Join the Fright Club Screen Actors Workshop with Perform Australia

Next intake: 6 May - 24 June
Enrolments close 12pm 6 May, unless booked out prior.

Class details

When: 7.30pm-9.30pm Wednesday nights, from 6 May through to 24 June
Where: Perform Australia Studios, 11 Whyalla St, Fyshwick ACT
Cost: $350
​Ages: 15+
Ghosts. Monsters. Zombies. Vampires. And blood... lots of blood... Do you have a penchant for horror films? Love a thriller? Then this acting course might be the one for you!

The Fright Club Screen Actors Workshop is a chance for you to develop your screen acting skills while exploring the horror/thriller genre. 

Drawing on scripts such as The Conjuring, Wolf Creek, Dawn of the Dead, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Babadook, and The Birds, your tutor will take you through a range of acting exercises to extend your capacity as an actor.

You'll consider elements unique to the genre - the jump scare, the psychology of fear, taking it slow and creating suspense as a performer, cinematic techniques, and the role of sound and music in enhancing the performance. 

You'll get to workshop some fabulous scenes with fellow actors and examine what's required to execute a strong horror scene.

Why you should do this course right now

Reason #1: Your tutor knows what he's talking about

​Brendan Kelly is an actor, writer, director and producer in film and theatre.

... As well as a horror film afficionado. So he knows what he's talking about. He received his training at the Canberra Academy of Dramatic Art, now known as Perform Australia, gaining his Advanced Diploma of Performance. Since then he’s been active in the Canberra theatre and film community, achieving accolades for short films written and produced in the ACT, most notably his short, Dying Art, which has been shown in festivals around the world. His film Punctured appeared in the New York City Independent Film Festival in 2019, while his film Social Media Duel  was the winner of the Best Two-Minute Film in the Canberra Short Film Festival in 2015, to name only a few of his works. He's also been seen on Canberra's stages professionally as an actor, having appeared in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged (Honest Puck Theatre, 2015), Henry Five (Honest Puck Theatre, 2016), and as the lead role of The Actor in the mysterious ghost story, The Woman In Black in May 2019.  Brendan's going to be drawing on his own skills and techniques in teaching you about acting in the horror/thriller genre. ​

Reason #2: You'll improve your skills as an actor.

Whether this is your first time acting for the camera, or you're an old hand, you'll be able to develop your skills as a screen actor in this course. You'll be able to work with your scene partners to workshop a range of scripts while also working on some skills that are particular to the horror actor. Need to know how to move like a zombie?  Or run from one, for the camera? It's  not as easy as it sounds! - and you'll try it in this course. You'll also work on the classic facial expressions you need the camera to capture: from fear, to surprise, to terror to relief. What are the subtle differences? How do you convey them? You'll look at some of these and improve your skills as an actor through that experience. 

Reason #3: It'll be fun and challenging

Our courses at Perform Australia are designed to both educate and entertain. So you'll have fun as you meet and work with other actors, and you'll also have fun learning the actor's craft. That's not to say there won't be challenges - because not everyone's seen themselves on screen before. There's a vulnerability when you act for the camera... and again when you watch the footage back. This can be daunting for the most seasoned of actors. But truth be told, it's a great way to learn. Acting on stage, you rarely have the chance to see what you look like - but the camera sees all. So while it might be challenging to watch yourself on screen, you'll also be able to see how to improve your performance with every take. Our classes are conducted in a good-natured and supportive atmosphere, so you'll have fun but also feel like you're learning. ​

More reasons to join this course

​#5: You get to work in a fully-equipped studio

​Perform Australia has a fantastic screen studio with state-of-the-art equipment at our premises in Fyshwick. You get to experience it when you do this course. So if you are thinking about professional acting, or you already are one, you'll become familiar with the equipment and expectations when working in film. ​

#6: You'll join the Perform Australia community

When you do a course at Perform Australia, you meet your "tribe". You'll meet other actors - people to network with, to work on projects with, and simply to dialogue with. Our students say they enjoy being a part of our artistic community.

What our students say

I have never really done acting before, but have always wanted to give it a go. Now that I have, I am in love - so I will be looking to continue learning."
​- Alexandria