Studio Newsletter!
Our newsletter includes important updates and studio news for studio families and students!
See us on Channel 9, in a national AFL campaign
and more in 2025!
20/1/25
We made countless achievements in 2024 including working on a new kids TV show with Channel 9 Australia, being cast in a National AFL advertising campaign and working on many professional projects for stage and screen in design, concept and production.
Channel 9 Kids TV show!
Airing in 2025 is a new TV show on Channel 9 which will feature our students! Studio Director, Marianna Psaltis was approached by Channel 9 to work on the concept of this hilarious new show based on theatre sports and improvisation. Channel 9 enlisted her expertise and she worked behind the scenes with producers to help bring this concept to life. Our Theatre Sports and Comedy class students went to work, producing digital content and comedy sketches which were sent to producers. This eventuated in many of our students being invited to attend Channel 9 Studios Mount Coot-tha for in person auditions and further casting. Well done to all involved.It has been a wild ride so far – but we’re not done yet. We look forward to our continued work with Channel 9 in 2025. More to come!
Cast congratulations for their involvement in this project go to:
Andrew Alkhouri; Bailey Drain; Buddy Pawson; Charle Best; Elizabeth Malcom; Elliot Brycker; Frankie Mckie; Hannah Wecker;Kate Mackinnon; Lulu Thompson; Meena Swainsbury; Theo Birch; Will Glennie.
AFL PLAY Australia
Several talented students will appear in a National campaign for AFL Australia launching soon! After successfully auditioning, our students attended a big day of shooting on location at the Gold Coast with star AFL player, Buddy Franklin. Hannah Wecker was selected to star as the young female lead in the Queensland part of the video commercial and will appear on TV, online and other platforms as the campaign is set to launch nationally soon! Also featured are students Andi Whiteside, Ellora Lowe, Des Mazoletti and Kai Murry. We can’t wait to see you all on screen!
Trinity College London Exams
We are proud to announce that once again our students have collectively received among the highest scores in Brisbane for their exam results! For well over a decade our students have excelled in this space, topping Brisbane, Queensland and Australia. Congratulations to both Elizabeth Malcom and Hannah Wecker for achieving the equal highest score in the Brisbane season!
Well done Giaan – 16 years of learning with us!
Congratulations to one of our longest-running students, Giaan Hoffman who graduates with honours for her final Trinity College exam! Giaan has been learning with us since Prep in both private and group tuition. Each exam season Giaan has returned among the highest scores in Queensland and several times she has topped the state. Over the past decade Giaan has received the highest certificate of Distinction for every exam she has taken. This is an incredible feat and a testimony of the devotion to her studies and passion for the arts. Giaan is now off to further tertiary study at QUT! We are very proud of you, Giaan!
Congratulations to all students and staff who make these opportunities and achievements possible and thank you to the parents and friends who support us!
Term 4 News and Staffing Update 21 September 2023
Dear Parents and Students
We hope that all students and families are enjoying the spring holidays.
We look forward to welcoming you back for Term 4 the week commencing Monday 2 October.
Ms Psaltis Returns
I look forward to returning to the studio in Term 4!
I have overseen work programs and have been very impressed with student achievement both in the classroom and on the world stage. Our students and alumni continue to make impressive marks on the industry and in our own studio.
I will be returning in an administrative capacity with the view of returning to classes soon.
Please send all studio communication to me at brisbaneactinganddrama@gmail.com
Term 4 Learning
In Term 4 we focus on the following areas:
Acting and Drama Express – audition training, literature, improvisation, confident speech and performance
Acting Classes – Introduction to Industry with scripts, auditions and performance preparation
Drama Classes – self-confidence, speech and clarity, social skills
Theatre Sports – Groundlings games, masterclasses in classic improv and spontaneity training
Private Tuition – Exams, literature and competitions
Performance Team – invitations to discussions, play readings, performances and masterclasses (students who fit the brief will be invited to attend).
Most Empowering Performing Arts School Queensland!
We have been awarded, MOST EMPOWERING PERFORMING ARTS SCHOOL in QUEENSLAND for 2023!
We are honoured to have received the award for Most Empowering Performing Arts School, Queensland 2023 from the International Private Education Awards as published in Lux Life Magazine, United Kingdom.
Our school has provided over 15 years of youth arts education to countless students who’ve come through our doors, from those seeking confidence to those who had the desire to learn the art of performance; everyone finds a place to belong with us.
Read more about our achievement HERE!
World Monologue Games
We congratulate all of our students entering the regional finals of the World Monologue Games and wish them the best of luck as they compete for a place in the Global Finals.
From the dramatic to the comedic, our students have shone and this year we once again continue to work hard to impress the judges with our fine performances.
Student, Elizabeth Malcom has been featured in the Redland City Bulletin! Check out the article HERE!
Monologue Spoken in GREEK!
I wish to acknowledge our Studio Mentor, Rose Traynor-Boyland for her outstanding performances, one of which was spoken in Greek. While it took a lot of effort to learn and understand a monologue in a different language, Rose did so in under a week. Shoutout to our wonderful support team Mr Frank and Mrs Angela Psaltis for helping us translate this bespoke dramatic piece, especially written for Rose, into modern Greek. Well done Rose! Watch here!
We can’t wait to see our students in the regional finals!
Australian Festival – Enter by 7 Oct
We encourage all students to submit an entry or more in The Australian Festival of Performance Arts. This unique online youth performing arts competition is one which our students have enjoyed performing in since 2020. Entries close soon so enter by 7 October. Uploads need to be submitted by 14 October.
The studio will be hosting some complimentary sessions to prepare student’s submissions OR submissions can be filmed in the comfort of your own home.
With Australian titles, and cash prizes up for grabs this one is not to be missed! Check it out here!
Eisteddfods
Well done to our students who performed magnificently in the recent Redlands Eisteddfod. Many overall prizes and places were awarded to our students with overwhelmingly positive feedback. Shoutout to Lara MacDonald-Weber who won Champion at the Redlands Eisteddfod.
Watch our performances NOW!
Some of the projects we have worked on are out now on streaming services including, A Prince in Paradise and Love is in the Air, on NETFLIX.
Our students have starred in various commercials including Dominos. Check out Josh in this commercial HERE!
Staffing Update
We welcome our studio team back for Term 4! Miss Woodbine (B Ed Drama English) will remain Acting Head of Studio and is joined by Alumnus and Studio Teacher, Declan Rix (BA Drama). Ryan Rossiter-Buckley and Rose Traynor-Boyland will also continue as our wonderful studio mentors.
We farewell our Miss Helen as she leaves to focus on her personal goals. Helen has been a student of Miss Psaltis since 2006 and a mentor at the studio for the past 8 years. She will be sorely missed but hopefully she will pop into visit from time to time. We wish to thank Helen for her incredible contribution to our studio over so many years and wish her all the best with her future endeavours.
We look forward to seeing everyone in Term 4 Starting Monday 2 October!
Best wishes to all,
Marianna Psaltis
Studio Director
Our 2023 Achievements
12/12/23
Congratulations to all students and staff for their ongoing commitment to learning and personal growth through the arts. So many achievements have been made in the classroom and on the world stage. Below are a few of our 2024 highlights!
Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season and wonderful start to the New Year!
Thank you to Australia’s Top Model for voting us QUEENSLAND’S BEST Youth Acting School for the second consecutive year! 🙌 We ranked third best institution in the state and the best dedicated youth acting studio.
We were humbled to receive the award for Most Empowering Arts School in Queensland by internationally acclaimed Luxlife magazine, London.
Alumnus, Claire Dewar working in HOLLYWOOD and featured in Shoutout LA magazine!
Our students submitted auditions for national and international casting calls for movies and commercials.
Australian Festival achievements! Our classes participated in this fabulous online competition. Many of our students were honoured with overall achievements including mentor, Rose Traynor-Boyland who won Drama Champion!
World Monologue Games saw our students reach the regional finals including Elizabeth Malcom who was featured in our local news and Rose Traynor-Boyland who performed an original monologue in Greek!
Exam students successfully submitted their work with internationally renowned examination board, Trinity College London.
Showtime 2023: The Audition was a fun experience for our acting students, showcasing their talents on stage in this collaborative live show.
Several projects we worked on premiered in 2023 including, A Royal in Paradise.
Miss Katelyn Woodbine, came aboard as our Acting Head of Studio this year having managed many tasks at the studio from communicating with our community to providing valuable leadership to our team. We wish to acknowledge and thank Katelyn for her amazing contribution to our studio!
Happy holidays,
Marianna and the Studio Team