Grace Acting Studios has won the Inclusive and Accessible category at the 2019 Deakin University Geelong Business Excellence Awards.
“I first dreamed of opening an acting studio back in 2004“, owner Sarah Grace writes in her awards entry submission.
“I had been pursuing an acting career, studying at the Stella Adler Academy in Hollywood, and I wanted an opportunity to not only share my knowledge but to allow others to experience the joy that comes with creative expression.
“Two years later Mooregrace Acting Studios was born.“
Sarah’s entry says that she and her former business partner “certainly came from humble beginnings, starting with just 20 students, teaching in a hired hall with equipment loaned from Deakin.
“We were both qualified teachers, working casually at local schools during the day to make ends meet and going straight from work to the hall to teach each night.
“We were exhausted. But we loved it … and 13 years later we welcome over 400 students through our doors weekly, employ a team of 21 dedicated staff members (4.5 full-time equivalent) and run classes six days a week across two leased studios.
In 2016 Sarah bought out her business partner and successfully rebranded the business to Grace Acting Studios.
Her studio now offers weekly screen acting and film making classes as well as acting workshops to students aged seven to 19 years.
“Our vision is to create pathways for our students to pursue careers in the industry,“ she says.
“Our competitive difference, and the heart of what we do, is instilling confidence into young people, giving them a space to really be themselves, to let their imaginations run wild, to believe in themselves and their unique creative abilities.“
