting, almost all of your training will be done in front of a camera, developing your confidence for on-set work and as a visual storyteller. You also have the opportunity to take your recorded footage home to study further in your own time.
Along the way you will learn often overlooked skills and techniques that will be invaluable to you over your career as an actor. You will learn how to produce emotions on cue, understand the ins and outs of all steps in the filmmaking process, as well as developing the fortitude needed to thrive in this industry.
At TAFTA, we pride ourselves on the TAFTA community that come in and out of our doors. We often have current and past students come in to produce their own work, shoot self tapes and seek career advice. As a TAFTA student you will be part of this community and you will be the first to hear of offers, opportunities and industry events.
“The help, support, guidance, care, and passion of the TAFTA team will give anyone the best opportunity they can get to pursue their acting dream. I recommend TAFTA to anyone looking for an acting start.”
— ARIA TAYLOR | Charlie Says, Counter Play
OUR TEAM
A team of Working Actors Behind the scenes to produce working actors on our screens
JOHN ORCSIK
FOUNDER & Artistic DIRECTOR
John Orcsik is a Writer, Director and Actor, known for his work on stage, the small screen and the silver screen over the last 60 years. John started TAFTA on the Gold Coast in 1994 and has since been sharing his insights into the Film and Television industry with students across Australia for the past twenty-five years, helping nurture local and international actors. During this period, John developed and perfected his unique and powerful ‘Emotions’ technique, which is not taught at any other acting school in the world.
He has performed in countless Australian film and television productions with major sustaining roles in numerous TV series and continues to work as an actor alongside his desire for mentoring new generations of performers.
John’s Film & Television credits include: Cop Shop, Neighbours, Home & Away, Casino Reef, Stingers, The Saddle Club, The Condemned, Pawno, The Doctor Blake Mysteries, and, more recently in 2021, Superwog and New Gold Mountain.
TIRION JONES
ERIN FORD
Throughout her teenage years, Erin was extremely passionate about musical theatre and decided to put her energy purely into the creative arts when she reached 17.
As important as the city is whilst being in the industry, Erin finds herself immersed in nature, whether it be horse riding, camping, being by the beach, or going on road trip getaways.
Being a people person, Erin is excited to see what life’s journey brings over the coming years with her acting and modelling.
NOTABLE ALUMNI
OUR TEACHERS
Click the images below to read about our world class faculty - their experience, teaching philosophy, credits, examples of their work and the classes they run.
Melbourne
SASKIA HAMPELE
TEENS/BEGINNERS | SYDNEY
Saskia teaches TAFTA's Teens and Beginners classes in Sydney. Her acting credits include Neighbours, City Homicide, The Heights and A Few Less Men. She is based in America and Australia working as an actress, entrepreneur and acting coach, and has a thorough understanding of screen acting and techniques required to have a successful career in the film business. As one of the Australian Women's Weekly - Women of The Future winners in 2017, Saskia is an excellent role model to young actors.
ANNELIESE APPS
ACTING COACH | SYDNEY
At the end of 2016, Anneliese Apps graduated from WAAPA. Upon graduation, Anneliese was awarded the Inaugural Equity Neighbours internship, which saw her spending some very valuable time on the set of Neighbours. Since then, she has had experience in both TV and film, playing the character of Beth Ellis in Home and Away, and Brigid Payne in the 2019 Australian Film ‘Ride Like a Girl’.
Anneliese has also had plenty of training and experience in theatre. Among the many roles that she has played, she has enjoyed performing in a plethora of Shakespearean plays, playing the characters of 'Hero' in Much Ado About Nothing, 'Lady Macbeth' in Macbeth, and 'Volumnia' in Coriolanus- which was toured to Greece and performed in an amphitheatre on the island of Hydra. During WAAPA, Anneliese won the female Sally Burton Award for best Shakespearean Monologue, playing the role of 'Phoebe' from As You Like It.
Since graduating from WAAPA, Anneliese has also realised her passion for teaching. She loves sharing everything that she has learnt from her acting work and training, with students of all ages.
NATASHA MCNAMARA
VOICE/US ACCENT | SYDNEY
Natasha McNamara is a vocal expert with over 10 years experience as a voice coach. As a voice coach, Natasha has a versatile teaching style. She has been both a professional actor and voice teacher and thus has a unique understanding of the student experience and industry expectations.
Her teachings cater to discovering the individual student’s unique voice and empowering them to use that voice. Natasha‘s accent work on film and stage covers Standard American, New York, Southern, English Received Pronunciation, Russian, Irish and accent modification.
ANGUS MCLAREN
ACTING COACH | SYDNEY
Angus has been acting in major film and television productions since the age of 12, accumulating starring roles in TV series such as Something in the Air, Worst Best Friends, The Saddle Club and Fergus McPhail, along with guest roles on Blue Heelers, Comedy Inc and a recurring role on Neighbours. After a stint on H2O: Just Add Water and his well-known series regular role on Packed to the Rafters. Most recently, Angus played a supporting role in the incredible Hotel Mumbai and the lead in The Naked Wanderer along side comedy legend John Cleese.
After joining the Sydney Teens just this year, Angus has already helped one of our students secure a role with the feedback that this student's "acting was far above the other submissions". What a guy!
NATALIE SALEEBA
SCENE STUDY | SYDNEY
Natalie Saleeba is an Australian born actress best known for her roles as Jessica Singleton in the medical drama series All Saints, Rosie Cammeniti on Neighbours and as Doctor Abigail Albert on the Logie award winning series House Husbands on which she starred through seasons 1- 5. Most recently Natalie reprised her role as Melanie in the ABC comedy Utopia.
Natalie’s debut role was in feature film Under The Lighthouse Dancing alongside Naomi Watts, Jack Thompson and Jacqueline McKenzie. Other early credits include Corridors of Power opposite Jeremy Sims and Head Start.
Throughout her career Natalie has made regular guest appearances on many Australian TV shows including Tricky Business, Winners and Losers, Stingers, The Secret Life Of Us, Always Greener, Head Start, Corridors Of Power and Sweat as well as playing the lead role, Debs in the British Foxtel co-production Lovebytes. Natalie also played Melanie in the ABC1 series Utopia and most recently could be seen alongside Rachel Griffiths in Dead Lucky for SBS, directed by David Caesar, as well as in the short film The Craft, alongside Helen Thompson and Zoe Terakes.
Natalie was nominated for a TV Week Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent for her work on All Saints.
In 2015 Natalie completed a role in the feature film Truth, opposite Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford.
IAN WATSON
DIRECTOR | SYDNEY
Ian Watson has been directing for over 30 years. As a theatre director his credits include productions for the Melbourne and Adelaide State Theatre Companies, the Griffin Theatre Company, the Hunter Valley Theatre Company, the Victorian College of the Arts and the National Institute of Dramatic Art.
In television Ian has directed over 200 hours of drama, with credits that include, Heartbreak High, The Secret Life of Us, Seachange, Wildside, the cult US Si-fi series Farscape, White Collar Blue, Blackjack, All Saints, Tripping Over, East of Everything, the multi award winning and Emmy nominated, Love My Way, Carla Cametti P.D a six part miniseries for SBS, Satisfaction, Packed To The Rafters, Wicked Love:The Maria Korp Story, Rescue Special Ops, Killing Time, the Emmy nominated Dance Academy, Underbelly Badness and most recently, Janet King and Anzac Girls for the ABC, House Husbands for Channel 9.