Our Coaches

Kevin Jackson

Theatre

Kevin Jackson is one of the countries most experienced acting teachers. In 2011 he retired from the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) after more than twenty years service to the school, and in the process trained some of the most prominent and emerging actors in the industry today. For more than fourteen years Kevin also taught at the American Conservatory Theatre (ACT) in San Francisco, and more recently at The Actors Center in Sydney and now at The HubStudio. Graduates Kevin has taught during his time at NIDA include, Baz Luhrmann, Richard Roxburgh, Jacqueline McKenzie, Miranda Otto, Cate Blanchett, Essie Davis, Nicholas Bishop & Sam Worthington.

Ben Mathews

Film & Television

Ben Mathews is a multi-award winning director, actor and AWGIE nominated writer. His short film, Emily, won over 20 awards around the world, screened at the Cannes Film Festival and was the first Australian film nominated for the Student Academy Awards in Los Angeles. A graduate of the Atlantic Theater Company New York, and AFTRS, Ben was the recipient of both the Kenneth Myer Award for Exceptional Talent and Foxtel Scholarship for Exceptional New Talent. 

In 2012, Ben directed, co-wrote, and co-produced Deadbeat Dads, a drama pilot for MTV Australia, after winning the MTV/Optus ONE80PROJECT. The series is currently in development with Essential Media and Free at Last for the UK. He is also the director and co-creator of BedHead, a web series made for ABC iView, for which he has been nominated for several awards at the 2016 LA Web Fest. Last year he directed and co-wrote a half hour television pilot version of BedHead, also for the ABC. As an actor Ben has appeared in over 30 plays, including shows for the Sydney Theatre Company and Belvoir Street and on television shows such as Love My Way. www.benjaminmathews.com.au

Anthony Skuse

Theatre

Anthony is a director, dramaturge and teacher. His directing credits include: Suzie Miller’s Caress Ache (Griffin Theatre Company); Chekhov’s Platonov (ATYP Selects); Nick Payne’s Constellations (Darlinghurst Theatre Company) which received four Sydney Theatre Award nominations for 2014; Anthony Neilson’s Realism (WAAPA); Diana Son’s Stop Kiss (Unlikely Productions) nominated best actress, Sydney Theatre Awards 2014; Bite Me – The Voices Project, Australian Theatre for Young People; Simon Stephen’s On the shore of the wide world (Griffin Independent) two Sydney Theatre Award nomination for 2014; Amy Hertzog’s 4000 Miles (Under the Wharf, Sydney & La Boite, Brisbane) which received two Sydney Theatre Award nominations for 2013; Simon Stephen’s Punk Rock (Under the Wharf) which received three Sydney Theatre Awards for Best Independent Production, Best Direction and Best Actor in a Supporting Role; Henry Purcell’s Dioclesian (Pinchgut Opera); Letts’ Bug, Jose Rivera’s References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot, Marius Von Mayenburg’s The Cold Child, Michael Gow’s Live Acts On Stage (Griffin Independent Sydney); Robert Faquar’s Bad Jazz, Mark Ravenhill’s pool (no water) The Presnyakov Brothers’ Terrorism (Darlinghurst Theatre Sydney); Janis Balodis’ Too Young For Ghosts, Tony Kushner’s Bright Room Called Day (NIDA); The Greek Project: Aischylos, Euripides and Sophocles: a special project at ATYP, for twenty women, aged nine to sixty-nine.

Mary Cerny

Alexander Technique

Mary Cerny danced professionally for many years with a modern dance company in the United States. She has performed solo work and taught movement throughout the U.S.A., England and Australia. While training for three years in London at the ATA Centre, she collaborated with musicians on performance pieces, led Movement workshops and was Guest Artist in Residence with the Midlands Dance Company. In 1985 Mary immigrated to Australia and has been engaged in many facets of the arts community since. She has regularly conducted teacher training at various Alexander Teacher Training Schools and she currently runs a private practice in Sydney as well as working at the National Institute Of Dramatic Arts (NIDA).

Roel Voorbij

Physical Acting

Roel Voorbij started acting at an early age and has been on stage since he was 12. He is an actor, teacher and casting director from the Netherlands, his background is in physical acting. He studied Theatre at the internationally recognized Amsterdam School of the Arts, Mime Education (Mime corporel, not pantomime) The projects he entertains are mostly created from a concept and shared philosophy developed through improvisation in co-operation with several directors, performed in Holland, Belgium, France, Spain, Morocco, New York and Australia.

Avigail Herman

Voice Over

Avigail Herman career is as diverse as it is rich. She is a multi talented performer known primarily for her wonderful music theatre and cabaret performances. She has also worked in TV, is in demand as a teacher/ vocal coach, musical director / director and has an illustrious career as a voice over artist and session singer. Avigail was Head of Music at NIDA from 1993 to 1997 leaving that position to set up and develop in 1999 NIDA’s very successful one year Music Theatre course ‘Singer Dancer Actor’ which became a Diploma in Music Theatre (2009) & which she headed until the end of 2010. Such is the quality and diversity of Avigail’s teaching that she is in constant demand from institutions and organisations both nationally and internationally. www.avigailherman.com

Lyn Pierse

Improvisation

Lyn Pierse NIDA graduate, Lyn Pierse is Australia’s most recognised and experienced Improvisation teacher, having taught two generations of actors, teachers, stand-up comics and students of Improvisation for; National Institute Dramatic Art (22 years), Actors Centre Australia (25 years), Australian Academy Dramatic Art (4 years), National Theatre School Melbourne, University of Armidale and Macquarie University, Drama NSW, EDA and community theatres and workshops across the country, and now of course at The HubStudio. Lyn has staged hundreds of Theatresports® and comedy extravaganzas including; Cranston Cup Finals, Much Ado About Impro, Theatresports National and International Comps staged at Sydney Opera House, Belvoir St, Enmore, EXPO Brisbane, Adelaide Festival, State Theatre Sydney, Parade Theatre Sydney.

Angela Ford

Professional Development

Angie Ford is a world-class performance coach. Her one-to-one client list includes World No.1 Athletes, Entrepreneurs of the Year, C-level Executives, Best Selling Comedians, Actors, Musicians, Bankers, and National Best Selling Real Estate Agents.

Angie´s interest in coaching was originally sparked from her own sporting background as a national gold medal swimmer. She is certified from the Coaches Training Institute, and has personally trained and travelled internationally with some of the world´s leading authorities on personal development.
She has mastered the art of bringing out in others what it takes to get their best performance both under pressure, and consistently over time. Her coaching methods have attracted audiences from the USA, UK, South Africa and Scandinavia. She has trained groups of 10 – 1000 people. Angie has been a teacher and trainer for over 15 years.

Angie is passionate about the process of self-belief, and how this naturally leads to action, genuine enjoyment and results. Angie respects what is takes to expand comfort zones, and treasures the opportunity to work with clients who are hungry for personal growth.
Her positive energy is infectious. Her ability to listen and support, whilst challenging clients to explore their own self-beliefs, make her a sought after coach and speaker.

Amy Hume

Voice

Amy Hume is a voice and dialect coach and one of only seven Designated Linklater Teachers in Australia. Her teaching is grounded in extensive training in New York with world-renowned voice teacher Kristin Linklater, and also draws on the work of Cicely Berry, Patsy Rodenburgh, Barbara Houseman, and other leading voice practitioners. Amy also holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Voice from VCA with First Class Honours, and is consistently named one of the Top 5 Teachers of Voice, Speech and Communication by AMEB (NSW).

Amy was one of the Voice / Dialect Coaches at Matilda the Musical in Sydney. Most recently she was Voice and Dialect Coach on Sam O’Sullivan’s new Australian play, The Block Universe (Or So It Goes). She has also coached productions for NIDA, Sport for Jove, Shakespeare & Co (Lenox, MA), The Shakespeare Forum (New York), Columbia Stages (New York) and Sydney Theatre School. She is part of the team of voice teachers at NIDA and is Creative Director of one of Sydney’s leading voice and communication businesses, Viva Voice. There, she regularly facilitates voice and communication training for staff at organisations such as The University of Sydney, NSW Health, NSW Department of Education, CHOICE Magazine and 2SER Radio. Amy provides ongoing voice and dialect support to organisations including The HubStudio and ATYP. 

Nadia Townsend

Film

Nadia has been working as an actress in Australia and internationally for the last 17 years. Nadia first trained with Atlantic Theatre Co in NYC then set up her own theatre company Wolf Whistle, producing independent theatre and learning her craft on the boards. Since that time Nadia has produced many independent shows, new works and adaptations of literature.

Nadia is a co-founder of Turtle Lab a Melbourne based performance laboratory. Nadia completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Performance Creation (Directing) in 2008. More recently expanding into film dramaturgy her credits as Dramaturg are Soul Mates (ABC), Secret Daughter (Ch7), Ready For This (Winner  ACCTA & Logie Nominated), Ghost Bull (Winner, MIFF, SFF), Northkidsand Assistant Dramaturg on Mad Max 4 Fury Road. Her most recent theatrical productions have been Helter Sketler by Neil Labute and a one woman performance piece Ulrike Meinhof Sings by Christopher Barnett. Nadia has trained with Ivana Chubbuck, Larry Moss, Ellen Burstyn, Roy Hart school of Voice. Nadia has been part of the main cast in television shows such as City Homicide, Fireflies,Headland, Headstart.Other credits include SeaPatrol, Chandon Pictures, Rush, Old School and Home and Away. Her film roles include, Knowing,Zombie Monologues, Puppy, Concealed and Danny Deckchair.