Our Guest today is Dr. Suzie J. Jarmain https://www.linkedin.com/in/suziejjarmain/ Ph.D. (Theatre Performance), MA Applied Theatre Studies, Pg. Dip (Theatre Directing), BCA (Acting). Dr. Suzie J. Jarmain is an actor, theatre artist, director, educator, coach, mentor and practice-based scholar with over thirty years of expertise. Specialising in psychological realism-based character transformation, Suzie holds a Bachelor of Creative Arts in acting from the University of Wollongong (AUS), a Postgraduate Diploma in Performance Creation from Victorian College of the Arts (VIC), and a Master of Applied Theatre Studies from the University of New England (NSW). She completed her Ph.D. at Monash University supported by a scholarship. Suzie has worked with worldwide companies such as the National Theatre of Scotland, BBC Scotland, Traverse Theatre (UK), The Arches (UK), North Edinburgh Arts Centre, The Performance Space (AUS), Melbourne Theatre Company, La Mama Theatre (AUS), NIDA, Victorian College of the Arts (AUS), and Union House Theatre (AUS), to name a few. She has undergone professional development training with the Michael Chekhov Association (US), the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (UK), and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (UK). She has previously certified as a teacher with Stagecoach Theatrearts (UK) funded by a grant from the British Actors’ Equity Association (UK). In 2016, she was awarded the Phillip Parsons Prize by the Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama, and Performance Studies (ADSA) for her project ‘Faking it For Real,’ which explored the autobiographical ‘self’ in character creation. Suzie has presented her research at conferences such as AusAct (AUS) and Performance Studies International (CAD) and contributed to the PAMA Actors Wellbeing webinar series on ‘Interventions in the Acting Process’ (2024). Her solo works include ‘Elizabeth Taylor is My Mother’ (2016), ‘The Disappearing Trilogy’ (2019), and ‘Celebrity’ (2023). As a published scholar and researcher, Suzie continues to explore and innovate in transformative acting practices. Her recent article, "Remember My Name: The Critical Role of Selves in Transformative Acting," contributes to the ongoing discourse on sustainable acting methodologies, highlighting broader artistic concerns related to transformative processes and the identity of the actor. In 2023, Suzie founded the Michael Chekhov Studios in Melbourne, Australia, focusing on the Michael Chekhov technique, transformative acting processes, and actor wellbeing. She is a member of the Association of Acting Coaches and Educators (AACE), a community member of the Actors Wellbeing Facilitators Collective, the Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama, and Performance Studies (ADSA) and Theatre Network Australia (TNA). Suzie also regularly collaborates with the Melbourne Actors Guild, coaching actors and ensembles at various stages of professional development. Our discussion covered Chekov’s philosophy of higher and lower ego states in the creation of character, performance & identity, how we create characters for ourselves - not just in acting but in life —and mental health challenges that arise during the actors process of character development.
