A Three-Day Acting Intensive
Stage to Screen is a three-day acting intensive for young people aged 12–15 years who want to develop their confidence, acting technique, and performance skills.
Across the three days, participants will explore acting through play, ensemble exercises, improvisation, character development, and scripted scene work before applying those skills to acting for camera.
The programme is designed as a progression. Participants begin by developing responsiveness, confidence, and connection with one another, then move into more focused work with character and text before finishing with a practical screen acting component.
The emphasis throughout is on learning through doing: experimenting, making bold choices, receiving direction, and discovering how acting changes between live performance and the screen.
No previous screen acting experience is required.
Programme Structure
Focus: Building confidence, ensemble connection and an actor’s responsiveness.
The first day introduces a playful and supportive way to work as an ensemble while establishing some of the fundamental skills actors use across both stage and screen.
By the end of Day One, participants have begun developing a stronger awareness of themselves, their scene partners and the choices they make as performers.
Activities will include:
- Ensemble and theatre games
- Focus, listening and responsiveness
- Physical and vocal warm-ups
- Improvisation and devising scenes from facilitator prompts
- Character exploration
- Working with impulse and spontaneity
- Creating and performing short devised scenes
Focus: Moving from devised scenes into scripted acting and deeper character work.
Participants begin working with text and explore how actors find information, intention and relationships within a scene.
By the end of Day Two, participants have practical tools for approaching a script and building a performance rather than simply memorising lines.
Activities will include:
- Script and text exploration
Identifying given circumstances - Character wants and objectives
- Exploring relationships between characters
- Breaking the scene into beats and changes
- Making specific acting choices and exploring performance scale
- Scene partner work
- Rehearsal techniques
- Giving and responding to direction
- Rehearsing and refining short scripted scenes
Participants will begin preparing material that can be taken into the screen acting work on Day Three.
Focus: Translating acting skills from the rehearsal room to the screen.
The final day introduces the practical differences between performing live and acting for camera work.
Participants will work in small groups to rehearse and film scenes, allowing everyone practical time in front of the camera.
The programme finishes with an opportunity to watch selected takes back together and reflect on what changes – and what stays the same – when acting moves from stage to screen.
Activities will include:
- Understanding frame size and shot size
- Technique: eyelines, hitting marks and continuity
- Adjusting performance for camera, referencing performance scale from Day Two
- Listening and reacting on screen
- Exploring close-ups and smaller performance choices
Rehearsing short scenes for camera - Taking direction and adjusting between takes
- Filming and refining short scenes
| Timing | 29 September –1 October 2026 9:30am–3:30pm |
|---|---|
| Location | Scots College Drama Rooms |
| Tutors | Waitahi McGee |
| Target Market | Ages 12–15 years |
| Price/Student (incl GST) | $300 for the three-day workshop |
Register Now
