Overview

The APS Psychology of the Performing Arts and Entertainment Industry is delighted to invite you to the event ‘Health and Wellbeing for the Actor’.

This interactive professional development seminar explores actor wellbeing across the full performance lifecycle, drawing on Richard Schechner’s seven phases of performance, occupational health research, and contemporary neuroscience.

Delivered through a series of eight short segments interspersed with facilitated discussion, the session will equip psychologists working in the performing arts and entertainment industry with a nuanced understanding of the psychological, emotional, and occupational challenges faced by actors and music theatre performers.

The webinar will explore topics include training environments, audition stress, rehearsal and performance demands, warm-up and recovery practices, and the often-neglected “aftermath” of performance.

Furthermore, the seminar will consider identity, career precarity, and systemic risk factors, while highlighting under‑researched issues such as abusive training cultures, immersive theatre practices, and the wellbeing of child actors. The focus is on sustainable careers and psychologically informed support for performers.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this seminar, participants will be able to:

• Understand the psychological and occupational health risks faced by actors across the full performance lifecycle, using Schechner’s seven phases of performance as a conceptual framework.
• Identify common wellbeing stressors specific to acting work, including training environments, auditioning, rehearsal and performance demands, recovery practices, and post‑performance adjustment.
• Understand actor identity, role immersion, career precarity, and workplace culture interact to influence actors’ mental health and professional sustainability.
• Recognise signs of psychological vulnerability, boundary blurring, and maladaptive coping strategies in actors at different career stages.

Presenter(s)

Hosted by Dr. Mark Seton

About the presenter(s)

Dr. Mark Seton, PhD, is an Honorary Research Associate in the Discipline of Theatre and Performance Studies, The University of Sydney. He teaches actor wellbeing in several drama schools and coaches actors, dealing with highly vulnerable and potentially traumatising roles, through the Actors Wellbeing Academy which he established online. He was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to conduct a study tour of actor training healthcare practices in the UK. He is a founding member of the Australian Society for Performing Arts Healthcare and on the Board of the Performing Arts Medicine Association.

Notes

Target Audience

This activity is aimed at psychologists interested in working with those who work within the performing arts indusry.

Please note:

• This is a Member Groups event. All communication will be sent to the registrants’ registered email address. This includes event reminders with details (such as the Zoom link) and any pre-event or post-event resources, if provided by the facilitators.
• A post-event email will be sent within two weeks of the event’s completion to each registrant’s registered email address. This email will include the CPD certificate, event-recording, and any additional resources shared during the session.

Duration of Access

This event will be recorded. The recording will be emailed to all registered within 2 weeks post event and available for viewing up to 90 days.

CPD

It is up to attendees to assess and determine how learning from this event aligns with the requirements of their learning plan. The providers accordingly do not make any representation that the event counts towards attendees’ CPD learning requirements. If an attendee determines themselves that the learning they complete aligns to their learning plan, then they can decide to count those hours towards their CPD requirements for the registration cycle.

The information in this presentation has been prepared in good faith and for educational purposes only. Therefore, the information is general in nature and should not be relied upon in the treatment of any condition and you should seek your own independent professional and/or legal advice concerning any specific issue. The APS accepts no responsibility for any errors, omissions or decisions relating to the information. The content should not be reproduced without permission or unless permitted by law.

If you are experiencing registration difficulties please contact APS Events Support.