Steven Fernandez is Australia’s Actor’s Coach

“Hi, I’m Steven Fernandez. Thanks for taking the time to read about me. Let’s just start by saying that acting and giving acting classes comes naturally to me because it helps people build confidence in themselves.  

This is one of my most enjoyable moments because it reveals a lot of hidden talents. From experience, people are able to shine in front of the camera after attending my classes.”

This is my story as interviewed on A/X Publisher Digital 

Steven was born in Sydney. His family, who did not have English as a first language, were modest and traditional, and tried to bring him up with working class values. But he says he was determined to find something more, something different.

His life was not going to be a popularity contest with a marriage, a regular manual job and membership of the local sports team. He didn’t want to follow the herd or tradition; he was certain of that much.

Steven says he was happier staying indoors, forging his own path, making up stories and acting them out with his Star Wars figures.

Apart from acting and teaching acting, Steven lists reading tarot and leading unscripted social games as his main interests. Read on for more information.

His biggest influence

Steven answers that he likes to be himself. He describes himself as an individual and says that he is determined, with a good sense of humour.

He gives the example of the time he bought a large apple pie a few days before his mother’s birthday.

To make sure she wouldn’t peek inside the paper wrapping, he wrote on the outside, “Caution: Keep Refrigerated at All Times”.  

No word on whether his mother appreciated his gift, though.

What inspires him?

Seems like Steven Fernandez is a man of many talents. Apart from acting and coaching actors, he also writes and gives tarot readings. As mentioned earlier, he enjoys playing fun, unscripted, social games.

In fact, he portrays himself as an “absolute crusader” about the benefits to be gained by playing them. He has been writing space adventure stories since his tweenage years, his imagination taking him to places his life at the time could not.

His unique characteristics and deep intuition!

According to Steven, people believe he is a good listener and, as a result, they often confide in him.

This, he says, builds respect and leads to increased confidence. In turn, this feeds into his work as an acting coach, where he also finds his students have confidence in his suggestions and feedback.

They seem to like his straightforward yet creative style. International students in particular warm to his clear and energetic delivery.

He enjoys using the unscripted social games (or improv, as they’re also called) to teach his students confidence.

Many of them are younger people who look to him for guidance on many things. They find the confidence gained through improv games is useful in making career and lifestyle decisions.

Steven’s current project

Steven tells us that these unscripted social games effectively give adults permission to play and be ‘silly’ and creative. 

Improv games are designed to help ordinary people work on their acting and communication skills.

School drama groups and classes often teach something similar, encouraging listening skills, quick thinking and reactive responses to any given situation.

Typically, this form of improv is slow moving, with each scene advancing, collaboratively, a second at a time.

Participants simply have to stop and listen. This is much more than the role play beloved of training days and corporate team building exercises. It teaches skills which can be used immediately in everyday life.

Steven Fernandez is currently the only practitioner of this artform in the Western suburbs of Sydney, Australia and other areas, so he is gradually serving the market.

He reckons he influences others by his ideas and creative spark.

The work he is doing with improv groups helps many people deal with situations in their daily lives. His clear delivery is also easily understandable by others who do not have English as a first language, and who are maybe looking for confidence boosting activities as a result.

Collaboration with other creatives

He also has big plans to further help the creative community by collaborating with other creatives.

He and humanitarian artist Julie J are collaborating on a workshop to improve the competencies of this group around financial mindset, sustainable income and marketing for creative people.

There is no argument that creatives create, but Steven, like Julie J, agrees that creatives really ought to know how to price their services competitively.

Despite their importance to many of us, artists of all sorts generally earn less than half of the average annual wage.

Steven and Julie J are working together to secure Sydney City Council funding for this project so that they do not have to charge participants a fee for attending.

Steven’s Influence on Others

Steven Fernandez has other talents beyond acting and improv. He also reads tarot, where he states that his responsibility is to help clients steer their lives in healthier and more self-determining directions.  

As in other areas of his life he aims to give his tarot clients clear and decisive practical solutions. He tries to focus less on the predictions and more on how his sitters can achieve those goals.

He says he reads for all ages from teens to sixties but finds that his clientele is predominantly female.

As well as his Parramatta improv classes, Steven Fernandez is also team leader of a long-established improvisational theater group based in Sydney’s CBD.

He instructs and advises this group, which generally comprises young people between 18 and 35.

Over the last few years, he has found that he has become the go-to guy for many young people needing advice on vocational and life choices.

He finds his improv classes often help them crystallize their own ideas and build the confidence to make the most of their strengths.

Steven’s Plans for the Near Future

Anyone who earns a chunk of their income through creative pursuits, whether painting, pottery, sewing, acting, jewelry making, music or writing should look up the information on his collaboration with Julie J’s upcoming workshop Sustainable Income for Creative People. She is also Steven’s business and marketing coach throughout his professional development. 

Steven’s improv classes are also available to anyone who feels they need a confidence boost to explain their requirement for a pay rise to a regular client.

His final words

Steven Fernandez says he is hoping to make life better generally for as many people as possible. Firstly, he aims to help anyone who takes his classes in unscripted social games (Improv). 

He is looking forward to hosting the marketing and finance workshop with Julie J this coming Winter, which he anticipates will be useful to any creatives currently struggling with marketing their work at reasonable rates.

This positive, helpful mindset is bound to rub off on many of his clients and students.

Steven Fernandez has an active Facebook page which has more details about him and his projects, as well as a LinkedIn profile. Register for Steven’s Introductory Improv Classes.

The End.  

Share It You Legend