Photo from the production 'The Ark'; people on stage performing with some wearing white costumes, in a dark theater with stage lights overhead.

Teaching theory, inspiring practice.

Workshops, Intensives and Residencies offer the opportunity for artists to practically explore and experiment with new forms, find depth in ongoing training and make connections to previous experience. With the flexibility to adapt to your schedule and level of experience, workshops can be catered to the needs of the group, curriculum outcomes, and assessment or simply provide the practical opportunity to embody and explore new styles to broaden experience.

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Practical and engaging

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Adaptable and Accessible

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Expert teaching and Resources

Services

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

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Specialist training styles

Other styles and possibilities

After 30+ years of training drama students I can say that I have the ability to create a practical and theory-based workshop in any style. Here are some I specialise in:

  • Physical Theatre;

    • LeCoq

    • Laban

    • Meyerhold

    • Body-Mind Centering

  • Devising Contemporary Performance – solo and collaborative

  • Theatre of the Absurd

  • Clowning/ Commedia Del Arte

  • Shakespeare – Speaking the verse

  • Linklator-based vocal training

  • Ancient Greek – chorus, re-/interpretation

  • Social Comment – Epic

  • Boal

  • Method Acting – Stanislavski and Meisner

  • Stage Combat

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Photo from the production 'The Howl'; a group of young performers in school uniforms stand in a line on a stage, lit by blue and pink lights, with scattered papers and debris on the floor creating a dramatic scene.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Yep! Right down to the specific criteria for assessment and the learning outcomes for your units. I’ve worked with many different syllabi, predominantly ACARA, QCAA, and International Baccalaureate, but I’ve had experience not only creating work, but also work programs in secondary and tertiary courses. While there are a multitude of syllabi around the world, there are also commonalities that you find when you have seen a lot of them. If you’re interested, I created a document that articulates these for both teachers and students which you can find here.

  • I have found that it is difficult to really get substantial results in anything less than a 90-minute workshop, and usually prefer 2 hours, however I understand the limitations of timetables and the difficulty of arranging time outside of them. Obviously, with less time, less can be covered, but I am happy to negotiate and discuss what can suit you as long as it doesn’t compromise the quality of the material I present.

  • We all know that organisationally, it always comes down to time and money. The answer is that it is dependent on your needs.

    For student-devised performances, I can either teach students a devising process modelling the application to what they’re working on, or devise something with them and coach them all the way through to the final performance.

    For full productions, rehearsal time would either need to be spread out or condensed into intensives, or a combination of both.

    Again, the outcome will represent the amount of time available and if I am listed as director/ creator, I hold the work to a particular standard that requires certain time and engagement.

  • My objective is to help as much as I possibly can, so the fees are comparable with most independent artists and companies, scaled to the amount of time I am engaged for. Depending on where in the world you are and how long I hang out with you, travel and accommodation fees can also be negotiated.

  • These three styles are my speciality in which I have trained and taught extensively, but they are only three of many styles and forms that I have practically taught. I do believe that the Viewpoints are the best foundation for any performance, and the creation process of composition utilised by the SITI company one of the most flexible and adaptable means of developing performance regardless of the style. However, I have a passion for all performance styles with experience teaching a lot of them, so if there is something particular from Post-Dramatic performance, to Method, to Shakespeare, to Ancient Greek that you are interested in, let me know and we can work something out.

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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

  • “I engaged Simon as an Artist-in-residence to work with our IB Theatre students over a day of workshops exploring Viewpoints, Suzuki and Butoh, for our Theatre Camp in 2026. As an expert on these Japanese styles, Simon skilfully introduced the forms, underpinned with a strong theoretical and practical understanding, instantly building trust and rapport with our students. Simon facilitated a range of engaging practical exercises that catered for the physical needs of our students, whilst pushing them out of their comfort zones and encouraging them to take creative risks. Simon’s exploratory session on Butoh provided an excellent platform for students to continue their inquiry into the second day of camp, finding a starting point from nature to develop into a Butoh performance. Simon is an experienced educator and artist in his own right; he is an exceptional facilitator and a wealth of knowledge on many theatrical forms and I encourage you to engage him to work with your students.”

    Brad Jennings

    Experienced Senior Theatre Teacher and IB Workshop Leader – QACI

  • "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 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

  • "… 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

  • "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

  • “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

  • "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

  • "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

Let's Work Together

Please feel free to email me directly at simon@theatrepraxis.com and I will help however I can.