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Darren
Natale
Artistic Director
Bachelor Dramatic Art (Acting) VCA
Cert IV Training and Assessment
Darren is the founder of Verve Studios.
An actor, singer, teacher, director, vocal advisor, theatre
maker and voice over artist, Darren has been a part of the
professional performance industry for many years.
He has appeared on stage in Mame, Sideshow Alley, Sunset
Boulevard and The Pajama Game, on television in Neighbours,
Blue Heelers and was writer/creator of two solo theatre
shows, Audacious and Velvet Tales. He also works in the
corporate sector, using theatre and actor training techniques
to facilitate better communication and performance.
Darren is a passionate and inspirational
teacher and director who has taught and directed in Melbourne
and country Victoria for many years.
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Hayley
Birch
General Manager
Hayley is a graduate of Verve
Studios Professional Actor Studio and Professional Actor Studio:
Film and Television. Her training at Verve Studios continues.
She has a strong passion for Verve Studios and everything
it represents. Her work in the office stands as a commitment
to making life at Verve Studios the best it can be for everyone
involved. As an actor and graduate
of Monash University with a BA (Behavioural Studies &
Criminology), her passion lies in the power of humanity,
the individual, creativity and the mind.
“Creativity is the power
to connect the seemingly unconnected” William Plomer
Email
Hayley |
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Katerina
Kokkinos-Kennedy
Senior Acting Teacher
Katerina Kokkinos-Kennedy
is is a VCA graduate with more than 20 years of experience
as a theatre maker, writer and actor trainer. Katerina’s
theatre work is text and image based and incorporates movement,
video and photography. Katerina’s practice is currently
pre-occupied with interrogating the role of the live audience
and her recent works have experimented with both site-specificity
and audience-interactivity. Katerina won the Ewa Czajor Memorial
Award for directors (1997), the Friends of the VCA Travel
Award (2000) and an Ian Potter Study/Travel Award (2001).
She has worked in a variety of roles including; a VCA actor
trainer and curriculum writer (1998-2003), artistic coordinator
of 96f arts incubator (2002-2004), and as a feature arts writer
for Artshub UK (2005 and 2006). In 2007 she was awarded a
postgraduate research scholarship at Monash University. |
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Spencer
McLaren
Senior Acting Teacher
Bachelor Dramatic Art (NIDA)
With over 18 years industry experience Spencer is a graduate
of the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) full time
acting course. He has also toured the country as a regular
tutor for NIDA and it’s open program. His acting experience
has encompassed film, television, radio serials, theatre and
music theatre. Credits include TV: The Secret life of Us,
City Homicide, All Saints, McLeod’s Daughters and Home
and Away. Film: Out of Order, and BURN (in production). Theatre:
Fully Committed, Julius Caesar, Holding the Man, 12 Angry
Man. Music Theatre: Footloose, Beauty & the Beast, CATS,
West Side Story, Priscilla.
Spencer also works as a film and TV producer with 7 projects
currently in development. |
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Joshua
Hewitt
Senior Acting Teacher
Bachelor Dramatic Art (Acting)
VCA
Bachelor Teaching (Primary/Secondary)
Joshua is an actor, theatremaker
and a teacher.
After graduating from the VCA, he has worked predominately
within the Melbourne theatre scene in such shows as The
Champion Male, Conquest of the South Pole, Bash, Wounds
to the Face & Arabian Night. He is also currently writing
and devising his first solo work. As a teacher, Joshua has
taught acting and performance at various locations across
Melbourne. |
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Paola
Unger
Senior Acting Teacher
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting
(University of Victoria, Canada)
Bachelor of Education, Secondary
Post Graduate Diploma in Theatre Direction (VCA)
She has been an actor trainer in Canada for 10 years, working
mostly with youth. Throughout her theatre practice, she has
drawn on modern acting practices such as those developed by
Stanford Meisner and Uta Hagen. Paola has worked extensively
in improvisation and with text and movement-based performance.
Most recently, she has completed a Post Graduate Diploma in
Performance Making at the VCA, continuing her interrogation
of different approaches to performance, like those of Lindy
Davies, Suzuki, Viewpoints and Pulse. She loves teaching and
is passionate about questioning and learning. |
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Gary Abrahams
Senior Acting Teacher
A recent graduate of the VCA with a Masters in Theatre Making, Gary Abrahams has worked as an actor, dramaturg, writer and director for many years in Australia, South Africa and the UK. He has worked as a dramaturg at the Playwriting Australia National Script Workshop and was one of two Australians to attend the Lincoln Centre Theatre Directors Lab in New York.
His first production in Australia as both writer and director was the recent Acts of Deceit at La Mama Courthouse (2010 Midsumma Festival). Other directing and performing credits include Jerker (2009 Midsumma Festival, director/performer), Something Natural but Very Childish (2006, London, director), Like Stars In My Hands (2008, performer) and Bison (2004, performer).
His writing has been published by the Australian Script Centre, and his works have been performed at The London Institute of Contemporary Art and London Hen and Chicken Theatre. He is currently working as a dramaturg for Red Stitch Actors Theatre. |
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Nicholas Coghlan
Film/TV Acting Teacher
Bachelor Dramatic Art (NIDA)
Nicholas has worked extensively in film and television with leading roles in The Secret Life Of Us (Ch. 10), and Orange Roughies (N.Z.1). He has appeared in Star Wars III (dir. George Lucas), Canal Road (CH.9), Carla Cametti P.D. (SBS), City Homicide (CH. 7), and Whatever Happened To That Guy (Ruby Entertainment). His theatre acting credits include: The Threepenny Opera (Company B, Belvoir St Theatre); Blasted (B#, Belvoir St Theatre); Vampirella (Darlinghurst); Hellbent (Red Stitch Theatre); A Man For All Seasons (MTC); and Two (The Melbourne Town Players).
Nicholas is the co-Artistic Director of The Melbourne Town Players. He co-wrote, production managed and produced TMTP’s first production, Sandwiches, and was dramaturg, production co-ordinator and producer of their second production, Attract/Repel, which won the 2009 Melbourne Fringe Kultour award.
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Jenny
Lovell
Senior Acting Teacher
Jenny
has been performing on stage, screen and TV for over 20 years.
TV includes PRISONER, BLUE HEELERS, MDA and SENSING MURDER.
Film work includes PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, GALLIPOLI and DARKNESS
FALLS. Jenny has been performing as an improvisor since 1987
in Sydney, Melbourne and at international festivals in San
Francisco, Seattle, Hong Kong and Edmonton, Canada. She has
been part of the development of Theatresports™ in Sydney
and Melbourne performing on stage and in corporate and school
performances. Jenny is a 2004 Green Room nominee for her performances
in IRON (Red Stitch) and DEAD TRAGIC (which she also produced
for Impro Melbourne).
In 2002 she was an International Fellow to the Globe Theatre
and has trained with international teachers: Andrew Wade,
Rowena Baylos and Stewart Pearce (Voice); Keith Johnstone
(improvisation); Shishir Kurup and Randy Dixon (creating performance). |
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Chris
Snow
Voice and Accent Teacher
Christopher Snow BA, ATCL, Cert
TESOL, has been a voice teacher, actor and director in Sydney
and Melbourne over the past 30 years. He trained with Yat
Malmgren at the Drama Centre London working on integrating
voice and speech work with Laban and Carpenter’s Movement
Psychology. He has been tutoring in voice and speech at Monash
University for the past 9 years and has been a voice coach
for many productions there, as well as the creator of the
Lifestories series of spoken performances. Recently, he appeared
as the narrator in Four Grand Narratives at Danceworks which
subsequently toured to Canberra, Wollongong, and Sydney; as
the narrator for A Soldiers Tale at the Alexander Theatre;
and directed Eight Songs for a Mad King by Peter Maxwelll
Davies for the Music in the Round Festival.
Screen credits include All Saints, Water Rats, and the Midnight
Oil music video Redneck Wonderland. He was the accent coach
for ‘I Love You, Bro’ recently seen at the Malthouse. |
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Petra Kalive
Voice and Accent
Petra graduated from WAAPA (Acting 04), where she developed a love of comedy, character roles and voice. Since then she has diversified into directing, writing and teaching as well. In an attempt to support and encourage new Australian work Petra has formed the production company Two Blue Cherries. Her most recent screen credits include a lead-supporting role in Underbelly, Blue Heelers, City Homicide,Tripping Over and various short films. Theatre credits include; Adelaide Festival Centre, Melbourne Playback, Complete Works, VCA Directors season. As a director Petra has freelanced and worked for St Martins, Short and Sweet (Judges choice) and Holmesglen TAFE. Petra is an award- winning playwright and dramaturge, having adapted a Peter Goldsworthy novel for the stage, written and performed her one-woman comedy show, Afraid People and is currently developing a number of future projects. Her next project is directing The Paul Kelly Project for St Martins Youth Arts Centre. |
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Tamara
Searle
Movement / Physical Performance Teacher
Tamara loves Kafka's quote that a good book can be the axe
that breaks the frozen sea inside. She believes that performance
can be this too, that's why she is a theatre maker. Tamara
trained as a dancer at the Australian Ballet School and worked
with the AB in productions of Don Quixote and Manon. She subsequently
trained as an actor at The National Theatre Drama School and
with numerous independent practitioners. She has worked in
theatre (The Winters Tale, 11th Hour theatre), film (The Book
of Revelation, Ana Kokkinos) and TV (Russell Coights Celebrity
Challenge) and leads community theatre projects. She is the
recipient of a 2007 Asialink Performing Arts Award and a 2009
Australian Postgraduate Award for performance research.
“I
find that teaching informs my practice and I feel privileged
to share the form with students.". |
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Yvonne
Virsik
Senior Acting Teacher
Post Graduate Diploma in Theatre
Direction (VCA)
Yvonne Virsik’s highly acclaimed production of Adam
Cass’ I Love You, Bro recently enjoyed a successful
season at the Malthouse and is now touring the UK. In a previous
collaboration with Three to a Room she directed An Air Balloon
Across Antarctica for the Edinburgh Fringe. Yvonne has worked
with companies including MTC, St Martins, Red Stitch, Theatre
in Decay, Theatre @ Risk and La Mama. She is a graduate of
Directing at the VCA where she was awarded the Yvonne Taylor
scholarship. Since 2003, Yvonne has been the Artistic Director
of Student Theatre at Monash University, where she has directed
pieces such as Declan Greene’s Bog and Laugh Out Loud;
The Crucible and Accidental Death of an Anarchist and has
mentored hundreds of young theatre makers.
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Bree Hartley
Admin Assistant
Bree completed her BA in Media Studies at RMIT in 2002. She was the Administrative Assistant at La Mama theatre from 2004 – 2008, participating in the successful national fundraising campaign to buy the building. She first performed at La Mama in Framing Piece (1990) and has since performed in over 10 Lloyd Jones directed pieces there including Men and Women At…Warrr!, Almost Nothing About Nothingness, The Seer, The Horr-r! The Horr-r! The Horr-r!, 9000 seconds…why? [because], Where the Land Lays (as part of the La Mama 40th Birthday Explorations Season 2007), and was a musician in theatre in decay’s The Lobotomist: A 10 Minute Musical as part of the Short & Sweet Festival at the Victorian Arts Centre in 2007.
She is the drummer for local band Manny Fox Hangman’s Club and Canadian singer/songwriter Tracy McNeil. She is currently the General Manager of The Dog Theatre – a new independent venue in Footscray, winner of Best Venue: Melbourne Fringe Festival Awards 2009, and Best New Venue: Green Room Awards 2009.
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Casual and Specialist Teaching Staff
Louise Siverson (MTC/STC)
Tanya Gerstle (Head of Acting,
VCA Drama School)
John Bolton (prev Head Of Acting,
VCA Drama School)
Geraldine Cook (Head of Voice,
VCA Drama School)
Stephen Costan (VCA Drama School,
BAPA)
Dina Mann (Film/TV Casting Agent)
David Cameron (Film/TV Director)
Jenny Kent (Voice Coach - Billy
Elliott)
Tom McSweeney (Film Casting Agent)
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