THE PRACTICE OF CRAFT

THE SECOND YEAR

Introducing our graduate repertory ensemble.

The Second Year marks the transition from training to artistic life. Actors are no longer working toward exercises or assessments, they are working inside rehearsal rooms, alongside directors, within an ensemble. Training becomes indistinguishable from practice.

Actors who have developed their technique in the Full Time Program are placed inside a working ensemble. Across four terms, structured as a theatrical year (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter) the ensemble works with leading professional directors on demanding, vital texts. The Second Year ensemble are exposed to a mix of visiting directors and core faculty. Directors move from teachers to collaborators. Actors move from students to company members.

The Ensemble

  • Nathan McGuire

  • Josie Wicks

  • Aimee Smith

  • Archie Allen

  • Leah Humbert

  • Archie Myers

  • Ty Mckenzie

  • Poppy Zanderigo

  • Fabrizio Phillips

  • Penelope Burke

  • Ollie Gorringe

  • Isabella Greco

  • Imogen Allchin

  • Darcy Bryce

  • Essie Houghton

  • Kristine Elefan

  • Dyllan Joseph

  • Mia Gebhardt

  • Eva Fielding

  • Jem James

The Second Year Overview

The Academic Year Program

  • Summer, Contemporary Works

    The Second Year begins with the ensemble tackling contemporary plays straight from the main stage. Be that Modern Australian work or plays that have come straight from Broadway or the West End.

    Autumn, Classical + Poetic

    During the summer season, the ensemble will work on heightened and poetic text ranging from Shakespeare to Moliére. This is a season that celebrates the power of classical theatre.

    Winter, American Repertoire

    Great American playwrights have shaped the way the world has experienced drama. Ranging from Tennessee Williams to Annie Baker this season invites the ensemble to sink their teeth into the challenging and recognisably human world of broadway.

    Spring, The Ensemble

    Returning for the final season, the ensemble tackles a formidable large-cast play in a recognisable off-site venue.

    The Ensemble is divided into two groups, each working on a different production. 

    Groupings are determined by the plays and the nature of the ensemble.*

The Second Year launches with our ensemble staging two modern, award-winning plays: Anna Jordan’s Bruntwood Prize-winning drama YEN and Tatty Hennessy’s acclaimed adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm.

Summer Season: Animal Farm by George Orwell, Adapted byTatty Hennessy | Directed by Iain Sinclair

  • When the animals in the farmyard rebel against their tyrannical farmer and take control of the farm, they hope to create a world where they can be equal, happier and free. But as power shifts and a new leader emerges, they soon face the age-old question: what does it really mean to be equal?

    Exploring loss of identity, the seductive allure of privilege, and the corrupting nature of political power, George Orwell's Animal Farm is a classic story of rebellion and treachery, and a timely reminder of the importance of resistance.

    Tatty Hennessy's adaptation received its professional premiere in 2025, directed by Amy Leach, co-produced by Leeds Playhouse and Stratford East in association with Nottingham Playhouse, and performed at all three theatres. It was commissioned and first performed by the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain in 2021.

    —

    An Amateur Production By Arrangement with ORiGiN™ Theatrical On Behalf of Nick Hern Books

  • Show Dates:

    December 10, 11 & 12 

    Location:

    Northcote Town Hall, 189 High St, Northcote VIC 3070

    Tickets:

    Booking link available soon.

Summer Season: YEN by Anna Jordan | Directed by Harry Haynes

  • Anna Jordan's Bruntwood Prize-winning play, Yen explores a childhood lived without boundaries and the consequences of being forced to grow up on your own.

    Hench is sixteen, Bobbie is thirteen. They’re home alone in Feltham with their dog Taliban; playing PlayStation, streaming porn, watching the world go by.

    Sometimes their mum Maggie visits, usually with empty pockets and empty promises. Then Jenny shows up.

    Yen won the 2013 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting and was first performed at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, before transferring to the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 2016.

    —

    An Amateur Production By Arrangement with ORiGiN™ Theatrical On Behalf of Nick Hern Books

  • Show Dates:

    December 17, 18 & 19 

    Location:

    Northcote Town Hall, 189 High St, Northcote VIC 3070

    Tickets:

    Booking link available soon.

“The Second Year is designed to produce actors who can endure - artists who are rigorous, collaborative, and capable of meeting the demands of the most exciting writing in the world.This is not simply about preparing actors for the industry. It is about preparing them to contribute to it.”

— Harry Haynes, Associate Artistic Director.