TEACHING ACTION THEATER

“I highly recommend Danielle Cresp’s incredible Action Theater workshops. Every workshop I’ve attended over the years has been motivating, inspiring and fun. Danielle’s expert guidance and enthusiasm for sharing this wonderful work is invaluable. If you’ve been looking to hone your craft or learn new skills (or just have a hell of a lot of fun) I encourage you to get along!”

Gabrielle New,

Performing Artist

2019

“Danielle is a devoted, experienced and assured teacher of physical theatre improvisation. Her engaging warmth and curiosity promote an environment in which students are free to explore new ways of being alive to the creative possibilities within each moment. The Action Theater approach provides an extensive framework of technical exercises and games which can be applied across a range of creative contexts and styles. I have found Danielle's workshops to be delightful, challenging, nourishing and moving.”

Steve Gome

Freelance Actor, Writer & Director

2021

“Really fun, diverse, challenging and thought provoking workshop. Danielle is great at holding the space for everyone and encouraging exploration of the body as a creative instrument. Inspirational stuff. If you get the opportunity to get involved, take the plunge.”

Sam Browne

Actor

2020

“Great zoom series”

Amanda Phillips

Choreographer, Director, Filmmaker

2020

“When it comes to generating choreography, actioning text and staging work into a space, Danielle’s rigorously honed directing skills encourage the artist to reach for a sophisticated and fully realised performance. Danielle does this in a way that doesn’t ask the artist to sacrifice their authenticity; her work and research through Action Theater and dance more broadly provides Danielle with a practical and technical vocabulary that molds and yields to the artists styles and aims.”

Michelle Hall

Award-Winning Performing Artist & Theatre Maker

“Being in a room with a group (of other artists I barely know) with the way Danielle starts each each day of training, with no talking, just bodies in space...ah, what a gift! The exercises are superb and the way Danielle structures each day is a masterpiece in itself. I was constantly surprised with what came out of my body and then what came out of my mouth. The workshop is not just well structured, it is delicately curated to get the most out of the players from start to finish. Throughout the workshop I found a deeper level of trust in myself, in my body and in the process. Danielle is an absolutely incredible facilitator and holder of space. She makes it so comfortable and she even makes feeling uncomfortable feel comfortable. Her love and commitment to the arts is beyond refreshing. She reminds me what it means to be an artist and I've found that since the workshop I've looked at all aspects of my practice and asked myself 'how do i go deeper'? The experience is profound. Her workshops are perfect to re-activate the poetic body and get the artistic synapses firing. Through the workshop I found a deeper level of trust in myself, in my body and in the process. I feel reinvigorated to perform and I feel better equipped now. ”

Lucy Fox

Actor/Comedian

2021

DIRECTING THEATRE

“Danielle has allowed me more personal discoveries than any other director I’ve worked with. I find she has that rare ability to direct without obviously directing; rather, she alerts you to what is impulsively already happening within you. I admire her ‘no bullshit’ approach in the rehearsal room. There is a wonderful simplicity and frankness in her critique of any work I explore in front of her, as well as an atmosphere of playfulness. Danielle also has an eager eye for an artist’s well being and her encouragement of my self-care practise whilst working on a show has always formed a large part of our work together.”

Andi Snelling,

Award-Winning Actor & Performance Maker

2018

“Danielle is a magician! A maestra! A finely tuned being that sees what’s needed and makes it happen! Danielle has a distinct power that she brings to her work as a director – this power is the presence of ‘depth’. Through every rehearsal, conversation, challenging practical hurdle, Danielle is able to stand with you as a parallel creative, holding your ideas, stepping into your vision and walking the journey with you as you build your performance. And, your work will be so much better for it. Danielle goes deep and that’s what sets apart the shows she has worked on – it’s why they all win awards! As I developed ‘The Dirty Mother’ - a show about birth trauma, a show which models imagining yourself beyond crisis - Danielle was co-driving the exploration with me, supporting me to go deeper into my physical practise, with my body as the archival store and creative mine of my lived experience. I could not have translated this epic story without the questions Danielle posed to me during our developments. Danielle’s sensitive, muscular and overflowingly joyous approach to experimentation elicited a richer elevation of my voice through which I could share the world of ‘The Dirty Mother’ with a live audience. I felt revered each time I worked with Danielle, I felt credible and like anything was possible and everything was fun! Together, Danielle and I created the conditions from which my whole show poured forth like a bounteous-kaleidoscopic, whacky and poignant montage of images and memory. There are very few co-creating directors who embody the depth of empathy, artistic resource and technical capability that Danielle does. This comes from her dedication to working with the body, with image, with emotion, with story and with people. But mostly, this come from Danielle’s mountainous capacity to listen, to inhabit and affirm every artists’ creative desire. Danielle directs the artist in the most proactive fashion to realise their stories through her deep awareness of human experience and a practised performance intellect. I only hope I get to work with Danielle again and again in my lifetime.”

Michelle Hall

Award-Winning Performing Artist & Theatre Maker

2020

“Danielle is an intuitive, responsive director who has worked with me to help bring form and content during funded creative developments sourced for creating clown shows where I needed to develop critical content and physical humour for my character of: Fix It the Eco-Friendly clown.”

Anna Lehmann-Thomson

Arts/Educator & queer performer

2019

MENTORING ARTISTS

“Danielle is a great mentor! I’m still getting benefits from the work we did a year ago!”

Sarah

Artist

2019

“It’s great to have someone like Danielle believing in you and supporting you to make creative decisions. Since her mentoring everything has fallen neatly into place in my life. I’ve found paid work in my chosen fields. I’m doing more professional development in my field to enhance my existing skills and I have moved to an area where I am much happier. I am deeply grateful for her encouragement and guidance which further inspires me in my own work.”

Greta

Performer, Teacher and Maker

2019

CREATIVE COACHING

“Danielle helps artists explore their potential and gives wise advice. She is well organised and full of positive energy.”

Ya Gao

Dance Artist

2018

“Working with Danielle allows you to get out of your head and into your body playing with movement, voice and space. It’s the best. Do it.”

Sophie Lampel

Actor, Producer at Essential Theatre.

2020