ACTING FOR SCREEN: AUDITIONS & SELF TAPES
Age Group: Teens/Seniors (Grades 7-12)
Class Size: 10 max
Step in front of the camera and discover what it really takes to deliver a compelling performance on screen.
In this two-day workshop, students will explore the craft of screen acting and audition technique with actor, writer and filmmaker Ra Chapman (Wentworth, White Fever, Sunny Nights). Designed for young performers who want to deepen their on-camera skills, the workshop focuses on the practical tools actors use when auditioning for film and television.
Students will work with scenes and audition material, learning how to approach self-tapes with confidence, connect truthfully to the material, and adapt their performance for the camera. Along the way, they’ll develop a stronger understanding of the technical and emotional elements that make screen performances feel authentic and engaging.
Once registered, students will receive an email with a selection of scenes to choose from. They will prepare their chosen scene ahead of the workshop and arrive ready to work on it on camera in the first session.
Through guided exercises and practical on-camera work, students will gain insight into the audition process while refining the skills that help actors stand out in the room — or on tape.
Teacher: Ra Chapman
Ra Chapman is a multidisciplinary writer, actor and filmmaker whose work spans film, television, documentary and theatre. Drawing on her Korean adoptee background, her storytelling explores cross-cultural identity and challenges traditional narratives by bringing underrepresented perspectives to the screen and stage.
Ra is the creator, writer and star of the acclaimed television comedy White Fever, which earned her a 2025 Australian Writers’ Guild (AWGIE) Award nomination and a shortlisting for the prestigious Betty Roland Prize for Scriptwriting. She was recently selected for Screen Australia’s Talent USA: New York program and was named one of IF Magazine’s 2024 Rising Talents.
Her theatre work includes the critically acclaimed play K-Box, which premiered on the main stage at Malthouse Theatre during her residency as Artist in Residence. Her screen work also includes the SBS digital horror anthology Night Bloomers and the documentary series Adoptee Voices: Women of Melbourne. She recently completed a Director’s Attachment with Nina Buxton on the ABC series Separated at Birth.
As an actor, Ra has worked extensively across stage and screen. She received Best Actress at the Newport Beach Film Festival for her role in David Williamson’s film adaptation of Face to Face, for which she was also nominated for an IF Award. Television audiences will recognise her from five seasons of Wentworth as prisoner Kim Chang, as well as the Stan series Sunny Nights alongside D’Arcy Carden and Will Forte, and Dear Life.
Dates: 14 & 15 April (2-day workshop)
Times: 10am-3pm both days
Age Group: Teens/Seniors (Grades 7-12)
Cost: $250
What to bring: Please bring lunch, snacks and a water bottle.