Kids drama classes

Our Teachers are
Industry Professionals

Greentree Acting School offer kids drama classes in the western suburbs and has been bringing the joy of Acting to young people for over 30 years. Our kids drama classes focus on training for film and television offering students opportunities to write and film scripts in our in house studio. Whether you are a young aspiring actor wanting to further your skills or someone wanting to build up confidence and enhance your life skills, Greentree will challenge all students at their individual level. We cover all ages offering Junior classes, Intermediate Classes and Senior classes. Our kids drama school offers teachers that are all highly qualified industry professionals with extensive expertise in teaching acting to young people. The main quality we instil in our teachers is to have an understanding that each child is an individual, learning at different levels and are challenged accordingly. Our aim as a team is to bring out the very best in every student. With many different techniques and strengths our teachers have created a curriculum that has benefitted hundreds of students in their daily lives and paths to a career in the performing arts. Greentree Acting School is the sister school to Brave Studios providing elite acting training to adults.

"I love to see students come through Greentree Acting School and grow - not only as Actors but as human beings." - Damien Fotiou

Our Staff

Damien Fotiou

Co-owner

Damien is one of the co-owners of Greentree Acting School and an actor himself!

Damien began his acting career aged 9 in the stage production of ‘Oliver’ at the Adelaide Festival Theatre. As an adult he trained at the VCA and graduated in 1994. Since that time Damien has appeared in numerous Australian television shows including Blue Heelers, Stingers, Kick, Underbelly and Rush.

He has also appeared in many feature films most notably Head On and the Hollywood film Kangaroo Jack. Damien has also worked in radio on ABC Radio National and is a voice over artist.

Elle Mandalis

Co-Owner

Elle is the other co-owner of Green Tree Acting School and a seasoned actor!

Elle began her career by appearing in Ana Kokkinos‘ debut feature film Only the Brave, winning an AFI award for her performance as the troubled teenager at the centre of the story. Elle has gone on to appear on some of Australia’s biggest shows including A Country Practice, Blue Healers, The Secret Life of Us and Offspring just to name a few.

Elle currently appears in the ABC series Back in Very Small Business as a recurring main character.

Mia Barrett

Admin Manager

Mia Barrett is Greentree Acting School’s manager and a passionate actor! She trained at 16th Street Actors Studio in their Full-Time Program and has also had the pleasure of joining many master teachers at various acting schools, including Brave Studios. Mia has been a part of many independent short and feature film productions. Recently, she has been celebrating the success of Feature Film, ‘Sunflower’, at The Melbourne International Film Festival. She hopes to bring her own screen projects to life in the coming years.

Michael Nikou

Teacher

Michael studied acting at the William Esper Studio in New York under the tutelage of Terry Knickerbocker. Since returning to Melbourne he has appeared in several independent theatre productions, films and TV shows such as Taika Waititi’s Time Bandits Kitty Flanagan’s FISK

In 2020 before the world came to a halt Michael founded his production company Bim Bim Films. Bim Bim Film’s first production is Black Comedy Thriller; SLANT, starring studio owner Elle Mandalis, screen icon Sigrid Thornton and Michael himself! You can catch it in theatres in 2023!

 

Tom Russell

Teacher

Born and raised in Adelaide, Tom established his acting career at just 10 years old, earning himself an AFI nomination for Best Young Actor for his role Chook in the 2009 film, Last Ride. Since then, Tom has worked regularly in film: Matching Jack 2009, The Tree 2010, Boys in the Trees 2016; television: Cloudstreet 2011, Deadline Gallipoli 2015, Amazing Grace 2021, and theatre industry, most recently performing in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Melbourne. Graduating from the National Institute of Dramatic Arts in 2019, Tom has gained valuable performing skills. He specifically has a love for live theatre, improvisation, music theatre and music production. Tom believes that the key to success in the classroom is in creating a positive and energetic environment where students feel confident to be themselves.

Jo Vicente Pires

Teacher

Jo’s acting credits include the BAFTA award-winning UK series Mrs Biggs, US series Preacher, Craig Monahan’s lm Healing, Alethea Jones’ lm Girl In The Moon, Corrie Chen’s lm Alasturia and ABC iView series The Housemate. She has appeared in the mainstage productions of Melbourne Theatre Company’s I Call My Brothers by Jonas Hassen Khemiri, Malthouse Theatre’s Tenderness by Christos Tsiolkas and Patricia Cornelius and Melbourne Art Centre’s Love Boy by Casey Nichols. Alongside writing partner Christos Tsiolkas (Head On, The Slap), she wrote, directed and appeared inWaking in Angola.

Jo completed her Postgraduate studies in Arts and Social Engagement at the Victorian College of the Arts, and has created productions with arts companies nationally. With an extensive background as a teaching artist with young people and adults, Jo is dedicated to fostering supportive spaces embedded with inclusivity and play.

Brenna Dixon

School Holiday Teacher

Brenna Dixon is a Melbourne based improvisational theatre performer, director, actor and teacher.

A graduate of the Bachelor of Performing Arts at Monash University, Brenna is a teacher and ensemble member of Victoria’s longest running improvisational theatre company, Impro Melbourne. Recent credits include Directing ‘Smells Like a Song’ (2016/17) an improvised musical and performing in ‘Death Comes to Us All’ (2017), ‘Gorilla Theatre’ (2017) and ‘When in Rome’ (2017). Brenna is the Artistic Director of Soothplayers, an improvisational theatre company inspired by the themes and language of William Shakespeare.

Brenna has toured regionally teaching storytelling and improvisation workshops for primary and secondary school students and created and delivered acting and performing arts programs for 6-18 year olds as part of the Gemco Players Youth Program. Brenna teaches workshops on improvisational theatre for the general public as well as tailored workshops for scripted theatre companies

Sophie Power

Teacher

Sophie Power is an actor and improviser originally from Adelaide.  She has trained and performed with Impro Melbourne since 2016.

She is a trained actor, having trained at the Atlantic Acting School in New York, and Brave Studios, 16th Street, and Film TV International in Melbourne. She especially loves physical theatre, including Viewpoints and Clown.
She has been a Captain Starlight with the Starlight Foundation since 2019. She delights in guiding the unbridled creativity in children and teens, and teaching them to embrace failure spectacularly and joyfully.
In her spare time (what is that again??) she enjoys surfing and hiking.

Lyndelle Green

School Holiday Teacher

Lyndelle Green, is a passionate acting coach with almost 20 years experience in the Performing Arts. During this time, Lyndelle has worked as Head of Drama at various senior schools across both Queensland and NSW. Lyndelle has also directed many successful musicals and Rock Eisteddfods. She has also marked the Higher School Certificate in NSW.

Lyndelle trained as an actor at Queensland University and with Queensland University of Technology’s Andrew Buchanan, at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), and at The Actor’s Centre, Sydney. She also trained in Los Angeles at Second City with Scott Sedita and at the Ivana Chubbuck Studio. Lyndelle undertook intensive training at the Ivana Chubbuck studio in Los Angeles, emerging as an accredited teacher of the Chubbuck Technique. Lyndelle has also participated in classes with Master Teachers Susan Batson and Elizabeth Kemp.

Ben Noble

Teacher

Ben has appeared in numerous film, TV and theatre productions both in Australia and overseas. Notable productions include RATON LAVEUR (Fairly Lucid Productions – Adelaide Fringe Festival), SCROOGE (Stage West CANADA), B.J. FLETCHER (Bee Charmer Productions CANADA) PHAEDRA’S LOVE (Controlled Chaos –The Store Room) and most recently  was seen in FAT TONY & CO (Screentime Australia CH 9).

As a playwright, Ben’s first play  won 3rd prize in the St Martins Playwriting Competition, and his commisioned piece “Short Trip” for St Martins’ as part of the Scattergun Project, took out St Martin’s Best Play. His follow up was short listed for St Martin’s Play of the Year in 2005.