Best acting course for professional actors

Hey, you -- want a deeply transformative practice that moves your acting process & life to a whole new level?

Slow down, do less, be more

The Actor's Practice:
The Art of Being Human

The creative path for artists

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICANTS FOR 2025:

SPRING COURSE:
March 4th to May 21st 2025 (Online)

Yes, level up my acting

Imagine...

What if you were able to navigate any circumstance creatively and with deeply empowered presence, whether an audition, self tape or chemistry read, or a meeting with directors and producers on major film and TV series.
How would your relationships on set, the other and in life evolve if you could feel more confident, unshakable, and inspired to be yourself.
Imagine the immeasurable difference in how much pleasure and curiosity you will be able to create in relation to your craft and life.
Imagine what you could create if you had an endless creative resource to tap into!
What if you could create fully realised characters for stage and screen allowing the audience to feel the complexity of their own humanity through your embodiment of the story.
What if you could free yourself of your inner critic and give yourself permission to truly enjoy and find pleasure in the art of acting.

INTRODUCING...

This is a 10-week intensive advanced actor training practice with two of the world's leading acting coaches, Helena Walsh and Benjamin Mathes.

"Change the Environment, Embolden and Empower the Artist"
- HELENA WALSH

YES, I NEED THIS

Here's what to expect:

"The Actor's Practice" is a compassionate and deeply transformative practice which moves both the actor's process to a whole new level and changes their lives for the better. This leaves the actor confident, unshakable and inspired to feel more pleasure and curiosity in their life and art.

The scene work is about being in and experiencing the story. Ben and Helena will give you tools to build a belief in story to give you an unshakable craft so that you can risk, be dangerous and more creative as the actor.

Twice a week, there will be acting and voicework
We will work with the world of the story and how to develop and deepen your relationship to character from the moments that emerge from the play and script. You will spend time learning how to speak from first person and third person. I need you to be walking into rehearsal rooms, into auditions onto film sets, fully able to talk about and speak from your characters. This will really help the director and it’s a practice. It’s a practice to talk about, to speak from, to excavate that character. You’ve spent more time with that character than anybody else. Once you get cast and you’ve worked on that character, you’re the expert in the room, you are then having a dialogue with the director.

The fusion of the creative mind and body invites the imaginative circumstances of the story to emerge. I spend a lot of time on that intimate detailed work of building belief between the creative mind and the creative body within the text with the actor so that by the time you walk onto a set your corridors of perception of your thinking, imagination, sensation, emotion, subconscious and unconscious is full of the world of the story.
Nervous System Regulation
You will also work on understanding how to regulate your nervous system so you can remain alive, receptive, at ease and vulnerable in intense environments. How to get in and out of character so that you have clarity around when you are in story and when you are out of story. You'll be working with regulating the fight / flight / freeze mechanisms that ignite in your nervous system when working with creative impulse.
Helena's Unique Approach to Storytelling
The work is inspired by Helena's 30 years of working with actors on stage and screen, Fitzmaurice Voicework®, Organic Intelligence® and Neurosystemics™. The foundations of this work are rooted in the principles of stability, support, pleasure and play. It is a journey of integrating the creative mind and the creative body. A collaboration between the creative self, your sense of self, the environments you find yourself in, the creative collaborations and personal communities you are part of, the natural environment and your universal beliefs. We will explore the subtle nuances in our rich vulnerability so that the experience of your character is more dynamic, surprising and alive.
Finding your Original Process
The work that I do is really working with each actor to find their original process. I’ve studied for 30 years all different aspects, somatically, neurologically, physiologically, biologically, the neuroscience of the creative process. I’ve gone deep into the nervous system, which I feel is the game changer. The regulated nervous system creates an oriented actor who understands in practice, consistently, how to become present to their lives and present to the world in a way that’s creative. This offers a transformative experience for the actor and their audience, it's when in front of their eyes that character is experiencing something so the audience are being changed as the character actor are being changed. However, for that to happen, the actor has to be hugely skilled in the practice of being and receiving as well as hugely skilled in the practice of trust and love.
How Helena works with you:
A lot of the work Helena has been doing over the last five years, has been studying nervous system regulation with some of the top people in the world. Because Helena began to realise that one of the biggest challenges for actors was performance anxiety and personal anxiety.

Helena started to work with this in more detail and discovered, that her actor's performances became much more complex. They started moving out of intensity and into complexity. They started to move away from self criticism towards self awareness and into real enjoyment and pleasure in their lives, their work with story, their relationship with character and their relationship with their scene partner.

Helena works with Organic Intelligence®, working one to one with you in the room. And then she works with the nervous system of the group. This is really about compassionate, collective change and co-creativity and how in group to find your voice and speak from a place where you feel very much yourself.
How Ben works with you:
Through exercise, scene work, and discussion, actors will explore The Path™, a revolutionary 4 point process designed to bring more depth, ease, and joy to your acting and auditions.

Students will work closely with Benjamin and Helena in this intimate-group setting of limited participants, receiving focused and personalised feedback.

HERE'S WHAT'S INSIDE:

You're going to

love

these

Acting Masterclasses

Weekly acting masterclasses with Helena Walsh and Benjamin Mathes.

The Actor's Practice App

You will also have access to our actor's practice app for self-study so that you can put the skills into practice on a daily basis.

Organic Intelligence sessions

Helena will give you the tools and techniques to feel more present, powerful and inspired so that you can persuade, move and really engage your audience.

ACCESS The Actor's Practice: The Art of Being Human

Apply now to join ➡

'“Working with Helena has been a transformative experience, I’ve discovered the importance of the intimacy with my body, my breath and showing up in the world with a greater level of sensitivity for the people, places and things around me, I’ve been inspired to truly see with a loving attention and have built the courage to truly be seen by others, in the face of fear and the unknown I will now choose courage and speak from that place, this isn’t just a course, its a real gift.”'

Alistair Nwachukwu
Actor | Shadow and Bone Netflix TV Series

"I feel reborn and forever changed! 🫶 Thank you, Helena and Ben, for inviting us in and gathering us together. I have never experienced anything like this class - and to go through it with these beautiful humans was truly a gift! Helena, your work is revolutionary! It's powerful and vital. You have healed me in more ways than I can count! Thank you !"

Regina Schneider
Actress

‘“Working with Helena has been life changing. Helena goes beyond acting, a woman who knows the human body and voice so perfectly. Her approach allows you to take that leap into the unknown, the place of magic where so many are afraid to go. The Actor’s Practice has reframed my whole approach to my craft, it has allowed me to brave, trust and know it all lies within. She is a gift to this world and her work is transformational. A special community that allows growth.”

Jade Jordan | "The Virtues": Channel 4 , "Doctors": BBC
Actress & Author

And just who will also be teaching you The Actor's Practice: The Art of Being Human?

Me! I'm Helena Walsh

Voice & Acting Coach | Human Empowerment & Resiliency Organic Intelligence® Consultant.

Helena Walsh is a passionate Entrepreneur, Researcher, and International Voice & Acting Coach, empowering actors to reach their full potential.

With 30+ years of experience, she prepares actors for major TV shows, drawing from practices like Organic Intelligence® and Fitzmaurice Voicework®. Her holistic approach fosters empowerment and collective growth by addressing the nervous system.

As a sought-after mentor, Helena guides actors in presence, communication, and resilience. With her deep understanding of the actor's journey, she equips them for success on and off the stage. Experience her coaching through a free consultation and unlock your acting excellence.

"Her work is extraordinary"

"Helena assisted me in opening up doors to my character’s history & helped to unlock elements to their story. Her work is extraordinary and drives you to build a world around your character through narrative and imagination. Her help and support is like no other. Highly recommend working with this master craftswoman.."

LAURENCE O' FUARAIN
ACTOR | "The Witcher: Blood Origin" Netflix TV Series

And who else will also be teaching you The Actor's Practice: The Art of Being Human?

Me! I'm Benjamin Mathes

Acting coach and teacher | author | Founder of Urban Confessional: A Free Listening Movement

I have been an actor for over 20 years. On film, television, and stage I have worked with artists such as Academy Award winning director Clint Eastwood, Academy Award winning actor Alan Arkin, Sam Raimi, Bradley Cooper, Andy Garcia, Chris Rock, and Academy Award winning producer Brian Grazer. I received my MFA in Acting from the University of California-Irvine.

My acting studio, CRASH, inspires a guerrilla approach to acting driven by the idea that service is the context for artistic greatness. My students have been nominated or awarded Tony, Emmy, Grammy, and Ovation Awards, and have appeared on Broadway, as guest stars and series regulars on television, and in major motion pictures. Further, my studio has helped raised thousands of dollars for charities worldwide.

I've been working with Helena since we met in acting school a number of years ago. She's like a wizard that can see and bring out things in you that you might never thought possible without her. Helena has genuinely helped me be a better, happier and more balanced actor and human. Couldn't recommend her and the team enough

Jason Daly
Actor

Absolutely brilliant! Highly recommend this course! Working with Helena was one of the best decisions I've ever made. It has transformed my approach to acting, and since working with her I've seen huge self-growth - both as an actor and on a personal level. I'm excited to continue working with Helena and to see where her work and support takes me next.

Aine Flanagan
Actress

Helena’s teachings and support will guide you through a journey of discovery and exploration of the humanity in not only you as the artist, but also in you as yourself. You’ll feel more empowered and fearless as she brings light into the unknown ahead of your artistry’s journey. I’ve been studying with her for a while and all I can say now is that, reading a script, working on character and telling stories have become so nuanced, so humane and magical. So, I can’t recommend her enough. She’s a badass coach and human being!.

Matheus Tonon
Actor

The most brilliantly adaptive acting training imaginable, one of the greats.

Justin Ensor
Actor

Helena has taught me so much about my inner world. How to be human is truly the art of acting. She teaches how to access, identify and transform emotions into conscious expression.. Like painting a picture, an artist needs to know how to make a find the colours to mix them. Helena showed me how to find my colours…. Forever grateful….
Helena: “Move out of intensity and into complexity”

Kathleen Weir
Script supervisor | "The Guard" 2011

Could not recommend this any higher. These two incredible people will change your life both as an artist and a human

Shane O Regan
Actor

Helena is a fantastic teacher, the best I have met. Her teaching will change your relationship to how you experience your life, to yourself and your profession. And she surrounds herself with a brilliantly unique, talented and like-hearted team. Could not recommend her and the studio highly enough.

Seán McManus
Actor

Helena fosters the actor's ability to be aware of and to be in the moment by cultivating one's natural curiosity and interest. Her feedback on scene work is forensic and always encouraging. The love she has for acting and actors is palpable. Working with Helena has been a marvellous experience.

Pádraic Mc Ginley
Actor

Helena's unique and grounding practice has helped me immensely as an actor. Her holistic approach is something I've not experience in any other training, and what's more I always see the growth in myself having been in her classes. I go back to her again and again.

Rachel Walshe
Actress

Let's Talk Modules

The breakdown

Working with Helena

Weekly voice, acting and embodiment masterclasses

You meet with Helena twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays for voice, body, character integration work and nervous system regulation work. The work is inspired by Fitzmaurice Voicework®, Organic Intelligence® and Neurosystemics™ and works from the principles of stability, support, pleasure and play. It is a journey into alignment of imagination body and breath, working with the fight / flight / freeze mechanisms that ignite in the actor’s nervous system when working with creative impulse. We will explore the subtle nuances in our rich vulnerability so that the experience of your character is more embodied and alive.

1:1 Organic Intelligence sessions with Helena

Nervous system regulation

Organic Intelligence® (OI) is a framework that teaches individuals to regulate their nervous system in order to promote optimal functioning and well-being. For actors, OI can be especially important for a few reasons:

Emotional Regulation: Acting can be an emotionally demanding profession, and you may need to tap into intense emotions in order to convincingly portray a character. However, this can also lead to burnout, exhaustion, or emotional dysregulation. OI can help you to learn how to regulate your emotions in a healthy way, so that you can perform at your best without being overwhelmed.
Presence: A great actor is able to fully inhabit a character and bring them to life on stage or screen. This requires a high degree of present-moment awareness and mindfulness. OI can help you to develop these skills, allowing you to stay fully engaged in the moment and bring a greater sense of authenticity to your performances.
Resilience: Acting is a competitive field, and you may face rejection, criticism, or other setbacks in your career. OI can help you to build resilience and maintain a positive outlook, so that you can bounce back from these challenges and continue to pursue your goals.

Working with Ben

Acting Masterclasses

Part One: Presence/Body/Image/Block Integration

We begin using principles of Organic Intelligence, Fitzmaurice Voicework, and unique techniques developed at Crash Acting to center the actor in their bodies and deepen their work on script and character.

Part Two: Skill Development

Text Analysis, Creative Analysis, Cold Reading, Career Strategy, Audition Technique are example skills we cover.

Part Three: Performance

Scenes are scheduled and actors work in a traditional scene study format. Receiving deep and lasting instruction from Ben, each actor is challenged with lessons designed to shape and deepen their practice.

Part Four: Return

We return to presence and stability as we reflect on the class and exit with intention for deeper practice, clarity of homework assignments, and purpose of artistry.

I'm ready to join

I'M IN

Still Got Questions?

What are the logistics?

HOW MUCH IT COSTS?

WHAT IS FITZMAURICE VOICEWORK?

What is Fitzmaurice Voicework®?
The purpose of Fitzmaurice Voicework® is to support people in finding and using their unique voices—in healthy, clear, and creative ways—while developing greater freedom and presence.

Fitzmaurice Voicework® combines adaptations of classical voice training techniques with modifications of yoga, shiatsu, bioenergetics, energy work, and many other disciplines (see primary sources for more information). This integration serves to harmonize the voluntary and involuntary aspects of the nervous system, and the voice.

Through deep and practical explorations of the dynamics between body, breath, voice, imagination, and language, the work develops vibrant voices that communicate intention and feeling without excess effort.

Fitzmaurice Voicework focuses on the whole human voice, and can support speaking for performance, public speaking, singing, voice with movement, vocal rehabilitation, and developing greater presence. Since breath and voice lie at the intersection of the material and the non-material, this work can also assist in creative, intellectual, and spiritual growth. Visit Writings to explore further.

Where is it taught?
Fitzmaurice Voicework® is taught at Yale School of Drama, Harvard University/American Repertory Theatre's Institute for Advanced Theatre Training, New York University's Graduate Acting Program (and some NYU undergraduate studios), the University of California-Irvine, and hundreds of other institutions around the world.

Fitzmaurice Voicework® includes:

Destructuring
Destructuring promotes awareness and aliveness in the body, spontaneous and free breathing, and wide-ranging vocal expressivity—using Tremorwork®, a variety of other dynamic exercises, and hands-on work.

Restructuring
Restructuring encourages a healthy economy of effort while speaking or singing—and a deep connection to language and listener—using modified bel canto techniques and the "focus line."

Presence
Presence work develops natural vibrancy and the capacity to be open to the world while still having healthy boundaries. It is rooted in being fluidly aware of internal and external experiences while focusing on what matters in the moment.

Play
Play invites you to bring your whole spirit and curiosity to whatever you're engaging with. Within the context of play, you can explore all applications of Fitzmaurice Voicework.

What is Organic Intelligence®?

What is Neurosystemics?

What is NeuroSystemics

NeuroSystemics is a mindfulness-based and relational method for people's personal and collective development towards greater levels of well-being, resilience, and empowerment in dealing with the challenges of daily life (work, relationships, community, culture). So that we can begin to meet and master life's challenges, which deepens our experience of meaning, aliveness and belonging.

How does NeuroSystemics work

Neuro = nervous system (which organizes the way we process information and experiences)

Systems = the many layers of systems (relational, cultural, societal, ecological) that we live within

NeuroSystemics session = we have a free and unstructured conversation in which we'll talk about whatever is at the foreground of your life's unfolding that day (personally or as a group). As a Neurosystemics practictioner, I will help you explore your here-and-now experience that goes along with the content of our conversation. As we'll begin to explore and expand on -- often unnoticed -- signals that are coming from your body and mind, we find that when these signals are noticed and nurtured by our shared attention, they will begin to bring new insights and resources for meeting and mastering your challenges and goals in life.

What's different about the approach

Working with the whole nervous system (MOSAIC) instead of one channel (like CBT, or emotion-focused, or hypnotherapy with imagery, etc.)
A positive reinforcement and non-pathologizing framework (looking for signs of health and healing instead of disease and disorder)
Going beyond Resiliency (phase 2) towards Prosilience / Coherence (phase 3). Prosilience (and coherence) mean our capacity to grow in many ways. This happens by meeting and mastering life's challenges. We therefore hold the possibility of living a full life, with on-going exploration of our human experience and an ever-increasing curiosity that fuels learning, growth and (spiritual) development.
Leaving behind the excessive reductionism and individualism of traditional therapy. We rather include all systems that we (and our clients) live in and engage with (i.e. Sense, Self, Social, Societal, Soil, Stars, what have you). To do that we offer different practices (self-regulation, 1on1, circles, forums)
We are utilizing the importance of the healing relationship and actively engaging as therapist/facilitator as compared to ‘doing a protocol’.

MY LAST PIECE OF ADVICE

In practice, we open space for story to happen.

Being in story requires experiencing it, which is very different to analysing it. For stories to emerge imbued with complexity, you need to offer your body the initial conditions of safety and pleasure - so then you can risk and discover and surrender to the unknown. Trusting your embodied imagination reveals the story to you - so you and the audience are constantly surprised. We practice until it happens.