While promoting a feature film in Korea, Billy Milionis was asked to
teach acting at a number of workshops in Seoul, Korea. This experience
made him realise, not only did he have a knack for passing on the knowledge
he had learned from Sanford Meisner,
but more importantly, he had an unquenchable passion for it.
On his return from Asia, four actors seeking help with some material
they had been working on approached Billy. This would be Billy’s first
class as an acting coach in Australia and the beginning of what would
later become The Actors Pulse.
The following two years would see a small increase of students as word
got around town ‘there was an acting coach who had personally studied
under Sanford Meisner.’ By the end of 1996 the group had moved to a studio
above Planet Hollywood on George Street to accommodate the growing numbers.
As a waiting list started to develop, the studio was officially given
its name ‘The Actor’s Pulse’ in September 1997. A move to the clubroom
at the Seymour Centre in 1998 would be the temporary studio for the group
while Billy worked on securing a permanent space. In 2000 The Actor’s
Pulse located to it’s own premises on Regent St in Redfern.
From just a square open space; a professional theatrette (New York Theatrette)
would be built providing a maximum of 25 seats. As the numbers began to
rise from 60 to 130 students by 2003, a cut off point was put into place
allowing a waiting list and a finer selection. With an approval by the
council in 2004, careful planning and many negotiations, the space would
see the development of a 54-seat theatre with a multi media TV studio
on the level above. At the end of 2007 the new studio was completed.
Ten years in the making, The Actors Pulse has garnered success from students and graduates both nationally and internationally whilst maintaining the passion and commitment to the craft and development of acting that inspired the beginning of this continuously growing school.
