Our Advanced Screen Acting Program is a selective, career-focused training stream designed for students who are serious about pursuing acting for the screen. The program builds advanced on-camera technique, professional discipline, and a deep understanding of how performance functions within a film production environment.
Actors refine their craft through intensive acting-for-camera training, learning how to take direction, adapt under pressure, and deliver truthful, nuanced performances across multiple takes. Working closely with industry professionals, students engage in a collaborative, production-driven process that mirrors real-world screen practice, developing both artistic confidence and professional readiness for film and television work.
Led by Matthew Caffoe, Founder and Artistic Director of Mashed Theatre & Films, this program offers students direct mentorship from a working actor, writer, director, and filmmaker with extensive real-world industry experience. Matthew has appeared in feature films including Deathkeeper and Dunny Derby, has written and produced three feature films, and is the writer of over seventeen stage plays that have toured nationally. His coaching focuses on truthful screen performance, professional discipline, and preparing emerging actors for the realities of working in the film industry.
This term focuses on the fundamentals of truthful screen performance. Students strip away theatrical habits and learn how to work naturally and honestly on camera. Through scene work and filmed exercises, actors develop stillness, listening skills, emotional restraint, and an understanding of how the camera captures thought and behaviour ensures their performances feel real, grounded, and compelling on screen.
Location: Mashed Theatre & Films Studio
126 Margaret Street, Toowoomba City, 4350
Starts: Monday, 2nd February, 2026
Last Class: Monday 23rd March, 2026
Class Times: 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Ages: students aged 13 – 17
Course Fee: $475 (inc. GST) for an 8 week term
Building on foundational screen skills, this term explores character from the inside out. Students learn how to create psychologically believable characters, access emotion safely and truthfully, and sustain authentic performance across multiple takes. The term culminates in a filmed dramatic scene designed to showcase emotional nuance and screen presence.
Location: Mashed Theatre & Films Studio
126 Margaret Street, Toowoomba City, 4350
Starts: Monday 27th April, 2026
Last Class: Monday, 15th June, 2026
Class Times: 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Ages: students aged 13 – 17
Course Fee: $475 (inc. GST) for an 8 week term
This term prepares students for the realities of the screen industry. Actors develop practical audition skills including self-taping, cold reading, taking direction, and professional on-camera etiquette. Students gain confidence working under time pressure while learning what casting directors actually look for in auditions.
Location: Mashed Theatre & Films Studio
126 Margaret Street, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350
Starts: Monday, 20th July, 2026
Last Class: Monday 7th September, 2026
Class Times: 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Ages: students aged 13 – 18
Course Fee: $475 (inc. GST) for an 8 week term
In the final term, students focus on creating high-quality showreel material that reflects their strengths, casting type, and on-screen identity. Through rehearsal, filming, and refinement, actors produce professionally shot scenes while learning how to present themselves confidently and strategically as emerging screen actors.
Location: Mashed Theatre & Films Studio
126 Margaret Street, Toowoomba City, 4350
Starts: Monday, 12th October, 2026
Last Class: Monday, 30th November, 2026
Class Times: 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Ages: students aged 13 – 18
Course Fee: $475 (inc. GST) for an 8 week term
• Advanced screen performance training designed for students pursuing acting as a serious pathway
• Development of a professional, industry-ready screen acting methodology
• Personalised mentorship and feedback from active screen practitioners
• Practical exposure to on-set and production processes to support nuanced performance
• A collaborative, industry-style approach to developing and filming screen work
• Training in the visual language of cinema, including story, framing, lighting, sound, and design
• High-quality showreel scenes produced during the program for professional portfolios
• End-of-year Movie Gala Night, celebrating student work in a red-carpet screening environment
