Sydney Actors Association

28/01/2025

One spot available in our Monday 7pm-10pm OR Wednesday 7pm-10pm Screen acting class with Sam Haft at Sydney Actors Association, commencing next week! 🙂
Email [email protected] for more info or to reserve a spot!

‘SAA is one of the few places that has excelled my work both rapidly and expertly. If you want to be given the best advice and second to none technique, SAA is the place’

Rahel Romahn (Recipient of Heath Ledger Scholarship 2022, AACTA and Logie Nominee. The Principal, as well as Sydney Theatre Company and MTC)

17/09/2024

Will always be my vote as the finest actor of his generation.
My mentor and dear friend, the late great Kevin Jackson, said Hopkins was ‘too sad’
It was one the few things he said that I adamantly disagreed with.
Melancholy is a beautiful thing in the right hands
And, funnily enough, I’ve always found Hopkins quite joyous (especially since his recovery) but maybe that’s just me!

27/02/2024

02/08/2023

Way too soon :(

Cloud, who portrayed Fezco ‘Fez’ O’Neill in the HBO teen drama, had recently lost his father

14/01/2023

Brilliant new character reel from one of our much loved regulars at Sydney Actors Association, Patrick Holman.

Patrick has been in our Monday class for a few years now and always an absolute ray of sunshine to work with!
Brings that perfect blend of discipline and focus with ‘actors joy’, freedom and a sense of play and generosity with his colleagues.
I’m sure I’m one of a great many people to say what a pleasure he is to work with.

Narrowing down the material from such a vast collection of excellent work in class was tricky, but here it is…

Enjoy! :)

10/01/2023

Sydney Actors Association are currently making the few remaining available spots in our renowned WEEKLY SCREEN ACTING CLASSES, available to both NEW and RETURNING members!

Want to work with one of the most well-established and reputed independent acting institutions in Australia?

DON’T MISS OUT!

WHAT WE OFFER:

-World class ongoing coaching for both professional actors and those taking their beginning steps into our incredible industry

- High quality footage of your work with us.
Material that can be used to both collate an ever-evolving reel and to show our industry what you’re truly capable of!

-Assistance and ongoing career advice, including developing and nurturing working relationships with Australia’s finest casting directors, directors, producers, as well as an incredible community of fellow artists who bring out the very best in one another!

-In-house coaching for auditions and screen tests, complete with reader, director and copy of your footage ‘ready to send’!

AVAILABLE CLASS TIMES:

Sunday 1-4pm
Tuesday 1-4pm
Monday 7-10pm
OR
Wednesday 7-10pm

For more information, email [email protected] or DM me

Testimonials:

SAA is one of the few places that has excelled my work both rapidly and expertly. If you want to be given the best advice and second to none technique, SAA is the place’
Rahel Romahn (Currently starring in Amadeus, with Michael Sheen. Recipient of Heath Ledger Scholarship 2022, AACTA and Logie Nominee. The Principal, as well as Sydney Theatre Company and MTC)

‘The environment Sam has created at SAA is SO warm, welcoming and absolutely thriving with creativity and inspiration.
I owe so much to SAA!
They’ve played a huge part in keeping my goals as an actor truly alive!’

LJ O’Reilly (The Good Doctor, Sunyata)

The result of working at SAA is a strengthened belief in self, increased courage to play, improvement in on-camera technique, and most importantly, the cementing of the belief that there is no such thing as being too ‘big’ on screen - that as long as there is ‘truth’, I can walk away knowing that I did my job.
Thanks Sam and SAA. I’m so glad I’m able to come back and play in person’

Nisrine Amine (AACTA and AWGIE-nominated actor, writer and director. Here Out West, Bump, Frayed)

04/10/2019

Excellent character reel from Orlando Norman.
What a joy it’s been to watch this legend go from strength to strength every week with us at SAA.
A joy to work with, a true team player and a brilliant example of the old adage ‘a good actor is someone people want to work with twice!’
Well done mate.
We’re very proud of ya!
Onward!

This is "Character Reel" by Orlando Norman on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

17/08/2019

Bill Hader gives the worst audition of all time. Bill's new HBO series "Barry" premieres on March 25th. Still haven’t subscribed to Vanity Fair on YouTube? ►...

12/06/2019

SAA are thrilled to welcome our next contributor to our ‘Four Questions’ segment.

A true veteran and master of our art form, without a doubt one of the finest actors to have graced both stage and screen and, above all, an extremely kind and generous man to all who know him (his contribution below being case in point)

Sir Ian McKellen CH CBE

Recipient of countless awards for his contribution to the arts and an actor whose "performances have guaranteed him a place in the canon of English stage and film actors" (BBC) Ian is also a pioneering activist and ambassador for the LGBTQ community as well as being a champion of up and coming actors and performers.
We are incredibly grateful to Ian for sharing his insights with us:

Q1- What are some of the most important qualities (in terms of one’s attitude and approach) that an actor can bring to a rehearsal room/set?

In my case it all depends on the director. But it begins with the script. If the director respects the writing and doesn’t feel the need to usurp the writer, all should be well. Then I am happy to try and match the director’s vision.
I will have done my own preparation (including learning the lines) but the real discoveries will probably be made by the actors and director (and sometimes the writer) in the rehearsal room. Then the task for all is to be open to suggestion and daring in ex*****on.

Q2- Any particular suggestions for actors when auditioning (particularly with regards to nerves, self doubt or any sudden bouts of panic!)

Auditioning is a wretched (though necessary!) process. It will tell very little about an actor’s final performance but may indicate their ability to achieve it. Mostly an actor is assessed the minute they walk in. Their attitude, physique and personality will be evident before they’ve opened their mouth. So don’t worry! There isn’t much you can do to disguise your true nature!
If you don’t get the job, you have escaped the misery of working with people who don’t want you!

Q3- Do you enjoy working on stage and screen equally, or is there a medium you find you prefer?

It’s possible to adapt acting to a variety of situations: eg large or small theatre, indoor or outdoor. Large cinema screen or small tv or iphone. The fun is trying to match the medium

Q4- You have a wonderful chemistry with other actors on both film and stage (always a joy for the audience and very palpable in the work) Do you find this easy to achieve? (For example, at SAA, we often discuss making it ‘ about the other actor’- to remain open, generous and observant in the work at all times-
do you feel that’s a particularly vital ingredient?)

I’ve done enough solo shows to know that it’s working with others which makes our job most enjoyable. Like an orchestra, a company of actors share responsibility for the overall effect. Listening to the others is a mark of good acting. If you don’t listen how can you know how to reply? And most comedy depends on the “feed”, the colleague who sets up the punch-line

12/06/2019

A brilliant self-written scene from Julien Perrottet, with the always excellent Daniele Clements opposite.

This is "Julien Perrottet" by Julien Perrottet on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

12/06/2019

The awesome Bella Vick doing some Viola from Shakespeare In Love opposite Brendan Mcbride (nailing the smug non-love-interest-holier-then-thou-male-fop)

Bella has only been working with us for a few months now, but is already doing consistently superb work and is a joy to work with, as I’m sure our Wednesday crew will all agree 🙂

Well done, mate!