What to Look for in an Acting Workshop in Australia: A Parent's Honest Guide

Australia has no shortage of acting workshops for kids and teens.

Every school holiday, dozens of programs pop up across Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and beyond. Some are excellent. Some are mediocre. Some are genuinely not worth the money.

After thirty years of running programs across Australia, I have a fairly clear sense of what separates a transformative workshop from a forgettable one. Here is what I'd tell any parent trying to choose.

The most important question to ask

Before you look at cost, location or credentials, ask this one question of any workshop you're considering.

What is your philosophy around psychological safety?

If they look at you blankly, or give you a generic answer about being 'supportive' and 'encouraging,' keep looking.

If they can articulate clearly how they build a culture where kids feel genuinely safe to take creative risks, you're probably in the right place.

Safety is the entire foundation of acting. Without it, nothing meaningful happens.

Look at the facilitators, not just the curriculum

The curriculum matters, but the person leading the room matters more.

A workshop is only as good as the relationship the facilitator builds with the group. That relationship is built through skill, consistency, genuine care, and the ability to meet young people where they actually are, not where you wish they were.

Ask about the facilitators. What's their background? How long have they been working with young people? What do they believe acting is actually for?

Those answers will tell you more than any curriculum overview.

What outcomes are realistic

Be wary of workshops that promise too much in too short a time.

A genuine three-day intensive can create real change. Kids can make real connections, take real risks, discover real things about themselves. I've watched it happen hundreds of times.

What a three-day intensive cannot do is replace consistent, ongoing development. The deepest growth happens over weeks and months, not days.

A good workshop should feel like a door opening, not a destination arrived at.

The Australian Acting Academy workshops

We run holiday workshops and intensives for kids and teens aged 7 to 17 across Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Our workshops are built on the same Safety Net Philosophy that underpins all of our work. Every facilitator we use is trained in this culture and has demonstrated genuine skill with young people.

To see what's currently available, visit actingacademy.com.au/holiday-workshops or call us on (07) 3171 7822.

If you can't find what you're looking for, call us anyway. We may be able to help you find the right program, even if it isn't one of ours.

About the Author: Brendan Glanville is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Australian Acting Academy. For over 30 years he has helped more than 100,000 young people build confidence, courage and authentic connection through acting and storytelling. Learn more at actingacademy.com.au.