Making acting a risky business

c-goodall-jude-henshall2In the decade since he graduated from Flinders, Cameron Goodall has had few dull moments – he starred in Patch Theatre’s Mr McGee and the Biting Flea, played the lead in Hamlet for South Australia’s State Theatre Company, and now he’s off to Sydney to work under Cate Blanchett.

Much of his professional career has been spent performing with Brink Productions and for the Border Project, an ensemble that grew out of student friendships formed at the Flinders Drama Centre. Mr Goodall expects that his 18-month contract with the Sydney Theatre Company (STC) will produce more of the edgy and experimental theatre that he most enjoys.

While some of the STC program is scheduled, much of his time will be spent as part of an ensemble of eight performers who will collaborate with writers to devise new works.

“Working with the same group of performers over time encourages you to learn to communicate in short-hand and builds up a trust that promotes risk-taking,” Mr Goodall said.

“The more familiar you are with each other the more risks you can take, and hopefully, the more interesting the work can be.”

In working for the STC, he will follow in the steps of other Flinders graduates, notably director Benedict Andrews and actor Amber McMahon.

Mr Goodall said the drama course at Flinders had given him an invaluable grounding.

“A lot of where I am now is down to the specific kind of training I got at Flinders,” he said.

“I believe that Flinders has the only four-year course in the country that can prepare you to be a performer and also make you the sort of person interested in, and capable of, creating your own work.”

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