12-month Teen Program
Ages 13-18 | 10:00am – 4:00pm (with a 1 hr lunch break) | Feb 1st - Dec 6th (follows school term base) | | 20 Haughton Road, Oakleigh
What to bring: healthy lunch, snacks, water bottle, and USB or SD card
TAFTA’s Full Year Advanced Teen Program is a brand-new initiative designed to elevate emerging actors and prepare them for the realities of the professional screen industry. Across four intensive blocks, you’ll explore every facet of on-set life, refining your craft and developing the confidence, discipline, and technique needed to excel in front of the camera.
Throughout the program, you’ll work closely with industry professionals who will challenge you, inspire you, and help you unlock your full potential. Each block focuses on a key element of screen performance, from mastering scene work and understanding technical requirements, to developing character depth and adapting to the fast-paced nature of a film set.
Classes will be on Sundays, with a few Saturdays added to satisfy program needs.
Class time, 10am - 4pm, with a one hour lunch break.
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Dates:
Sunday, 1st of February - Sunday, 29th of March
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Dates:
Sunday, 19th of April - Sunday, 21st of June
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Dates:
Sunday, 12th of July - Sunday, 13th of September.
Including Saturday the 12th of September
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Dates:
Saturday, 3rd of October - Sunday, 6th of December.
Including Saturday, 3rd of October, Saturday, 17th of October and Saturday, 5th of December
What is covered in the program?
Audition Technique: Learn how to prepare, shoot, and deliver a standout self-tape. Discover the techniques casting directors look for, how to handle fast turnarounds, and how to make bold, confident choices that let your individuality shine.
Short Film Prep: Get ready to bring your creative ideas to life. You’ll pitch your short film concepts, collaborate with your classmates, and decide as a group which story will become your end-of-year production. This phase is all about collaboration, storytelling, and creative leadership.
Emotions: Master a safe, sustainable technique to access emotion without relying on recall or memory of past experiences. Through this physiological approach, you’ll learn to express truthfully and freely, connecting to real emotion in the moment, without strain or distress.
Scene Work: It’s time to put everything into practice. Work through a range of scenes that challenge your craft and deepen your understanding of authentic, grounded performance. Learn to connect with your scene partner, analyze text, and bring your character to life with truth and clarity.
Improv: Improv builds confidence, freedom, and creativity. Through dynamic exercises and play, you’ll learn to trust your instincts, think on your feet, and respond truthfully — unlocking spontaneity and emotional flow in every performance.
Character Analysis: Learn to break down a script, discover your character’s motivations, and embody them fully. This module explores physicality, psychology, and voice, giving you the tools to transform into someone entirely new while staying connected to truth and authenticity.
US Accent: With more American productions filming in Australia, mastering a convincing US accent is essential. Under the guidance of a professional dialect coach, you’ll refine your pronunciation, rhythm, and tone to sound natural, confident, and screen-ready.
R.P: Expand your versatility with Received Pronunciation, the clear, non-regional British accent used in countless films, television series, and theatre productions. You’ll learn how to shape sounds, control your breath, and bring sophistication and precision to your speech.
Writing: Once your group’s short film concept is chosen, you’ll collaborate with a professional writer to bring it to life. Learn the fundamentals of screenwriting, structure, character arcs, and story development, and see how actors and writers work hand-in-hand to create compelling scripts.
Get Set: Learn how a professional film set operates. From crew roles and communication to call sheets and on-set etiquette. You’ll gain a clear understanding of how to move confidently through production days and adapt to the environment of real-world filmmaking.
Comedy Capers: Comedy is an art form that demands timing, rhythm, and truth. In this module, you’ll explore the world of sitcoms, farce, sketch comedy, and iconic TV series from Australia, the UK, and the US. Learn what makes comedy work and how to deliver it with confidence and precision.
Showreel: Your professional profile starts here. Work with our team to select, rehearse, and shoot a studio scene that highlights your range and individuality. Complete your actor profile with updated headshots that showcase your unique brand.
Short Film: The program culminates in a fully produced short film, your capstone project. Shot on location with professional equipment, this experience gives you invaluable on-set exposure. This final product will be submitted to the Short Film Festival circuit, depending where appropriate. After it’s festival run you will get a copy for your portfolio.
Meet the teachers:
John Orcsik: John Orcsik is a distinguished Australian actor, screenwriter, director, and producer whose career spans nearly six decades. He launched his screen career in 1967 on Bellbird, followed by roles on Crawford Productions series such as Homicide, Division 4, and Matlock Police. His breakout role came in 1978 as Detective Mike Georgiou on Cop Shop, where he starred in over 550 episodes until the show's finale in 1983. Reflecting on his time on set, Orcsik shared how “It was bloody hard work, sometimes 17‑hour days, but it was also such fun”.
Nathalie Antonia: Nathalie Antonia is an award-winning writer and improviser with a career spanning the UK, Australia, and the U.S. She has written and improvised alongside some of the world’s funniest talent, and has created sketch shows and award-winning short films in Los Angeles. Now based in Melbourne, she runs the hit improv show No Scripts Given, featuring an all-star cast, and is currently developing original projects for television.
Osamah Sami: Osamah Sami is an award-winning Australian actor, writer, and comedian. He recently starred in Sundance Film Festival Opening Night and Audience Award Winning film 'Shayda', in which his performance earned him his second Australian Academy (AACTA) Award nomination for Best Lead Actor. He is also the co-writer and star of Sydney Film Festival Audience Award-winner, the hit Australian rom-com 'Ali's Wedding'.
Tyler Coppin: American born and raised Tyler Coppin is one of Australia’s earliest coaches of the US Accent having started during the 80’s wave of Aussie actors to Hollywood. Today he continues to train many of the actors of our young and exciting generation. A few of his past clients are Heath Ledger, Madeleine Madden, Melissa George, Joel Edgerton, Magda Szubanski, Ben Mendelsohn, and Mavournee Hazel (Piper Willis from Neighbours). Actors and students love working with Tyler because of his passionate, warm and thorough approach that gets them the results they want.
David Willing: David Willing is a writer/director based in Melbourne Australia. David studied Film & TV at Deakin University and his graduation film Disintegration received the highest honours and screened at Longford Cinema along with the MUFF and Eyecandy film festivals. In 2019 he launched Screenplay Method’s 1 Step-A-Day Screenplay, an online Screenwriting resource he developed after 15 years experience teaching 1000’s of Screenwriters and Filmmakers.
How do I apply?
This program is designed for those teens who are serious in a career in Film and Television. Participation is via audition process only.
Auditions are open now and close on the 23rd of January.
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Total price $4,950
Payment Plans available:
½ Year, 2× $2,700
OR
¼ Year, 4× $1,400
Deposit of $1,000 on acceptance and balance paid by the end of the first term.