Actor Anastasia hones valuable drama and life skills in Robina

Budding star of the Perform Australia family at Robina Community Centre

Aspiring actor Anastasia Kouts is well on her way to realising her dream of becoming a star of the stage and screen.

The 14-year-old Somerset College student from Merrimac has been studying weekly for almost three years at Perform Australia’s Robina Community Centre school.

“I’ve always had a passion for acting and particularly wanted to get into filming, so joining Perform Australia a few years ago is the best thing I ever did,” said Anastasia, who studies drama at school and has already appeared in several Perform Australia productions, in addition to a number of short films and music videos.

“I would love to be a professional actor and work in full-length and short films, TV or theatre.

“The biggest dream I’ve always had is to be on Disney Channel.”

Anastasia said the skills she learned at Perform Australia were paving the way for her dream career, but she was also able to apply them to her everyday life.

“In class, we’ll play tongue twisters or improvisational games – which are usually hilarious and just so much fun,” said the keen pianist and aerial trapeze artist.

“Then we might get into script work, or start brainstorming some theatre work – it could be anything really, we’re always kept guessing.

“The skills I have learned at Perform Australia have made me so much more confident in myself.

“I find things so much easier now – whether it’s public speaking, English or creative thinking.

“Getting a job is so much easier, too, because people love you for your personality and confidence.”

Drama teacher at Perform Australia’s Robina school, Nicole Amaya, said the acting school wasn’t just for budding actors – rather any young person with a creative spark.

“If a kid is creative, there is a place for them here in our family,” she said.

“It’s not just acting, though – we do creative writing, directing, producing, working on costumes or just making friends with like-minded kids.

“For some kids it can be hard to make friends or get out of their comfort zone – this is the place to do that – we are very inclusive.

“Our classes aren’t just about being dramatic, either – they’re about how you apply your knowledge to create things, think differently and improvise – think on your feet – which are skills that are transferable into all areas of a young person’s life.”

Nicole said this term’s major project was just kicking off – a Greek mythology-influenced production to be performed at Brisbane Arts later in the year.

“It’s early days with our new production, but what we want as a collective is simply to put on a really good show for the audience,” she said.

“Last year’s show was amazing and we’re very keen to do it all over again.”

Perform Australia is one of Australia’s leading acting schools, with acting classes for adults and children throughout Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.

Perform Australia Queensland manager Lillian Duggan said her school’s mission was to ‘launch passion-driven actors’.

“We seek to find those performers who can unite their passion for performing arts with hard work and focus,” she said.

“Our job is to help them springboard into performance for enjoyment, or as a a career.

“We are proud to have been passing along our love of acting and the skills needed to empower children to perform with joy and confidence for over 10 years on the Gold Coast.

“Our program on the Gold Coast allows young actors who participate in drama, theatre and film to develop self-confidence, and communications, team and creative thinking skills – which are all skills that translate well to other areas of life.”

The insideR team wishes Anastasia the best of luck in her personal and professional journey – we look forward to following you as you smash your big dreams!