They have worked as educators and follow a student focused curriculum which progressively builds the skills of the students while maintaining a focus on of fun and imagination. All of our staff hold current working with children checks.
Kate Whitbread has been active in the Australian Arts industry for over 30 years. In this time she has worked as an actor, writer and producer. She has produced feature films, television series, television commercials, live theatre and arts events. Her company KWFilms develops and produces content for worldwide distribution. Kate is a member of Women in Film and TV Victoria and an industry advocate for White Ribbon Australia. In 2016 she initiated the Screenwriters competition for the Lorne Film Festival as a springboard for new and emerging Australian film writers. Kate is passionate about developing Australian talent and helping performers cross into the professional arena.
Erica is a BAPA graduate and has been teaching actors, dancers and circus performers for over 20 years. Her teaching engagements span from Trinity Laban College/Melbourne University, dance and performing arts schools, to the National Centre for Circus Arts in London. She is currently the Head of Operations and Training in Melbourne for The Impulse Company, where she delivers their modular, year-long Meisner training and professional drop-in classes. Previous teaching roles include Bayside Screen Actors Studio, Gateway Performing Arts, Geelong’s Theatre Collective and That Dance Place. Erica continues to work professionally as an actor, having recently filmed independent features, The Unlit for KW Films and Out of Order for Blazing Arrow Media. Earlier in 2017 she appeared in Untitled, or the Seat of Narcissa, for its return season at La Mama’s Courthouse for their 50th Anniversary Festival. Erica is passionate about the search for safe, emotional truth in acting techniques and aims to instill respect for craft, understanding of self and a positive work ethic in all her students.
Jason's acting career began with a bit part on the critically-acclaimed TANGLE. More recently, he has appeared in the MIFF funded (and opening night) film THE DEATH AND LIFE OF OTTO BLOOM, NEWTON'S LAW, COREY WHITE'S ROADMAP TO PARADISE and the soon-to-be-released WOG BOYS FOREVER. (For a more extensive CV, visit www.imdb.me/jasonagius). Jason is passionate about developing actors of all ages, teaching a practical approach to learning scenes and helps to provide them with the necessary tools to become working actors. His students' work often garners the attention of industry professionals, resulting in agency meetings and auditions from casting directors - even if the student is unrepresented. Jason is also actively developing a feature film screenplay with an AFI-award winning producer/director.
Gemma Flannery is an Actor, born in Blackburn in the North of England, and studied Contemporary Theatre at Manchester Metropolitan University, privileged to study under the likes of Theatre practitioners such as Nancy Reilly from the Wooster group. During this course, Gemma wrote and devised work at the Edinburgh Fringe. She has since performed in 24/7 Theatre festival in Manchester, Fringe festival, Orlando and more recently wrote, directed and performed in her own play Digging Deep, which she took with her on her move to Australia and staged this at Fringeworld. Now focusing back on TV and film, Gemma would like to return to roles as featured, lead roles in shorts and features, and web series as well as mainstream TV and film. She continues to write, direct, self tape and perfect her Aussie and American accents.
John Voce is a highly experienced English actor with over 30 years’ of professional work across theatre, television and stage. He has a vast array of film and television credits to his name and is highly regarded for his improvisational expertise, having established himself on the Melbourne scene through Impro Melbourne. He has taught acting around the globe and, having recently moved to Australia, is looking forward to sharing his love and deep knowledge of acting with BAS students.
Harrison Altmann is a past student of Bayside Actors Studio. With quite a bit of acting under his belt and also more recently having studied Screen Production at Swinburne University. He comes to BAS with an understanding of what it means to be an actor as well as bringing with him current screen techniques. Harry is a huge asset to BAS and is able to capture some of the students work in a light ,but professional manor giving a professional insight into what its like on set in the real world of Film and TV Hi short film “connected" is currently in the film festival circuit.