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The Art House Presents
Play@ The Art House - Acting, Writing and Directing for Film
This summer, The Art House is offering a three-day workshop series designed for young people aged 12–17 who want to explore the art of filmmaking and screen drama. Whether you're a complete beginner or already experimenting with creative work, you’ll get the chance to write scenes, learn core principles of drama, and try out basic filming techniques. This workshop is for anyone curious about writing, filmmaking, or expressing themselves as an actor.
Participants will be guided by one of Australia’s leading dramaturgs and acting coaches, Nadia Townsend, whose credits include Boy Swallows Universe, Black Snow, My Brilliant Career, Hard Ball, and feature films such as Mad Max: Fury Road and Mortal Kombat II.
Across the three days, the workshops focus on building confidence, creative expression, and collaboration. Through practical, hands-on exercises, participants will write, act, and direct. They’ll work on character development, scene work, camera awareness, how a film set functions, and the fundamentals of storytelling—while having fun and connecting with like-minded peers. No prior acting or filmmaking experience is required.
The workshops are FREE, however as numbers are limited, a deposit of $20 will be required to secure your place. Participants must attend the 3-days to receive the deposit back at the conclusion of the workshops.
Key Dates:
- 7 - 9 January 2026 from 10am - 4pm each day
Participants must be available for all workshop dates.
More detailed information and a schedule of activities will be sent out in early 2026 to participants prior to the workshops commencing.
Teaching Artist: Nadia Townsend (holds a current Working With Children Check)
This project is supported by the NSW Government Office for Youth
Cast & Creatives
Nadia Townsend is a writer, director, actor and dramaturg with more than 23 years experience across film, television and theatre.
She began her career as an actor, cutting her teeth in independent theatre as both producer and performer before joining the main cast of television series such as Fireflies and Headstart and later on, City Homicide. Whilst working opposite Nicolas Cage in the feature film Knowing, Nadia also completed a post grad in theatre directing at the VCA while continuing to create and produce new theatre work.
Over the past two decades, Nadia has become one of Australia’s leading screen dramaturgs, carving out a unique practice focused on designing and facilitating rehearsal processes for screen productions. Her work spans large-scale ensemble projects—most notably training and shaping the 120-strong War Boys ensemble on Mad Max—to more intimate casts on series such as Boy Swallows Universe (for which young lead Felix Cameron won a Logie), Black Snow, and the forthcoming My Brilliant Career.
Nadia’s practice is grounded in a deep understanding of story, character, and behaviour. She works from the script outward, drawing on the individuality of each actor and shaping story through performance and relationship dynamics. She is committed to building strong, cohesive ensembles, ensuring casts are aligned before shooting begins and supported throughout production. She brings particular expertise in working with minors and inexperienced performers, as well as supporting seasoned professionals to deepen their craft.
In the theatre, Nadia has developed and directed Cherry (nominated Best Fringe Show), Everyone in My Family Is Dead or About to Be (nominated Best Fringe Show), Say My Name, Dinner With Strangers, Persona. She is currently writing a new work with Luke Carman, supported by The Art House Wyong.
