Equity Foundation Podcast

This chat between Scott Williams (the founder of The Impulse Company) and John Batchelor (Award winning Australian actor) will further examine the specific challenges and opportunities facing today’s actors. Scott and John will discuss how the Meisner Techniques is adaptable for work in today’s film, television and theatre environments. John Batchelor is not only an actor who crosses all those platforms, but also is well-versed in using Scott's approaches on stage and screen. There will be time for questions from the audience towards the end.

Mindfulness with Craig Behenna: Actors don't always get the support they need on and off camera to keep themselves grounded and together. It can be easy to take on beliefs about yourself and your acting based on the structures and power dynamics of the business. In this session we'll take time to work with meditation practices that help you make inner space in moments of tension and which help you to see that you are more than the thoughts and stories. We’ll explore how a mindfulness practice can help you separate from unhelpful stories and feelings you may have absorbed, and show you how you can have a relationship with them, rather than reacting to them.

There are so many ways of approaching a role, all of them with major pluses. In this first Meisner-based session, actor Christopher Sommers and London's leading Meisner technique teacher and Artistic Director of The Impulse Company in the UK, Scott Williams, discuss some of your options as you prepare for the part, and will use examples from their work to help you decide what might be best for you.

Kym Jackson on how to effectively learn lines and break down a script, become a character, navigate a live audition, make a simple self tape setup, and edit your self-tape in a way that ensures it is completely professional - all on your phone. Kym is a member of The Television Academy (Emmy Nominating Committee), American MENSA, a speaker and committee member for the SAG-AFTRA Conservatory, an elected SAG-AFTRA Convention Delegate, and a busy working actress (see IMDB) with over thirty SAG-AFTRA feature film and TV credits in the past five years. Kym recently wrapped shooting the series regular role of Queen Neela in ABC Networks 2019 pilot ‘Triangle’ alongside Mike Vogel and Mallory Jansen. She has also played roles on This Is Us, American Crime Story, NCIS, ABC's Ten Days in The Valley, and BET show, Rebel. Her latest feature film ‘Wishman’ recently screened at both Cannes and Toronto film festivals.

Join QLD Equity President Asabi Goodman as she chats to Simon Whipp of Shanahan Management about navigating the actor/agent relationship. From 1994 to 2011 Simon worked for the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance in a variety of roles: Assistant Federal Secretary of the union, the National Director of the Actors Equity section and Vice-President of the International Federation of Actors. Since 2012 Simon has worked as an agent with Shanahan Management.

Nigel Poulton and Alicia Rodis from Intimacy Coordinators and Directors (ICD) hold a discussion about the role of an intimacy co-ordinator, geared towards someone who would like to explore the opportunity to become an intimacy co-ordinator in Australia.

A chance to work with Katherine Beck on your Southern US Accent. Katherine is leading voice and dialect coach who works regularly with actors at The Actor’s Hub, The Actor’s Pulse, Screenwise, International Screen Academy and on film and theatre productions. She is the co-founder and co-author of Hollywood Speak: The Australian Actor’s Resource Guide to Creating an Authentic American Accent. Born and raised in Chicago, Katherine is a native American accent speaker.

Los Angeles acting coach, Lisa Robertson, currently working in Australia, will speak on the current climate of self-taping and auditioning, the US market and the influx of production to Australia and New Zealand. Through the lens of being inside the US industry since she started major TV and film coaching in 2002 and being a part of its seismic changes, Lisa will cover professional actors reigniting their love for acting and breaking through to a new range of roles, recent acting grads adjusting to screen, coaching booked roles (what happens and why it’s helpful) and what is important for emerging actors to look at in their work right now.

WA Equity President Stuart Halusz interviews actor Kate Walsh (Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Fargo, 13 Reasons Why, The Umbrella Academy) about building her US career and her involvement with some of the US's most critically and commercially successful television productions.

Join actor Fayssal Bazzi (Stateless, The Commons, Measure for Measure) as he interviews director Daina Reid (The Handmaid’s Tale, The Secret River, Sunshine, The Wrong Girl) about her career and her involvement in so many critically and commercially successful productions and the actor/director relationship.

This is from director Jessica Hobbs (The Crown Series 3 and 4, Broadchurch) in conversation with NZ Equity President Jennifer Ward-Lealand Te Atamira. Discussing Jessica's career and her involvement in so many critically and commercially successful productions.

Join actor Tina Bursill as she interviews Neighbours Casting Director Thea McLeod on how to navigate the Neighbours audition and casting process.

This 2nd and final part, Dr Julie Crabtree will focus on how rejection can impact our sense of identity. She will look at ways of framing rejection in a more detached way to protect and preserve our creative identities. Julie will also address how important the act of storytelling is to our society. This event is part of the Equity Health & Wellness Series, proudly supported by the Actors Benevolent Fund of NSW.

Dr Julie Crabtree will explore how to develop a secure creative identity and the relationship of identity to resilience. We will also cover identity as a consistent view of self and examine how our core, cultural and social beliefs shape our identities, as well as, how rejection can affect our sense of identity. This first session will help you understand what makes up your authentic self. Using techniques designed to uncover and consolidate a sense of self Julie will show us how important it is to preserve and protect your identity.

In part three of the Anxiety and the Creative series, Dr Julie Crabtree will explore the concept of catastrophic thinking as a cause of anxiety for the creative mind. She will explore the ways in which we can turn musings of the future into what is real in the now, as well as demonstrating tools of how to reduce the severity of anxiety. This event is part of the Equity Health & Wellness Series, supported by the Actors Benevolent Fund of NSW.

In this part two of this Anxiety and the Creative series we will explore how perfectionism can be a cause of anxiety. Dr Julie Crabtree will explore the ways in which we can turn unrelenting standards into a positive tool to help us create. This event is part of the Equity Health & Wellness Series, supported by the Actors Benevolent Fund of NSW.

Anxiety seems to be particularly prevalent for those in the performance industries. Over three sessions we will be looking at anxiety focussing on overdriven thinking, catastrophic thinking and perfectionism. In part one Dr Julie Crabtree will explore the physiological effects of anxiety with special emphasis on overdriven thinking.

In our 3rd session of Resilience for Creatives. Dr Julie Crabtree addresses the importance of relationships – identifying support systems and developing mentor relationships. Also additional strategies for you use to build resilience in yourself. This is part of the Equity Health & Wellness Series, supported by the Actors Benevolent Fund of NSW.

Join experienced psychologist Dr Julie Crabtree as she explores some of the key qualities we know are associated with resilience including your belief systems, the ability to be flexible and adaptable and the kinds of personal disciplines you need. Learn the vital skill of developing resilience, looking after your mental health and helping others.

Resilience is two things: the capacity to withstand difficulties and to rebuild after adversity. Resilience is normally an essential quality but in 2020 it is more important than ever before. Join experienced psychologist Dr Julie Crabtree and look at the some of the key qualities we know are associated with resilience including your belief systems, the ability to be flexible, adaptable and the kinds of personal disciplines you need. These themes will be developed and expanded on over two podcasts as you learn the vital skill of developing resilience.