YOUTH ACTING: AGES 14 - 17 +
YOUTH PROGRAM
The Youth Acting Program is a four term training program. (Ages 14 - 17)
At 16th Street, we believe that storytellers are vital. We are proud to encourage emerging young actors to develop their artistic and technical skills and craft stories they are passionate about telling. The Youth Acting Program is a four-term training program for teenage actors, we have two ensembles for ages 14 to 15 and the second ensemble for ages 16 to 17, however class placement will be at the discretion of the studio.
Young actors train in technique and apply it to a wide range of theatre (plays) and film and television scripts. Throughout the program, they also develop the skills to create and perform their own original material. 16th Street prepares young people with the necessary craft to pursue a professional acting career and live with confidence and self-belief. 16th Street is committed to fostering the unique talents of young creatives by introducing them to dynamic industry professionals who are skilled communicators in their areas of expertise.
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Movement & Play
We kick off the year by getting out of our heads and into our bodies. Through physical theatre, clowning, buffon, and mask work, students discover freedom, presence, and connection - learning to express with the whole body and find truth in play. It’s about building confidence, spontaneity, and ensemble energy.
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Acting for Camera
The focus shifts on-screen. Students explore the craft of acting for camera - finding truth in smaller moments, hitting marks without losing connection, and understanding how film performance differs from stage work. This term introduces practical on-set skills and the subtlety of screen presence.
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Scene Work
Students apply their growing skills to specific scene work - exploring text, relationships, and emotional truth. They learn to prepare like professionals, analyse scripts, and bring characters fully to life in rehearsal and performance.
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Industry & Showcase
The year culminates in a creative mini-showcase and draws on the full range of skills they’ve developed across the year. Including physical expression in scene work, discipline in performance and bringing work to an audience -celebrating how far they’ve come and where they’re heading next.
KESTIE MORASSI
Meet our Youth Program Lead, Kestie Morassi.
Kestie is one of Australia’s most prolific actors. Her career has seen her work steadily in the Australian Film and Television industry for over 30 years.
Her passion for teaching was ignited when she was invited to speak at the very first drama school, Melbourne Institution – Drama With A Difference, which she had attended some 20 years earlier. This resulted in her immediately being offered a full-time teaching position. She currently teaches at the renowned Patrick Studios in Prahran, SAE Film School, Swinburne, Stage School Australia, and is also head of the 16th Street Youth Program.
She teaches a diverse range of classes focussing on both on-screen and stage and directed performances for Fringe and The Comedy Festival.
Kestie believes that teaching has yielded some of her greatest personal rewards. She believes acting classes and the craft of acting translates immediately and profoundly into one’s everyday life boosting confidence, igniting and sustaining relationships and fuelling one’s imagination, empathy, self-discovery and ultimately self-love.
Kestie is a graduate of the 16th Street Actors Studio Full Time Program.
Georgie Stone is an Australian actress, writer, and a Youth Program Graduate.
“I was excited to meet other people my age who had the same passions as I did. The 16th Street Youth Program really was looking at what we are actually doing, what this profession is and why so many people are absolutely in love with it.” - Georgie Stone, Actor (Neighbours)
DETAILS
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2025
Term 1: 9th February - 30th March
Term 2: 27th April - 15th June
Term 3: 27th July - 14th September
Term 4: 12th October - 30th November -
Sundays; 10am - 1pm or 2pm - 5pm
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$2972 incl GST (term 1-4) ($743 per term)
Or
4 x instalments of $793 incl GST ($3172 total) -
Application Process:
16th Street invites young actors and their parents or caregivers to submit an online application.
We meet with every young actor we take onto the program to introduce them to the studio. We ask them to prepare a very short scene that we provide to give us a sense of where they are at, so we can best support them in the program.
We encourage both emerging and experienced young actors to apply.
Class placement will be at the discretion of the 16th Street faculty and may include a transition to the teen program.
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