"To train as an actor is to train the body on the act of doing."
In contemporary actor training around the world, conservatories, specialist professional studios and universities are beginning to grasp the understanding of how Martial Arts training is an important aspect of an actors' work. At the end of his life, the hugely influential acting teacher Konstantin Stanislavsky highlighted the importance of psycho-physical training to be at the core of any actor training program. His work hugely influenced the United States, Europe, and Russia though the west only propelled his ideas into the psychology of the actor, fascinated by Freudian Psychoanalysis coming out at the time.
In the East, Martial Arts & Physical Training had always been a pillar of any acting tradition. Theatre and actor training traditions in the East that can date to thousands of years of heritage focus on the physical and martial aspects of an actors' training just as much as the social, spiritual and psychological: Kathakali, Noh, Peking Opera, Balinese Barong just to name a few.
This workshop series is designed for actors looking to discover or strengthen their mind-body (psycho-physical) connection and understand how this contributes to their practice of acting. Each session is led by an expert with many years of experience in the specific Martial Art AND acting/performance to introduce key aspects of the Martial form which will enrich your acting craft. As each facilitator will introduce key inter-disciplinary concepts that will support you in the next session, it is highly recommended to undergo the full series experience.
"The body can think faster than the mind as the mind can act faster than the body."
About our Facilitators
Peps Goh is an actor based in Singapore, who specialises in action and comedy genres. He also runs a fight design studio, choreographing and coordinating action scenes for commercials & TV dramas.
Apart from his lifetime of martial arts upbringing in a multitude of Classical Chinese Kungfu & Sanda, the Chinese Kick Boxing. Peps has also received education in multiple other martial disciplines along with extensive work and training alongside foreign stunt teams;
such as the Action Horizons a hollywood-based stunt team, ACT from Taipei, and Pejuang Stunts from Indonesia.
An avid Parkour practitioner, Peps has over 10 years of experience, once winning the 2nd Runner-up in Sydney’s international Free Running competition held by Aapes Academy in 2016. Peps coaches Parkour & Free Running, certified under the A.D.A.P.T coaching accreditation held by Parkour Generations, a UK-based entity built by the founders of Parkour.
He is also certified under the N.C.A.P coaching theory certification, alongside with the National Standards for Youth Sports for Coaching in Singapore Schools certification, both issued by the Singapore Sports Council that was released in 2013 as a requirement for coaching in Singaporean Schools.
Khairul is a Singaporean acting teacher and theatre director currently pursuing a PhD in Actor Training & VR at DeMontfort University (UK) on a full scholarship. Experienced in various elements within theatremaking, Khairul has directed and taught across Singapore, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. He graduated from the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama (2018; London) with an MA in Actor Training & Coaching and is a former Resident Assistant Director at Singapore Repertory Theatre (2016-2017; Forbidden City: Portrait of an Empress, Romeo & Juliet at Fort Canning, Hand to God, Constellations, Disgraced and many more).
His most recent directing works were Water Child (2020, Zoom) Lady Death (2019, Hong Kong) and Discord of Discourse (2019, Hong Kong & London).
His martial arts journey includes over 8 years of Muay Thai training including 2 years with world champion coaches at Evolve MMA. He is a Level 3 certified Personal Trainer by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (US) and a certified Firefighter for the Singapore Civil Defence Force.
Sharda Harrison is a Singaporean theatre maker, actor, educator, and television presenter who resides both in Singapore and Bali, Indonesia. Her practice is rooted in psycho-physical theatre with a learning philosophy on the craft of actor training that is shaped and influenced by her mentors, arts practitioners and educational theorists. Initially, she thought that an actor’s training belonged only to the actor. However, over the past five years, Sharda has facilitated and shared her ongoing approach to acting through actor training modules designed for the ‘non-actor’. A few examples of these non actors are school teachers, caregivers, housewives and even chefs.
It is in her learning and teaching philosophy that, acting is a craft that is accessible to everyone and through the skill-set of the actor, the everyday person can too, develop a deeper relationship with his body and mind.
Lian Sutton is a graduate of the BA(Hons) Acting, and MA in Arts Pedagogy and Practice program at LASALLE College of the Arts. Selected theatre credits include ‘Temple’ directed by Natalie Hennedige, ‘2 Houses’ by Lim Yu Beng, and ‘Those who can’t, teach’ directed by Alvin Tan. He was awarded Best Supporting Actor for his role in ‘Electra’ at the 2017 Life! Theatre Awards. As a trained martial artist, Lian constantly seeks to merge his talents to tell stories in varied and engaging ways. He is a member of theatre collective, Dark Matter Theatrics and founder of Nusantara Theatrical Combat.