SCENEWORKOUT: The business to build those acting muscles

An actor is like an athlete.

That is the first sentence that appears when you investigate the unique Melbourne business SceneWorkout.

Musical enthusiasts and High School best friends, Amy Robinson and Rose Flanagan have recently created a gym for actors who wish to learn and improve their acting skills.

SceneWorkout was designed for experienced actors who want to take control of the way they train, back themselves, and spend more time acting. Sessions are casual, affordable and work to complement an actor’s existing acting training and talents using their choice of material to skillshare with others.

The instant the Zoom chat launched, both Amy and Rose smiled gleefully, eager to tell their story.

“I’d been bubbling with this idea for a while,” Rose explained excitedly as we began the conversation, “I was speaking with my actor friends and we were all looking for flexible opportunities to train between jobs.”

As an actor herself, Rose has personal experience in the dramatic arts and sees SceneWorkout as a way to meaningfully connect with other actors to sharpen their skills.

The two owners smiled as they reflected on their recent accomplishments.

“I was just so surprised that nothing like this had been done before!” Amy said, “It was just such a good idea.”

With Amy’s background in Marketing and Advertising, the duo put their respective talents together to create a casual acting experience for the working actors of Melbourne.

“It’s a great partnership!” Amy said as she grinned towards her friend, “we both complement each other’s skills and it’s super easy to work together.”

Having recently opened its doors in February, SceneWorkout has had a tough start with the pressures of COVID lockdown like many businesses around the country.

“It was definitely a shock for everybody.” Rose stated, “We started looking at our options while we couldn’t run sessions and thought a podcast could be helpful for actors and for us.”

As SceneWorkout sessions were unable to run during the COVID lockdown, Amy and Rose created the podcast series Get Your Act Together! Hosted by Rose herself, the series specialises in advice from current industry professionals across various disciplines on how to navigate the business of acting as well as the craft

“A while back I was searching for acting podcasts. I really wanted a hands on, How-To guide but I couldn’t seem to find what I was looking for.”

Rose explained as the melodic tune of magpies echoed behind her.

“I stumbled upon Leigh Foster’s podcast Action: The Pursuit of Acting Excellence and it was incredible. I was inspired to create a podcast for our Australian landscape about the specifics of acting as a real occupation.”

The longer the pair talked about their story, the more passionate they became. This was a dream that had become a reality and it was steadily gaining traction.

“Even though our sessions couldn’t run, the podcast has been great as we were able to continue to offer a resource that helps actors and also says who we are and what we’re all about.”

With restrictions relaxing country-wide, the SceneWorkout Co-owners have been able to once again open their doors and have offered an actor’s giveaway package, being run on the SceneWorkout Instagram page. The giveaway aims to bring Victorian arts businesses, independent theatre companies, and actors together to help reinvigorate the industry, and to motivate actors coming out of lockdown ahead of 2021.

“In a post-covid world, I really think actors want the flexibility to not only go and try different things, but also to have flexibility, be able to take down-time when needed, and take care of themselves. That’s been an important change in many of our lives in general.”

For more information regarding SceneWorkout or the giveaway, visit the SceneWorkout website.