White abstract lines on a black background, forming chaotic wavy patterns.

THEATRE  PRAXIS

Simon Tate

Photo from the production 'The Ark'; a stage with performers in motion, some appearing blurred, under a sign that says "The Ark Project."

Informing, Inspiring and Creating Performance for Students, Artists and Teachers

Student Workshops | Professional Development | Devising and Productions

Praxis: Where theory and practice collide.

Praxis: Where theory and practice collide.

Teaching and training

  • Seven people in school uniforms stand on a dimly lit stage with a red and purple glow from the production 'The Howl'..

    Student Workshops

    From 90-minute, one-off workshops in particular training and performance styles to day- or week-long intensives and anywhere in between, I can provide workshops in more than just Physical Theatre, catered for secondary and tertiary students’ needs, or Teacher’s Professional Development.

    With experience in Australian and International Baccalaureate syllabus, I can cater an experience that will enrich and deepen students’ practice. With 30+ years teaching experience, there isn’t much that I can’t create a practical workshop for.

  • Photo from the production 'The Ark': a group of people in white coveralls perform under blue lighting.

    Artist Residencies

    Contemporary Performance, Physical Theatre, adaptation of existing text and Butoh are a speciality as well as coaching in the creation of Solo and Collaborative performance projects.

    Examples of previous residencies include:

    • In-depth training into a variety of styles under the umbrella term of physical theatre 

    • The application of specific styles to practice – e.g. how to adapt Kabuki conventions into a Western text, reinterpreting Shakespeare in post-dramatic performance.

    • Devising process – collaborative or solo performance

    • Developing student-devised work into production

    • Staging a script into production, explicit modelling of Directing and production process

  • Photo from the production 'The Howl'; a group of performers dances energetically on a dimly lit stage with a vibrant orange-yellow backdrop, surrounded by scattered papers. Their dramatic poses create lively silhouettes.

    Professional Development

    Reinvigorating teacher practice, extending your knowledge or adding a new form to your teaching arsenal, Professional Development explores the practice of teaching with a three-pronged approach of providing practical workshop material, theoretical context and a deconstruction of pedagogy and teaching philosophy.

Learn more

Collaborated with

Kind words

  • "Simon is one of the most knowledgeable Theatre Educators I have met in my two decades of working with Educators around the world. I have seen him inspire professional actors and students alike in my work with him in the industry, and the many Butoh-Inspired Physical Theatre Shows we have collaborated on and devised with high school students. He is a truly passionate Teaching Artist to bring into your school to work with your students and educators alike."

    Mark Hill — Independent Teaching Artist, Butoh Performer and Creator

  • “Simon brings a remarkable breadth of knowledge and practical expertise to his work as a theatre and acting educator. His teaching spans a wide range of methodologies, from Stanislavski and Meisner to Brecht, Clown, the Suzuki Method of Actor Training and Butoh. Across all forms, he challenges his students to strive for excellence while fostering an environment grounded in curiosity, discipline and rigour. As a professional director, I regularly encounter Simon’s graduates in rehearsal rooms and across the industry. They consistently stand out for their strong technical foundation, well-rounded understanding of their craft, and a level of commitment that often exceeds their peers. His impact as an educator is clear in the calibre of artists he develops.”

    Steven Mitchel Wright — Artistic Director, The Danger Ensemble

  • "Simon Tate meets the students and learners where they are at, no matter what their ability or knowledge is. From there, he up skills them, challenging them through questioning and activities. He is gentle, vibrant and a walking book of all things Theatre. He's the best!"

    Rebecca Head — Senior Drama Teacher

  • "I enjoyed my time engaging in learning about Butoh and Suzuki, even though they were physically demanding and requires a lot of focus, it was incredibly immersive and life-changing."

    Chi Tran —Year 12 Student

  • "Simon Tate is a dedicated and gifted educator/practitioner of theatre studies and performance. I have watched Simon teach and direct on numerous occasions, with enormous skill, giving students enough autonomy so that they experience some success each time they perform, as well as learning deeply about the world of drama. Simon is empathic, kind and extremely knowledgeable, and is highly regarded in the theatre industry. I have no hesitation in recommending him highly. "You are so very skilled, dear Simon…. And your skills are tied up with empathy and joy.”

    Dr Margi Brown Ash — Educator, theatre-maker, therapist, researcher, facilitator, and mentor

  • "… the Butoh and Suzuki focused sessions were so relevant and enriching to our Theatre syllabus and assessments I found our exploration of Butoh theatre incredibly enjoyable and thought Simon was an excellent teacher for both Butoh and Suzuki."

    Bailey MacDonald —Year 12 Student

  • "Simon Tate has an extraordinary ability to inspire and energise young people. His depth of experience is immediately evident in the clarity, precision, and generosity of his teaching. He is also not afraid to think big and get the best ideas from his students. Drawing on a rich range of practices, including Suzuki and Viewpoints, he creates a training environment that is both rigorous and deeply supportive"

    Simon Woods — Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre Co-Founder

  • "It was so fun to learn about Suzuki and Butoh theatre, their backgrounds, and the level of patience and focus that they require. Similarly, it was amazing to work with Tate, and to learn so much from him, especially Butoh..."

    Maggie Williams —Year 12 Student

About Tatey

Simon Tate M.Ed.

Simon Tate with long hair, glasses, and a beard smiles and gestures with his hands. He is wearing a white shirt and a black blazer, standing against a plain white background.

  • Teacher, playwright, director and Theatre nerd.

  • Trained with SITI Company, Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre, Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble, Royal Shakespeare Company, Complicite and so many more…

  • 30+ years teaching experience in secondary, tertiary and industry.

  • Taught in over 300 different secondary schools in Australia and Hong Kong, with Zen Zen Zo (Education Manager), Qld Theatre Company, Drama Queensland, Drama Australia, Drama Victoria, International Shakespeare Festival (2005), Hunter Region Drama Festival/ Drama NSW.

  • Familiar with all Australian Drama syllabus and International Baccalaureate (Production Proposal/ Director’s Notebook Examiner 2017 - present)

  • Experienced workshop, devising and production facilitator/ director providing training and performance structured specifically for the needs of each ensemble.

  • Produced over 80 productions in a variety of contexts from international festivals to mainstage and studio productions, site-specific, promenade, character roaming, invisible theatre.

  • Teaching teachers: professional development for educators and training for pre-service teachers with an understanding of pedagogical practice and the classroom context.

Learn more

Explore learning resources

Resources for students and nerds like me. Articles, links, books and videos on a number of different styles collected and collated over the years. If there's something that you can't find, or a specific question that I can help out with, drop me a line below and I'll reply to you as soon as possible. 

Explore

Explore the blog

Lessons for Actors That Work for Real People Too

Tatey’s thoughts on performance, art, and training to be a decent person…

Articles and Blog
Inner Conflict
Simon Tate
Inner Conflict
Simon Tate

Inner conflict makes for interesting tension within the core of an actor’s character. Often its stillness is mistaken for a solid basis or core when really it is the ongoing dynamic between two forces in opposition.

Read more →
Simon Tate
This Is Training
Simon Tate
This Is Training
Simon Tate

If this is training, what are you training for?

The form is a means to an end. Anything can become the form if an extraordinary awareness is brought to a practice, because it is not the form you are training to perfect, but training to be what you practice.

Be conscious of what you already practice is the first step. Without judgement, consider your habitual responses to different situations; what behaviours you practice, what attitudes you practice. If as much consistency was placed into any other type of behaviour, wouldn’t it naturally become that?

Read more →
Simon Tate
Grasping
Simon Tate
Grasping
Simon Tate

Grasping is an ego response to fear borne from awareness. It’s about highlighting what you are holding on to. It is about an understanding of Anicca/ Anitya – not only that this too will pass, but it is also about the moment, about the being, the presence. All of this is here then gone. All is impermanent. Grasping is trying to stop the inevitable, trying to make something that can’t be owned your own. What you are left with is disappointment, so you hold on to that.

Read more →
Simon Tate
Engaging with What Is
Simon Tate
Engaging with What Is
Simon Tate

When you encounter an emotion or sensation, don’t try to push it away or ignore it in preference of ‘correctly’ completing the form. The form was what gave you that experience to work on, so it’s already doing what it needs to do. Your job is to use what it gives you as a means of finding a truthful moment, free from the burden of judgement, tension, self, or ego.

Read more →
Simon Tate
Indifference is the Antithesis of Performance
Simon Tate
Indifference is the Antithesis of Performance
Simon Tate

When you see actors training in the Suzuki Method of Actor Training, one of the most surprising features is the calm, stoic expression on their faces as they engage in rigorous and demanding physical exercise that, if performed as exercise in a gym, would be accompanied by grunting, grimacing and grand-standing.

Read more →
Simon Tate
Explore the blog

Let's Work Together

If this form isn't able to fully capture what you hope for a devised or scripted production, training or you simply have a query, please feel free to email me directly at simon@theatrepraxis.com and I will help however I can.